By Trace Driggers, Technical Project Manager, DIRECTV  

I didn’t start in strategy — I started on the frontlines. Nearly a decade ago, I was an agent in the contact center, managing voice, chat, and social media interactions through Sprinklr. That hands-on experience shaped how I think about systems, people, and the space where they intersect. 

Since then, I’ve worked across telecommunications, banking, finance, and entertainment — leading programs, diving deep into analytics and solving for the real-world complexity that lives behind every dashboard. Each role added a layer of perspective that I bring into my work today. 

At DIRECTV, I’ve been able to bring it all together: my background in data, my years of Sprinklr experience and my belief that technology should make life easier for agents, supervisors and the customers they serve. 

Building confidence, not just competence 

One of the most overlooked challenges in contact centers is helping new agents build confidence, especially in their first 30 days. Training may be thorough, but there’s often a gap between what’s taught and what’s required in live environments, particularly across digital channels. 

At DIRECTV, we addressed this by giving new agents access to Sprinklr Sandbox, a fully functional, risk-free environment where they can explore, experiment, and learn without fear of making mistakes. It gives them space to build muscle memory and confidence before handling real customer interactions. 

We also implemented early warning systems and proactive check-ins, which are part of Sprinklr Service. If a case sits unresolved too long or a call exceeds expected duration, supervisors are alerted to step in. Sometimes that means a quick message, a side-by-side session, or just a check-in to make sure the agent’s not stuck.  

These small interventions reduce attrition, build trust and create a culture where agents feel supported — not just trained. 

From overload to insight 

Supervisors today are inundated with data, but not always equipped to use it. Reports pile up, spreadsheets multiply and the insights they need often get buried under manual analysis.  

That’s changing. With the rise of natural language processing and no-code analytics, supervisors no longer need to be fluent in SQL or Python. They can ask plain-language questions — “What trends are emerging across these two datasets?” — and get real answers, fast.  

This shift is transformative. It enables supervisors to: 

• Access insights in real time 
• React quickly to performance issues 
• Make informed decisions without technical bottlenecks 

Of course, speed doesn’t replace accuracy. These tools are only as good as the data behind them. But when used well, they do more than streamline operations; they unlock personalization at scale. By understanding how agents engage and how customers respond, we can tailor interactions in ways that feel more human, more relevant, and more effective.   

Supervising in the omnichannel era 

Customer service is no longer confined to a single channel, and neither is the role of the supervisor. Today’s agents are blended — managing voice, chat, email and social media — while AI handles more routine interactions. This shift demands a new kind of leadership. In my experience, supervisors have long juggled multiple tools, sometimes across three monitors, just to keep up. But that model doesn’t scale. As customer expectations rise and channels multiply, supervisors need unified platforms and a new skill set: one that spans human coaching, AI oversight and real-time decision-making across every touchpoint.

Each channel, whether it’s a phone call, a Facebook message or a Reddit thread, comes with its own tone, urgency and customer expectation. Supervisors must understand those nuances and match agents to the channels where they perform best. That means:   

• Using sentiment analysis to guide assignments 
• Balancing workloads between AI and human agents 
• Empowering agents with tools that surface insights in real time 

The goal isn’t just coverage — it’s orchestration. Supervisors are no longer just managing queues; they’re shaping experiences. 

The future of supervision 

As new platforms emerge and AI continues to evolve, the role of the supervisor will only become more strategic. It’s no longer about monitoring performance across tools. It’s about delivering seamless, personalized experiences at scale. 

That requires more than dashboards. It requires empathy, adaptability and a deep understanding of how people and systems work together. The supervisors who thrive in this new era will be the ones who can bridge both worlds — technical and human — and lead with clarity, not just control.