There are more Zoomers than Boomers in the workforce now. The World Economic Forum projected that by 2025 Gen Z will make up 27% of working people in the 38 OECD countries and one third of the world population.
Gen Z is no longer “the future workforce.”
They are already here—on your frontline teams, in your contact centers, and in your customer base.
Today, Gen Z makes up one of the fastest-growing segments of service agents globally. And they’re reshaping how customer experience, workplace culture, and technology adoption intersect.
The question is no longer whether Gen Z will influence your service organization. It’s whether your organization is ready for the reality they bring with them.
What Gen Z Service Agents Expect from Work
For Gen Z, work isn’t just about compensation—it’s about alignment.
Recent global workforce research shows that Gen Z prioritizes:
- Flexible work models and realistic schedules
- Mental health support and psychologically safe environments
- Values-driven leadership, not just productivity metrics
- Growth through learning, not hierarchy
They are also more vocal about stress, burnout, and fairness than any previous generation. In high-pressure environments like contact centers, this becomes even more important.
If companies want to attract—and keep—Gen Z service agents, the strategy has to evolve from:
“How do we manage them?”to“How do we design work that works for them?”
Gen Z Sees the Bigger Picture—and So Should You
It isn’t just about their immediate needs either. Zoomers want to build a positive future for themselves and beyond. Their concerns include environmental and financial issues with 51% indicating they live paycheck to paycheck. Many feel it will be harder or impossible for them to be homeowners or have a family.
They also place great importance on climate change. Over half of the respondents to the Deloitte survey research company policies and impact on the environment before taking a job. One in six said they switched jobs because of these concerns and about a quarter plan to. Where your company stands on such issues may impact the talent you attract.
Much of Gen Z recognizes that diversity is an important part of a company’s culture. This goes beyond the often recognized race, gender and sexual orientation to include neurodiversity. Awareness and discussions about these differences are increasing, and Gen Z is a big part of that change. If you want to engage these workers you’ll need to be able to have such discussions.
Why AI Matters More Than Ever for Gen Z Agents
Gen Z is the first generation to enter the workforce already fluent in AI, automation, and digital tools. They don’t see technology as disruptive—they see it as essential.
They expect AI to:
- Reduce friction, not add surveillance
- Support humans, not replace them
- Improve wellbeing, not just efficiency
In customer service, this is a critical shift. AI is no longer just about automating tickets or deflecting calls. It’s about:
- Removing repetitive manual tasks
- Reducing cognitive load on agents
- Providing real-time support during difficult interactions
- Offering fair, consistent performance feedback
- Protecting agents from abuse and burnout
When used well, AI becomes a retention tool, not just a productivity tool.
The New Equation: Better Agent Experience = Better CX
Organizations are finally recognizing what Gen Z has been saying all along:
You can’t build great customer experience on top of exhausted people.
Service leaders today are connecting the dots between agent wellbeing, technology enablement, and customer satisfaction. This is where AI-powered quality assurance and coaching platforms come in—not as compliance tools, but as experience tools.
Tools like CSAT.AI are part of this shift, automating quality reviews so agents aren’t judged inconsistently, surfacing customer sentiment in real time, alerting leaders to agent abuse so support happens when it’s needed, and turning everyday interactions into ongoing coaching moments. This isn’t about replacing people with technology. It’s about using technology to make service roles more human and more sustainable.
Retaining Gen Z Service Agents Starts with Design, Not Perks
Ping-pong tables and casual Fridays won’t retain Gen Z in demanding service roles.
What will?
- Workflows that respect time and energy
- Leaders who listen—and act
- Tools that remove friction instead of adding pressure
- A culture that treats wellbeing as operational, not optional
Gen Z doesn’t expect perfection. They expect progress.
Companies that succeed in this era won’t be the ones that try to “manage” Gen Z differently. They’ll be the ones that redesign service work for a new generation—using empathy, modern technology, and smarter systems.
The future of customer experience isn’t just AI-powered.
It’s human-first, AI-enabled, and Gen Z is leading that change right now.
