The contact center industry faces well-known and documented challenges. Low morale, high attrition, and uneven performance are constant hurdles. Yet, the human element remains the most critical driver of success in this customer-facing environment. Leaders across the industry often speak of “being all in this together” and emphasize empathy and transparency, but are these values truly evident in daily practice?
Recent research confirms what many leaders experience daily. According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, only 21% of U.S. employees strongly trust their organization’s leadership, down from 24% in 2019. This trust deficit trickles down into poor engagement and turnover, creating a costly cycle that frustrates leaders and harms the customer experience. McKinsey’s analysis of contact center transformations echoes this, finding that the winning organizations are those that successfully blend advanced technology with authentic human leadership.
So, how can contact center leaders turn rhetoric into reality?
TouchPoint One’s recent work with ResultsCX company, Aucera, offers a compelling blueprint. Their Acuity platform’s A-GAME Leagues uniquely bridges the gap between frontline agents and senior leadership by creating gamified performance leagues where executives draft and mentor teams of frontline workers. Here, leadership is not confined to quarterly town halls or emails but activated in an opt-in, hands-on, visible role within the daily work rhythm.
The difference is profound: instead of executives simply talking about being “all in,” they play on the same team. This fosters genuine relationships, boosts psychological safety, and makes leadership accountability palpable. As Norine Toomey, VP at Aucera, says, participating in these leagues reminded executives why they love the industry by reconnecting them directly with their teams’ challenges and successes.
Effective manager support is a balance of empathy and operational insight. This is affirmed by Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report, which highlights the central role of managerial capability in shaping employee engagement and retention. Acuity’s platform enables this by providing real-time performance data, AI-powered coaching recommendations, and intuitive dashboards that empower supervisors to have personalized, meaningful conversations.
Rather than overwhelming managers, technology here enhances judgment and frees them to focus on what matters most: recognizing effort, guiding development, and fostering collaboration. This kind of support correlates with higher manager accessibility — a key driver of agent satisfaction and reduced attrition.
Gamification has often been dismissed as a gimmick, but when thoughtfully designed, it becomes a powerful engagement lever. TouchPoint One’s A-GAME structure translates performance metrics into team-based competitions layered with leader mentorship. This approach not only motivates agents but also brings quiet or underperforming individuals out of their shells through peer and manager support.
Critically, the platform’s flexible themes (sports, pop culture, company heritage) allow organizations to tailor experiences so they not only resonate emotionally and culturally across diverse, often distributed teams but remain fresh, dynamic, and relevant to what’s currently inspiring the workforce. Recognition happens continuously and transparently, reinforcing positive behaviors and celebrating achievements, factors proven to improve morale and retention as reiterated by CX Network’s 2025 contact center trends research.
Listening to employees is essential. TouchPoint One integrates Voice of the Employee tools and pulse surveys to keep a finger on workforce sentiment, ensuring feedback drives meaningful organizational changes. McKinsey underscores this in their leadership studies, noting that companies with strong feedback loops outperform peers in engagement and customer outcomes.
When employees feel heard and see leaders acting on their input, connection deepens, trust rebuilds, and discretionary effort rises.
A key insight from the Aucera implementation is their balance of technology-enabled virtual engagement with in-person celebrations and transparent communication. Leaders don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Simple steps such as launching inter-level competitions, creating leader-agent mentorship pairs, or public recognition channels with cross-hierarchical participation, can begin shifting culture.
The critical factor is senior leaders stepping into spaces where employees see and feel their involvement regularly. This shifts leadership from “top-down cheerleading” to embodied partnership.
Beyond abstract leadership ideals, these practices deliver real business impact:
In a landscape where automation and AI promise efficiency, human connection remains the competitive advantage. Leaders who provide meaningful support to managers at all levels and authentically engage alongside agents will build resilient, motivated workforces capable of delivering superior CX consistently.
Leadership is no longer about being “in charge” from the sidelines. It entails joining the game, sharing the journey, and winning together.
If you’d like to discuss how this approach could look in your organization or want additional resources on gamified engagement and performance management in contact centers, feel free to connect!
