August 2026 Contact Center Pipeline / Aug 2026 / Issues Download Issue [PDF] Table of Contents, August 2026 FEATURE ARTICLE Making Time for Training By Brendan Read; Q&A with Dan Smitley How to justify having your agents off-hook/offline. TRAINING Every AI Handoff Is an Escalation By Mike Aoki Is your training ready? AGENT PERFORMANCE The Illusion of Competence By Dina Vance Why knowledge alone does not drive performance. CONTACT CENTER EMPLOYMENT Could AI Eliminate Entry-Level Jobs? By Stephane Rivard Why and how human agents can work with AI. LEADERSHIP “Groundhog Day” in the Contact Center By Kathryn E. Jackson The technology changes. The lessons don't. COACHING Focus on the Basics! By Brendan Read; Q&A with Laura Sikorski Look beyond AI at the real needs and methods. TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT Stop Deploying AI in Your Contact Center! By Charlie Adams Until you’ve read this article. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Leading Through the AI Shift By Andy Freed How coaches and supervisors can help agents. LEARNING Scaling Tacit Knowledge in Contact Centers By Todd Moran How social learning cultivates lifelong learners.