Why Remote Call Centers are Here to Stay

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We have been living with the effects of a pandemic for a few months now. And what that has taught us or rather reaffirmed is that – life never stops. You just adapt to the changing circumstances. One of the best examples of adapting to this new reality is the contact centers. Before COVID-19 it was hard to imagine that these places where agents were practically working elbow-to-elbow attending calls, handling aggravated customers, and delivering customer satisfaction will ever be able to completely migrate to work from home model.

However, it became a reality and a successful one at that. So much so that now call centers, also known as contact centers are looking to continue working remotely in the near-future – possibly even after the pandemic.

What Brought this Change?

An industry that used to look at contact centres as cost centers are now evolving into for-profit business scenarios. This change has been triggered by a number of factors that we will be discussing in the later sector of the article. Having said that, it is time for us to change gears and accept this new reality with open arms.

#1. Cost-Benefit

One of the most obvious benefits of a remote call center is that you get to significantly cut down your cost of operations. You no longer have to invest in real estate, hardware, and other overheads such as furniture, etc. Additionally, businesses can even save on the salaries of the agents. Since the call center agents will be working from their home and not have to incur the cost of travel, they will not mind taking lesser salaries. Thus, allowing the call center heads to build a cost-effective remote contact center.

#2. Larger Talent Pool

One of the best parts of not having a fixed office location is that you can hire people from anywhere in the world. You get to handpick the best talent without the constraints of geographical locations. Doing this will allow organizations to hire work from home call center agents purely based on their skill-set and level of expertise, without compromising on the quality of candidates just because they are available nearby. Moreover, with a global talent pool, you get to offer localized customer service experience too by hiring agents who can speak the local language.

#3. Building a Culture of Ownership

When the agents are taken out of their comfort zone aka an office space or their workplace, where they can anytime run to their supervisors or colleagues to seek help, only then will you be able to see their true potential. Empower them with the right tools such as a virtual call center software along with offering remote support. However, this sense of distance will help inculcate a sense of accountability and ownership among the agent. This new and improved mindset allows them to innovate and grow which in turn helps the organization get a step closer to their business goals.

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#4. Boost Agent Job Satisfaction

Contact centers are notoriously famous for employee attrition rates. The agent turnovers are significantly high in the industry as working in a call center can be quite erratic – working in shifts, commuting to the office at odd hours takes a toll on their personal lives –  impacting the time agents get to spend with their families and loved ones. However, with the flexibility to work from home, employees can manage their personal life in a more conducive manner. Thus, increasing their job satisfaction and saving you the time, effort, and money to hire new call center agents.

#5. Improve Customer Satisfaction

Equipping your remote agents with a work from home call center solution, encouraging collaboration, hiring the best agents who are happy with their jobs are the ingredients of successful call center strategy. After all, if your agents are happy, they will be more committed to their work and have a positive working attitude which will eventually lead to better customer relationships, delightful customer service experience, and overall higher customer satisfaction.

The jury is out – call centers should prepare for a long term work from home strategy as the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin.

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If you are also looking to set up a remote contact center, Talk to our Experts to know the best way forward.

Shambhavi Sinha

Shambhavi Sinha is working as an SEO expert at Ameyo. She also likes to write tech-based stuff. Her aim is to provide knowledge to users by sharing the knowledge about the latest trends about contact centers.