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In the contact center, cherry picking tickets is a common practice where team members select only the easiest or most desirable customer service requests to work on, leaving the more difficult or time-consuming ones for someone else to handle.
This practice can lead to a number of issues, including inequity among team members, inefficient use of resources, decreased customer satisfaction, and decreased team productivity. It can also create resentment and morale issues within the team.
To address this issue, managers can implement a number of strategies, such as: 1-Establishing clear guidelines and expectations for ticket assignment: This can help ensure that team members are not cherry picking tickets and that all requests are being handled fairly and equally. 2-Providing training and support to team members: By giving team members the tools and resources they need to handle more complex issues, managers can help them feel more confident and capable of tackling these tasks. 3-Implementing a system for tracking and monitoring ticket assignment: This can help managers identify any patterns or trends in cherry picking behavior and address them accordingly. 4-Encouraging teamwork and collaboration: By fostering a sense of community and support within the team, managers can help team members feel more motivated to take on challenging tasks and work together to resolve complex issues.

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In the contact center, cherry picking tickets refers to the practice of selecting only the easiest or most desirable customer service requests to work on, while leaving the more difficult or time-consuming ones for someone else to handle. This can lead to a number of issues, including:

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  1. Inequity among team members: Some team members may end up with a disproportionate workload, while others are able to cherry pick the easier tickets. This can lead to resentment and morale issues within the team.
  2. Inefficient use of resources: If team members are constantly cherry picking the easiest tickets, it can lead to a slower resolution time for more complex issues, as they are not being addressed in a timely manner.
  3. Decreased customer satisfaction: Customers may become frustrated if their issues are not being addressed promptly, or if they feel that their requests are being unfairly prioritized.
  4. Decreased team productivity: Cherry picking can lead to a lack of focus and motivation among team members, as they may become disengaged from their work if they feel that they are constantly being given the most difficult tasks.

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Overall, the practice of cherry picking tickets in the contact center can lead to a number of negative consequences for both the team and the customers they serve. It is important for managers to address this issue in order to promote fairness, efficiency, and customer satisfaction within the team.

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In this blog, we will discuss the following:


1. Define cherry-picking and its impact on the contact center

2. Why do agents cherry-pick tickets?

3. The consequences of cherry-picking

4. How to prevent cherry-picking in the contact center


Define cherry-picking and its impact on the contact center

Cherry picking refers to deliberately selecting tasks or processes in a contact center that are either the most enjoyable or the ones that tend to offer the best performance results. While it may seem like a useful way for an individual agent to motivate and incentivize themselves, it has negative effects throughout the contact center. When cherry-picking becomes commonplace, it can disrupt normal workflow and detract from the customer experience. Furthermore, by only focusing on what's easy or rewards-filled, agents risk not fully developing their skills set and can become less effective overall. Contact centers should discourage cherry-picking by creating constructive evaluations of agent performance and offering incentives that encourage team building between departments.


Why do agents cherry-pick tickets?

It has become common for agents to cherry-pick tickets when attending popular events. Agents likely do this because it maximizes their profits while protecting their interests. For instance, they can buy prime seats close to the stage and mark up the prices since they are expecting higher turnover due to their location and popularity. Additionally, agents are able to prevent scalpers from getting the best seats, ensuring that loyal ticket buyers get the first pick in purchasing tickets. Finally, due to cherry picking, agents can tailor the type of seating and price points offered in order to better cater to consumers who may appreciate lower-priced general admission tickets or offer more expensive VIP packages for high rollers looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.


The consequences of cherry-picking

Cherry-picking can be dangerous because it involves making decisions based on a biased set of data or incomplete information. This method of choice-making can skew the results and lead us to inaccurate conclusions. In particular, cherry-picking can have serious consequences when it's done in research or when creating policies. By ignoring key facts, we can potentially make decisions that are unfair, inefficient, and damaging to people and our environment. For example, an unbalanced policy meant to lower emissions might hurt an area's economy without actually reducing emissions in any meaningful way. To avoid these kinds of mistakes, it is important for decision-makers to keep an open mind and evaluate all relevant pieces of evidence before making a decision.

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This practice can be harmful for several reasons. Firstly, cherry picking tickets can lead to unfair and unequal treatment of customers, as some customers may receive faster and more effective assistance, while others may be ignored or neglected. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and can damage the organization's reputation and credibility.

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Secondly, cherry picking tickets can lead to inefficiency and waste in the contact center, as agents may spend a lot of time and effort on relatively easy or unimportant issues, while more complex or urgent issues may be neglected or ignored. This can lead to poor utilization of resources and capacity, and can reduce the overall effectiveness of the contact center.

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Thirdly, cherry picking tickets can lead to low morale and motivation among agents, as they may feel that their work is not valued or appreciated, and that they are not being treated fairly or equally. This can lead to high turnover and absenteeism, and can reduce the overall performance and productivity of the contact center.

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Overall, cherry picking tickets in the contact center is a harmful practice that can lead to unfair and unequal treatment of customers, inefficiency and waste, and low morale and motivation among agents. Organizations should strive to prevent and eliminate cherry picking tickets in the contact center, in order to support the fair and equal treatment of customers, the efficient and effective utilization of resources, and the high morale and motivation of agents.

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How to prevent cherry-picking in the contact center

Cherry picking in the contact center can be a significant impediment to customer service and satisfaction, so it's important to find a way to prevent it. Fortunately, there are steps that managers can take to maintain focus and ensure that all customers receive top-notch, unbiased service. Implementing an incentive program based on customer feedback scores and ensuring there is effective supervision of staff during working hours can help ensure that employees do not prioritize certain customers. Additionally, open communication between management and staff is critical for creating an atmosphere of trust and understanding expectations. When necessary, disciplinary measures should be taken to discourage cherry-picking from occurring in the contact center. Taking these steps can create a positive environment and improve overall customer satisfaction standards for any business.


Cherry-picking is the process of an agent choosing which tickets to work on and can have a significant impact on the contact center. There are several reasons why agents might cherry-pick, but the consequences can be serious for both customers and businesses. Thankfully, there are steps that can be taken to help prevent cherry-picking in the contact center. To learn more about how you can protect your business from this problem, subscribe to our blog or reach out to us for assistance. We’d be happy to help!

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Exercise: What elements of the Operational Management Framework do you think have an impact on Cherry Picking?

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