Nearly One-Third of Contact Center Agents Plan to Quit as Agent Experience Falls Short

The State of Agent Experience 2026 Report from Verint Reveals How CX Automation Can Address Agent Strain

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite advances in AI and automation, contact center agents remain frustrated by high volumes of manual, repetitive tasks and poor work-life balance. Nearly one-third of agents (31%) surveyed say they are likely to leave their current role within the next six months. But there’s a clear path forward: applying AI directly to agent workflows.

These are among the findings in The State of Agent Experience 2026 report, informed by a survey of 1,000 contact center agents and created by Verint^®, The CX Automation Company™.

The report reveals major trends shaping the future of contact centers, agent experience and AI deployment. It also highlights where targeted AI can deliver meaningful impact by automating routine tasks, speeding access to knowledge and supporting agents with real-time guidance. It’s clear: contact centers must move beyond experimental AI pilots to deliver measurable customer and agent experience outcomes.

Key Report Findings

• Agents’ Jobs Are Growing More Complex: 94% of agents see AI changing their roles within three years, with 61% expecting to handle more complex and technical work as a result. Already, nearly half (49%) work across multiple channels.
• Manual Tasks Consume Agent Time: Agents report spending significant time on monotonous, repetitive tasks that could be automated. In 45% of calls, agents spend an average of three minutes searching for answers – time better spent on activities requiring empathy, judgment and creative thinking.
• Agent Experience Is Imperative: Nine out of ten agents say schedule flexibility is important when choosing a job, making the adoption of intelligent scheduling and AI-powered workforce management crucial.

“The future contact center isn’t humans or AI. It’s humans with AI – working together to deliver efficiency and empathy at scale,” said Anna Convery, chief marketing officer at Verint. “Enterprises must proactively build AI-augmented contact centers. If not, they may suffer a staggering opportunity cost from agent overwhelm and churn.”

To learn more, download The State of Agent Experience 2026 report and see how Verint’s AI-powered solutions provide stronger, faster, measurable outcomes.

Survey Methodology

The findings from the Verint State of Agent Experience 2026 report are based on a survey of 1,000 contact center agents from companies with at least 300 agents, across five industries (59% work in centers with 1,000+ agents). Data was collected via an online survey between Nov. 18 and Dec. 9, 2025. The survey captured responses from contact center agents across varying company sizes, age ranges, industries and levels of experience to ensure the findings represented the agent experience across the spectrum.

About Verint

Verint^® is a leader in Customer Experience (CX) Automation, serving a customer base that includes more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. The world’s most iconic brands use the Verint CX Automation Platform and our team of AI-powered bots to deliver tangible AI Business Outcomes, Now™ across the enterprise. Verint is uniquely positioned to help brands increase CX Automation with our differentiated, AI-powered platform; driving enhanced customer engagement, increased efficiency and reduced costs across contact centers, back offices and digital channels. Verint, The CX Automation Company™, is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work^®. Learn more at Verint.com.

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