Modernizing the Contact Center with AI: Rebecca Wettemann on Rethinking Metrics, Handoffs, and Agent Experience

In this CX Today interview, Valoir Principal Rebecca Wettemann explains why time-based metrics like AHT and FCR need a rethink—and what leaders should measure instead, from outcome quality and AI-to-human handoffs to agent trust, coaching, and retention.Contact centers are racing toward “always-on” service, but Rebecca Wettemann, Principal at Valoir, argues many teams are modernizing with the wrong scorecard. In this CX Today interview with Rob Wilkinson, she explains why legacy, time-based metrics like AHT and FCR were designed for a human-only world—and how AI changes the game when 70–80% of initial enquiries can be automated.Wettemann unpacks what leaders should measure instead: quality of outcomes, AI-to-human handoff success, effective escalation (knowing when the bot can’t help and handing over with a clear summary), and whether agents actually trust and use AI coaching. She also explores the hidden impact of misaligned incentives on agent stress and retention and how AI can flip performance management from “big brother” monitoring to scalable recognition and support.