People

What to Do With an Agent Who’s Suddenly Lost Their Confidence

Confidence on slider button on yellow background

Published On: 16th Sep 2026 08:00

Confidence can be easily shaken – even within your well-seasoned agents! Whether it’s an unexpected event in their personal life, or a blow in their professional career, you could see any top performer shrink in their role.

But all hope is not lost! When leaders respond calmly, thoughtfully, and consistently, confidence can be rebuilt before it becomes a long-term performance issue.

So how should contact centre leaders respond when an agent suddenly loses their confidence?

We spoke to industry experts to uncover the practical steps that genuinely help them find their feet again.

Confidence Can’t Be Given – It Must Be Rebuilt

One of the hardest lessons for leaders is accepting that confidence isn’t something they can simply hand back.

Leaders must resist the urge to fix quickly and instead embark on the journey to rebuilding that agent’s confidence one step at a time.

Allow Them to Show Up Differently

It’s also vital to manage your personal expectations. When an agent’s confidence dips, one of the most common leadership mistakes is expecting them to continue performing exactly as before.

People are complex. Personal challenges, professional frustration, or emotional strain can all cause someone to withdraw – even if their capability hasn’t changed.

Rather than forcing participation, leaders should recognize when someone is showing up differently and allow space for that shift, without judgement or pressure. Losing confidence doesn’t mean losing value.

“The reality is that our agents are complex people. If someone who used to have a big personality is suddenly less, or someone who always had an opinion suddenly isn’t speaking up, don’t require them to still participate like they have in the past.

It’s possible something very personal and real is causing them to want to back down and simply show up differently, and that’s OK.

We shouldn’t require them to consistently come with the same level of energy or curiosity that made them valuable before.” – Dan Smitley, Founder of 2:Three Consulting

Identify What Has Changed and Just How Many Agents Are Affected

At the same time, leaders shouldn’t ignore the change.

A sudden dip in confidence always has a trigger – even if it’s not immediately obvious.

The task for leaders is to identify what changed. Was there a process update? A shift in targets? A team restructure? Or something happening outside of work?

Leaders should also consider whether the issue is isolated or shared. If several agents are struggling, the root cause may be systemic rather than individual.

For advice on how you can improve the wellbeing of your teams by focusing on burn-in, read our article: Why It’s Time to Focus on Burn-In – Instead of Burn-Out

Open the Door to a Conversation – Without Forcing One

The best way to get to the bottom of things is to make it safe for the agent to talk if they choose to. Leaders don’t need to become counsellors or investigators.

What matters is letting the agent know they’ve been noticed, that they matter, and that support is available. Particularly if it’s personal, simply asking permission to check in again later can be incredibly reassuring.

Just make sure you do what you say you’re going to do to maintain trust and prove that the initial conversation wasn’t just a tick-box exercise.

Give Them Some Early Momentum With Quick Wins

Beyond this, leaders should immediately try to counterbalance the negative mindset by focusing on what’s gone right!

Why? When confidence drops, people tend to catastrophize, and a temporary dip can start to feel like permanent failure. So, help agents zoom out – separating behaviour from identity, and performance from self-worth.

Reminding agents of their strengths helps reconnect them with their capability – rather than reinforcing self-doubt. From there, you can address development areas constructively, without allowing the conversation to become demoralizing.

Confidence grows when agents can see progress and feel supported every step of the way!

Jen Tait, Learning Specialist at Rise Learning Group — Jen Tait

“Always start with what they’ve done right, because people perform better when they can see their strengths, not just their mistakes!

So be sure to remind them of what their strengths are. Then allow them some quick wins with simpler calls to really start to rebuild that confidence.

You could also try sitting side by side with them to give them encouragement and that confidence back.” – Jen Tait, Learning Specialist at Rise Learning Group

Also be mindful of the impact of any targets you have in place. Unrealistic targets destroy fragile confidence.

So, instead, agree small, achievable goals that feel motivating rather than overwhelming – and actively celebrate each step forward! These moments reinforce belief and create a positive feedback loop.

Sitting agents with high performers can also help, allowing them to see what good looks like and rebuild belief through observation. The key is gradual progression – not pressure!

Reconnect People With Their Past Wins

It’s not just about quick wins and looking forward. It can also help to reconnect agents with their past self when they did feel more confident.

Using examples, data, or shared experiences reminds agents of what they’ve been capable of in the past and will be able to achieve again.

Martin Teasdale, Founder & Host of Get out of Wrap — Martin Teasdale

“I think it’s important that you reconnect agents with past wins and performance successes.

Of course, you can use data for this, but hopefully you can also use examples that come to mind straight away where you’re able to say, “Oh, do you remember when we did this project? You smashed it! You were brilliant when you did XYZ!” and remind them that “That was you! That is still you and what YOU are capable of”” – Martin Teasdale, Founder of the Team Leader Community

Put Systems in Place That Help to Reinforce Confidence for the Long-Term

In the long term, these actions should be reinforced by wider business communication practices too. After all, confidence doesn’t recover in environments where feedback disappears into a void.

Leaders should also look beyond individual conversations and ask whether their systems reinforce or undermine confidence:

Are suggestions acknowledged?
Are questions answered?
Are agents shown the impact of their ideas?

Clear feedback loops, visible follow-ups, and transparent communication all help to maintain and rebuild self-belief – not just for one agent, but across the whole team.

Confidence Is a Leadership Responsibility

Confidence loss is not a weakness. It’s human. Every agent – no matter how experienced – will experience moments of doubt. What defines great leadership is how thoughtfully people are supported through the dip.

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What Have You Tried to Rebuild an Agent’s Confidence?

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With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

Dan Smitley, Founder of 2:Three Consulting
Jen Tait, Learning Specialist at Rise Learning Group
Martin Teasdale, Founder of the Team Leader Community

If you are looking for more top advice to help your agents, read these articles next:

Author
Megan Jones

Megan Jones, Editor, Call Centre Helper

Megan interviews inspiring people across the contact centre industry to capture these amazing voices and turn them into best practice articles – covering all elements of what it takes to deliver truly outstanding employee and customer experiences.

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