How Remote Work Will Shape the Future of Call Centers

In the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was scarce. These recent years post-pandemic have seen a dramatic increase and then a slight decrease in remote work as working in offices has stabilized. Some people are just now heading back to the office, while some have never stopped working remotely. 

Adapting to a global pandemic required flexibility, and now that times are safer, this ability has been a mainstay. Here are some benefits of having agents work from home.

Better Access to Talent Pools

• Flexibility in Hiring: Some benefits of allowing employees to work remotely include having access to a larger talent pool from a broader geographic location. This helps alleviate problems with talent shortages and high turnover rates. There will always be people who prefer to work from home.
• Reducing Costs: Having fewer employees in the office means a reduced need for a large office. This also means lower costs of utilities, taxes, etc., which saves money.

Improved Work-Life Balance

• Reduced Stress: Without having to commute to the office, this helps reduce the daily stress and distraction of traffic, car crashes, and road rage.
• Long-Term Retention: Allowing agents the flexibility of working from home instills trust in your agents and will make them happy, and many employees prefer the option to work from home long-term.
• Overall Agent Satisfaction: Both factors lead to high employee satisfaction rates. Removing distractions and stress improves employees’ satisfaction in life and work. This also helps fight against burnout and high turnover rates. Customer service is also improved as a result.

Technology Upgrades

• Cloud-Based Systems: Amtelco’s Operator Console software system can work from any location, even during inclement weather or emergency scenarios. This means less downtime and helps ensure enough agents are available to answer client calls. This cloud-based solution includes call routing, performance tracking, and AI integration.
• Collaborative Tools: Using collaboration tools for your team, such as Intelligent Series Messenger and the Web Agent bulletin board, helps keep everyone on the same page. Checking in periodically through a low-stress method is a great way to communicate with your team.

Scalable Workforce

• Instead of having a workforce that increases in capacity and you realize you have nowhere to put them or decreases in capacity so the office feels empty, you can mitigate this issue with the work-from-home structure. Not only is working from home an attractive benefit to potential hires, but it also helps with finding a place to put them.

Even a hybrid work-from-home model may be the best option for your call center. In recent years, these benefits have already proved to improve agent’s happiness and customer service scores. This allows your company the most flexibility, as it benefits those who prefer to work from home, in the office, or both. Working from home will most likely never return to pre-COVID levels. It is a flexible solution that won’t be forgotten soon.