From our recent Kiwi CX Collective Podcast Episode with Kelly Brickley (COPC), Ramon Szeitszam (Spark), & Richard Winterburn (CCNNZ).
While technology often grabs the headlines, your people remain the heartbeat of every customer interaction. But leading a modern workforce in Aotearoa now requires a massive shift—balancing the rise of work-from-home maturity with a growing need for deep leadership development and proactive pastoral care. In a world where empathy is the new “hard skill,” how are New Zealand’s top centres keeping their kaimahi engaged, skilled, and ready for the complex conversations of tomorrow?
In this final session of our deep-dive into the 2025 CCNZ Industry Research, host Richard Winterburn (CCNZ) is joined by Kelly Brickley (COPC) and Ramon Szeitszam (Spark) to explore the People pillar. From the “100% WFH effectiveness” milestone to the startling “manager training gap,” this episode uncovers the data-driven truths about what it takes to lead a human-centric contact centre today.
What You’ll Hear:
The WFH Maturity Curve |
Discover why 100% of New Zealand centres now find work-from-home staff to be as effective—or more effective—than their office-based counterparts.
The Induction Imperative
Why 65% of organizations still insist on face-to-face training for new hires to build the cultural “glue” that remote tools can’t replicate.
The “Soap Box” on Verification
Kelly explains the massive business risk of letting agents “loose” on customers without formal assessments—and why only 48% are currently doing it right.
Empathy Over Typing Speed
Why a “CX Mindset” is now ranked as the #1 priority in recruitment, far outweighing technical hard skills or industry qualifications.
AI as a Wellbeing Tool
Ramon explores how analytics can now prompt a supervisor to check in on an agent after a string of challenging calls—stopping burnout before it starts.
The Leadership Training Gap
A startling look at the data showing only 38% of contact centre managers receive ongoing development.
Flexible Leave & Modern Benefits
From “unlimited” sick leave models to the 9-point increase in private healthcare, how Kiwi brands are competing for talent.
Cultural Integration
How 77% of organizations are actively integrating Te Ao Māori into the heart of their contact centre strategy.
Watch the full episode now:
Connect with our Guest:
- Kelly Brickly (COPC)
- Ramon Szeitszam (Spark)
- Richard Winterburn (CCNNZ)
