6 Contact center trends for 2026

During our annual research into the state of CX, almost one quarter (21 percent) of practitioners said customer service interactions have increased by 11-20 percent in the last 12 months. A further 12 percent reported an increase of 21-40 percent. 

In the face of heightened demand, contact center leaders are leveraging all the tools at their fingertips to ensure customers receive timely and efficient responses to their queries. In doing do, they are exploring new and creative ways to maintain satisfaction, while managing costs.

Ahead of All Access: Future Contact Centers 2026, this article rounds up six major developments in the contact center and explains what they mean. 

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1. Conversation is everything

As explored in the CX Network report, The new rules of conversational AI, what was once a rules-based and rigid technology is now setting the standard for customer interactions.

The mainstream availability of AI assistants has paved the way for a shift in customer behavior: a growing number now start their online journeys with conversations. The demand for conversation, paired with a notable increase in the technology's capabilities, has inspired automations in service that no longer feel impersonal and, well, automated. 

Gartner predicts that within two years 70 percent of customer service journeys will start and finish inside conversational third-party assistants.

The possibilities don't end there. Conversational AI is proving itself to be much more than a standalone support technology. Ebrahim Hyder, VP of customer care for Michael Kors and a CX Network Advisory Board member, says: "It excels wherever journeys are intent‑driven, emotionally nuanced, and dependent on speed and continuity. It's no longer just about automating service but about reshaping experiences."

Forget static, rules-based chatbots. If your systems aren't built on modern conversational AI, your customers will talk to somebody else. 

2. Voice AI is having a moment

In line with the demand for natural language, 2026 is the year of voice AI. 

Now the tech is capable of natural turn-taking and low-latency, expressive conversation, it is becoming an impactful way to handle a number of journeys, both within and beyond support. 

Hyder says voice AI excels at the "save journeys" that re-build customer trust and satisfaction. 

"Moments like cancellations, complaints, or missed deliveries can be emotionally charged interactions and poorly served by rigid, scripted flows," Hyder says. "Voice‑based conversational AI is increasingly effective at handling early‑stage recovery and retention journeys, where tone, speed, and empathy matter. Modern systems can assess intent and sentiment in real time, adjusting responses or escalating to a human when risk is detected," Hyder continues, adding that such an approach supports proactive intervention which can prevent frustration escalating. 

Lauren Kiefer, head of enterprise agents go-to-market for ElevenLabs, says the best deployments "come from teams who treat agents as a living system". She explains: "They review transcripts, test different configurations, and iterate continuously based on what's happening in production." 

Voice AI is the topic of conversation during the second session at
All Access: Future Contact Centers 2026. Register to watch here

3. Channels are increasingly accessible and inclusive 

During our research into the state of CX, we also asked practitioners to select three areas in which they plan to invest their CX budget in 2026. For the second time, accessibility and inclusivity of contact channels ranked in the top 10 most selected responses (ninth place, selected by 11 percent in 2026).

In recent years, a series of studies and investigations have found that many digital experiences lack the accessibility features millions need to experience them as designed – and in the US this even led to a spate of law suits.

The first time CX Network's research confirmed accessibility was top investment priority was in 2024. Coincidentally, that year the Ipsos Consumer Tracker polled 1,085 adults in the US on the issue of digital accessibility in CX.

While 41 percent said they believed it is "very important" that brands create digital experiences – on both websites and apps – that are accessible for people with disabilities, the net majority (57 percent) of respondents were "not familiar" with the accessibility issues faced by people with disabilities when using websites and/or apps.

4. AI makes the employee experience more important 

With so much focus on AI, it could be assumed that recruiting human employees is less of a priority for business leaders. However, for many reasons that is far from the case. 

Some AI tools are billed based on the number of cases they resolve, while others demand annual minimum commitments tied to projected usage – both structures are cost prohibitive for any organization that wishes to deploy AI at scale, or increase its usage in line with customer demand. 

Our research has also found that when it comes to how practitioners believe generative and agentic AI will change their organization's capabilities in and approach toward CX, 32 percent say it will pave the way for digital employees to work alongside humans. 

The reality is that far from AI displacing human workers, it will call for them to take on more skilled jobs. In this environment, the focus on employee experience (EX) is essential to preventing burn out or mental fatigue.

As explained in our list of top contact center trends for 2025, the companies that keep humans in the loop and use technology as a tool to better connect with people will gain a competitive edge.

Hear how Amazon is scaling AI without losing the human touch in this session from All Access: Redefining Contact Centers in the Age of AI

5. WFM needs to burst out of its bubble 

According to Bryce Ackerman, internal WFM consultant for Roche, workforce management (WFM) professionals need to escape their "workforce bubble" and rid WFM of the stereotypes that hold it back. 

"We're proud of those stereotypes," Ackerman says. "Unfortunately, those stereotypes are keeping us from pushing out of our important, but protected and insulated bubble. There are some ridiculously smart, personable, strategic, big idea people within WFM.  But it's up to us to create those bigger opportunities," he adds.

There may not be a map, specific directions, or a one size fits all way to push WFM outside of its current bubble, but during All Access: Future Contact Centers 2026, Ackerman will explain what has worked for him over the course of his career. 

Join Bryce Ackerman live at All Access: Future Contact Centers 2026 to find out more.

6. The FCC, offshoring, and reshoring 

Offshore contact centers have long felt a draft from the AI guillotine, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dealt the sector another blow this year when it ruled that phone, cable, and internet companies should be the first to bring their call centers back to US soil and staff them agents who are proficient in American Standard English.

The FCC's own data shows almost 70 percent of US companies outsource to offshore contact centers. Still, the commission maintains that onshoring will protect American jobs, crack down on illegal robocalls, improve data security, and improve CX. 

However, there is a feeling that instead of creating more US-based contact center jobs, it will simply push more organizations to use AI and automation tools. 

We're hosting a debate on what the FCC's new rules mean for contact centers and CX during All Access: Future Contact Centers 2026.
Register to attend and post your questions to the speakers 

Quick links 

5 brands transforming CX and service with conversational AI

CX HORIZONS: The state of CX in 2026

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