#245 - Ed Creasey of Calabrio on Voice of the Agent Research 2025

The frontline has spoken — and the results are eye-opening.

In this episode, Martin is joined by Ed Creasey, VP of Solution Engineering at Calabrio, to break down the newly released Voice of the Agent 2025 research. Now in its second year, this study captures the real experiences, pressures, and motivations of over 540 contact centre agents across the UK and US.

We explore:
• Why agent pride remains so high — and why that matters
• Career path confusion: half of agents don’t know what roles exist beyond the phones
• The complex relationship agents have with AI — fear meets opportunity
• Empathy: why 75% of agents feel confident… while leaders think it’s the biggest skills gap
• The stress factor: now as influential as pay in whether people stay
• Scheduling frustrations, fairness, autonomy and the “silent delta” between leaders and frontline colleagues
• What leaders can action today to close the gap

Ed also shares fascinating stories from the field — from analysing live conversations to real examples of empathy breakdowns — and gives practical, grounded insight into where the industry is heading.

This is essential listening for contact centre leaders who want to keep their teams proud, supported, motivated, and future-ready.