The future of contact centers is remote – how letting your contact center staff work from home makes sense for everyone

The importance of being flexible about where your employees work from has never been more important. As the workplace evolves, companies that are tied to the office are falling behind.  

However, the move to a remote office may seem unrealistic for those running a large customer contact center. After all, this is an industry that has traditionally relied on complicated infrastructure that was hard to replicate at home. Additionally, the hustle and bustle of a call center environment makes you feel as if things are running smoothly and that employees are focused on the job at hand.  

However, that’s old school thinking. The reality is  you would greatly benefit to step away from the office and to give your staff the tools they need to operate remotely.  

Here are the four biggest advantages of operating a remote contact center.   

The technology is ready 

In the past, it was fair to be concerned about the effectiveness of remote contact center software, but that’s not the case anymore. The same Cloud advancements that have allowed other industries to pivot to a remote workplace are also available to the contact center industry.  

Companies like Solgari are providing demanding, secure, multi-channel capabilities to companies who are looking to increase efficiency, meet compliance requirements, and delight customers who wish to engage on their preferred communications channel.   

So, there aren’t any technology roadblocks to prevent you from making the jump.  

Happy staff = increased productivity 

Contact centers have long looked for ways to increase staff’s productivity. Bonuses and prizes and all kinds of incentives are a staple of the contact center’s floor.  

But, the reality is that the best way to keep a staff happy isn’t free trinkets for selling the most in a shift. No, it’s providing them with a positive work environment. Contact center workers are no different than workers in any industry. They would far rather work from home than have to go to an office every day.  

Your ability to supervise and monitor the productivity of a worker is not diminished just because you can’t see them. No, the software still gives you all that oversight. Give your staff the ability to work from home and you’ll find that you’ll be rewarded with staff that are more motivated and who stay with you longer than they would in a traditional contact center environment.    

It’s cheaper 

Let’s put aside the subjective argument that your staff will be happier. Instead, let’s look at the bottom line.  

You’ll save money.  Contact centers are expensive to run.  

You need to pay for rent, utilities, and equipment. These expenses can quickly add up and become a major section of your budget. 

With a remote workforce, you just need to budget for the software. That represents a major win for your bottom line.  

Hire from a bigger pool of potential employees 

The effectiveness of your contact centre is only as strong as your workers. So, you’ll want to hire the best and most skilled workforce that you can.  

With a traditional office, you are limited by the population that lives within about an hour’s drive of the center. That’s not the case with a remote office. You can hire workers from around the country or even around the world.  

You can hire workers from Mexico to serve your Spanish speaking customers, or Montreal to speak French. There are no limits.  

And, that will lead to better outcomes and more satisfied customers.   

We have the solutions to help you transition your contact center today. Give us a call  at 1.866.740.2424 or e-mail us at HSO-CA-Experts@hso.com and we can set-up a consultation with one of our experts today to get your on its digital transition tomorrow.