Three Reasons Companies are Considering At-Home Agent Programs
Author: Roger Sumner
Regardless of whether they focus on customer service, sales and marketing, or collections, virtually every Aspect Software customer that I have spoken with during the last year has told me that they have, or are thinking about trialing an at-home agent program. I can say without hesitation that a lot of this interest is being driven by the availability, and increased adoption, of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP is making it infinitely easier and less expensive for companies to set-up at-home and remote agents, and laying the foundation for supervisors to effectively monitor, coach and manage this new breed of agent.
There are a number of reasons that companies are considering work-at-home programs. One Fortune 250 energy company is in the process of planning a fairly significant migration to at-home agents for business continuity purposes. This particular company has two electric utilities that serve areas that are sometimes threatened by hurricanes. Using at-home agents will enable the company to ensure that it has the coverage it needs during emergency situations because the agents will not be concentrated in any one location.
Work-at-home programs are also becoming viable alternatives to off-shore outsourcing. While off-shore outsourcing can clearly result in significant up-front savings, in some situations it can generate considerable costs in terms of decreased customer satisfaction and lost business. I feel relatively confident that work-at-home programs will encroach on off-shore outsourcing as it opens the door to a new labor pool for the businesses looking to augment their current staff. However, I don’t think it will eradicate the need for off-shore outsourcing all together.
Finally, companies are looking to work-at-home programs because their facilities are too small to accommodate their growing businesses. One very large wireless carrier recently told me that they plan to stop constructing contact centers due to the high cost associated with doing so. To address this issue, this company is building virtual contact centers, using data centers to house their equipment , and creating groups of agents and supervisor in many offsite locations, including work-at-home solutions. This strategy will enable the wireless carrier to hire more agents and continue to meet the needs of its customers, while simultaneously eliminating the outrageous expenses that can be associated with owning, managing, and operating a contact center.
If you’re contact center is considering a work-at-home program, what is your motivation?
