Are Contact Centers Really Profit Centers?

Sep 29, 2025

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Summary: For decades, leaders have debated whether the contact center should be a cost center, a profit center, or something in between. In this episode, Amas and Bob cut through the noise and tackle the question head-on: Is the contact center truly a profit center—or are we just telling the story wrong?

Amas argues that the CFO decides the labels, not us, and that contact centers suffer from being terrible storytellers compared to marketing. Bob reinforces that stories, not spreadsheets, are what move executives to invest in customer experience. Together, they break down how leaders can turn raw data into persuasive narratives that actually secure budget, influence the C-suite, and prove value.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

Why the "profit center" debate hasn't gone away—and probably won't.
The crucial difference between value creation and revenue generation.
How marketing gets credit (and budget) despite spending every dollar they touch.
Why endless Excel spreadsheets put executives to sleep—and what to do instead.
The art of translating metrics into stories that CFOs and CEOs actually care about.
Practical steps for contact center leaders to elevate their influence in the boardroom.

Key Quotes:

"The CFO decides what's a cost center and what's a revenue center. We are just bad at telling our story." – Amas
"People don't remember your statistics. They remember your stories." – Bob
"Marketing spends money all day, but they've convinced the world they're indispensable. We should learn from that." – Amas

Episode Highlights:

(01:00) Revisiting the old debate: profit center vs. cost center.
(02:30) Why marketing gets treated differently—and why service leaders should care.
(04:30) The deadly sin of sending executives binders of metrics.
(06:00) How to tell stories executives will remember—and fund.
(09:00) Using customer stories to anchor your data.
(11:30) Why your relationship with marketing and the CFO matters most.
(12:45) Teaser: Amas & Bob will be recording LIVE at the ICMI Contact Center Expo in Orlando, Oct 27–30.

Resources & Links:

Amas's blog post: "Contact Centers Are Not Revenue Centers" [link]
Learn more about the ICMI Contact Center Expo