Voices at the Frontline

Call Centres are frequently referred to as the core of customer experience—dynamic, emotionally intense, and constantly active. Who powers that core? In many instances, women.

Women constitute a substantial majority of the contact center workforce worldwide, ranging from entry-level agents to experienced supervisors. They embody patience, empathy, and resilience. However, despite their significant presence and influence, they are frequently underrepresented in boardrooms, decision-making forums, and discussions on innovation.

This raises the question: If women are the backbone of the industry, why aren't they in leadership roles?

The Numbers Tell a Story

• In Canada, women represent 70–85% of frontline call centre roles.

• However, when advancing to middle management and leadership roles, that figure decreases considerably.

• Fewer women sit on executive teams. Even fewer shape strategy, technology procurement, or workforce planning.

The pattern is clear: Women dominate the doing, but not the deciding.

What are some of the real barriers?

💬 Burnout Culture Women are often expected to bring emotional labour to their roles managing customer frustration and team morale. Over time, this takes its toll.

🧱 Promotion Gaps Progression isn’t always based on skill or experience. It’s often tied to who’s visible, who has time to “lean in,” and who can say yes to extra hours, a structure that doesn’t support caregivers or flexible workers.

🧍♀️ Representation Bias You can’t be what you can’t see. If senior leadership is male dominated, younger women don’t always see a path up or they question if it’s worth it.

🛠️ Tech Transformation Without Inclusion AI, automation, and analytics are reshaping the industry. But women are often underrepresented in these transformation projects, leading to solutions that miss the human lens.

Women ARE Leading Change, When Given the Chance

Let’s not forget: Women are transforming the call centre space just not always with the spotlight on them.

They’re building agent well being programmes. They’re redesigning QA processes to centre empathy. They’re challenging outdated management structures and introducing trauma informed coaching.

And when women lead? Attrition drops. CSAT rises. Teams thrive.

This is not speculation; it's supported by data, validated by people, and long overdue for acknowledgment.

What Needs to Change?

Here’s how we turn representation into real leadership:

1. Build Leadership Pipelines with Intention Mentorship, sponsorship, and succession planning with gender balance in mind.

2. Reimagine Flexibility at Every Level Leadership doesn’t have to mean 50 hours a week in office. Create pathways that fit diverse lives.

3. Put Women at the Centre of Tech Conversations From AI to scheduling platforms, inclusion starts at the whiteboard not after rollout.

4. Measure What Matters Don’t just track gender metrics at hire. Track them at promotion, pay, and project leadership levels too.

The Call Centre Industry is evolving. Tech is changing. Expectations are changing. The world of work is changing.

But one truth remains: To integrate empathy, resilience, innovation, and loyalty into your customer experience, it's essential to have more women not only on the ground but also in leadership positions. Those on the frontline should have their voices heard in the boardroom. So, here’s the call: Not just to hire more women but to elevate them.

MCCA Team