A Virtual Call Center has no need for a brick and mortar building and can give your Remote Agents a way to work at home with the full functionality of any call center.
Call Center software can give your company the ability to incorporate remote agents, or run a call center made up entirely of at-home workers. The advantages to allowing remote agents are many. From cutting overhead expenses to lessoning your carbon footprint, this may be a great option for your call center.
Consider adding remote agents if your center needs to expand but there is no room, or offer the remote agent option as a great benefit to your employees. If your center is in an area where weather is a factor in daily commutes, the agents won’t be restricted by snow, traffic or other factors.
Now your center can hire great people who need to work at home because of family conditions or long commute times. And you won’t be restricted by space and parking, just imagine the possibilities. This opens up your resources to hire handicapped individuals, older agents, and single parents as part of your call center staff. The remote agents will operate the computer screens and phone line as they would if they were in an on-site call center.
Remote Agents & Remote Access Call Centers
Call center software often includes the functionality of remote agents and supervisors. Usually connected over the internet, these agents have the full functionality to voice and data as is offered in a physical call center.
Remote agents can accept inbound calls, make outbound calls, or do both from their homes. You can even utilize a predictive dialer with remote agents. They would be included in any reporting and you will have real-time access to their statistics and login status.
The Technology
Your remote agents will need a telephone line and computer. Generally the call center software programs are geared to Windows based PCs. The agent will also need internet access and the remote call center software loaded onto the computer.
The central database and systems will have varying requirements. Some systems require that you have a phone switch; some call center software just requires internet access and the specific software loaded on a management computer. The requirements will depend on whether or not all your agents are remote agents, or if you have a central call center with only some of the agents working remotely.
Some systems and software will even allow you to provide your remote call center agents with the ability to utilize an agent select, call record function.
Predictive Dialing
Many remote agent call center software programs will support predictive dialing. Predictive Dialing means that the software will dial the next contact without the agent being on the line. When someone on the other end answers the phone and a live hello, versus an answering machine being detected, the call is transferred to an available agent.
This keeps the agent working, instead of dialing numbers and dealing with busy signals and voicemail. The agents are tracked separately and the call center software will funnel inbound calls to an available agent.
Some systems will even allow voice monitoring of remote agents. The monitoring capability allows supervisors to ‘listen in’ and ensure the remote agents are providing high standards of service.
Reporting
With remote agents, you still get all the reporting abilities of an on-site center. Utilize contact management, call history, and order entry reports for training and follow up with your agents. The reports can be generated on a campaign level, agent level and supervisory level.
Functionality
The features and functionality of a remote agent can mimic what would be available in a central call center. This can even include the ability to transfer a call if needed or conference in a supervisor.
Benefit Overview
The obvious benefits include needing less office and parking space. But you will find you have a broader base for recruiting agents and these agents are often more motivated and loyal because of the opportunity to work at home. This in turn can reduce agent turnover.
The not so obvious benefit is the raise in production in having an efficient, stay at home workforce. I’ve worked at home for years. One thing I’ve noticed versus going in to an office, there’s no logging out to talk to the people next to you, or extending a lunch or coffee break to catch up on office politics. You will also find that the saving both to you and your employees is real. Energy conservation means less money spent. Less gasoline consumption for the agents, as well as reduced heating and air-conditioning usage if much of your work force isn’t in a central location. You’ll also have less sick-time and negligible weather-related absences.