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Hosted Call Center Solutions Provider inContact Offers Tips on How to Implement a Home-Based Agent Model

By Beecher Tuttle, TMCnet Contributor

In the current economy, the companies that are most successful are those that streamline their day-to-day business to get the most out of their current employees. For call centers, this sentiment rings especially true. In an attempt to increase the flexibility, satisfaction and productivity of their workforce, many call centers are adopting a home-based agent model.

While research has proven that at-home call center agents are generally more content and deliver higher quality and more efficient customer service, transitioning from a brick-and-mortar workforce to a remote model needs to be handled correctly.

In a recent blog post, Nicole Burney, a Client Services Manager at inContact, a hosted call center solutions provider, offered companies a few tips on how best to implement this solution.

Burney believes that any good remote agent transition plan should include a coaching and development strategy that does not involve home visits. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to utilize web conferencing equipment, which allows an agent and their manager to share a desktop and look each other in the eye. Moreover, instant messaging applications can give both parties the ability to resolve some of the more minor issues that come up at a call center on a daily basis.

To ensure the productivity of at-home agents, call center management should implement screen recording measures, which offer “the ability to validate whether all of the pertinent processes were followed, and if all required resources were used,” according to Burney. “This functionality replaces what was once referred to as a side-by-side one-on-one session within the brick-and-mortar model.”

Another important step in adopting a home-based agent model is to test the sound quality of an operator’s immediate workspace. As Burney points out, “It’s critical for agents to understand the importance of maintaining a professional representation of their employer when handling contacts.  That professional company image goes down the drain when dogs are barking in the background during calls!” Simple sound checks can help identify and eliminate this issue.

She also suggests that call center managers schedule a quarterly onsite team meeting, offer future-minded individuals career path updates and use all the money saved by the remote transition to establish an after-contact survey to get an idea of how the perception of customers has changed.

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