The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 1

Transcription

1 The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 1

2 About Talkdesk Talkdesk is easy-to-use, cloud-based call center software that helps growing businesses provide excellent customer service with phone support. Talkdesk makes it possible to have real time, personalized conversations with customers, without hardware, coding or downloads - all that is needed is a computer and an Internet connection. With Talkdesk, companies can have a call center up-and-running in minutes and have access to robust call center functionality including IVR, skills-based routing, call conferencing, comprehensive reporting, all in an intuitive web-based interface. Integrations with top business tools and CRM systems, such as Salesforce, Desk.com and Zendesk, make customer data easily accessible, so agents never have to wade through endless systems to provide superior service. For more information, visit TRY TALKDESK FOR FREE The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 2

3 // table of contents // 01 // 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce // // 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents // // How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents // // 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Call Center Agents Connected // // At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist // // Conclusion // 56 The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 3

4 Meta Description Companies are increasingly turning to employing an at-home call center workforce. In 2010, about 10% of the U.S. workforce worked from home at least one day per week (US Census, 2010) and this number is expected to grow considerably. A recent Forrester report estimated that 34% of U.S. companies plan to invest in at-home agents. This shift has largely been fueled by the advent of new call center software technologies that allow agents to make and receive calls using only a computer and a headset. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 4

5 Additionally, these companies are benefitting from reduced operating costs, improved service quality and enhanced customer satisfaction, without compromising service level. This e-book is the definitive guide to hiring and maintaining an at-home workforce of call center agents. It will discuss: Advantages to having an at-home call center workforce Tools you may need A how-to guide Tips to keep your at-home agents connected At-home agent basic requirements and checklist The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 5

6 // 01 // 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 6

7 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce Companies like American Airlines, Citi, American Express and JetBlue that have shifted to employing at-home agents are reaping huge benefits. These companies are noticing that the benefits far outweigh the effort required to start an at-home agent program and are making these programs a cornerstone of their call center operations. below are some of the advantages that companies have benefitted from by employing an at-home workforce as well as information about how your company can benefit too: 01 // REDUCED COSTS Employing an at-home workforce will dramatically reduce costs. According to consulting firm IDC, the typical costs for an agent working in a call center is $31/hour. The at home agent costs approximately $21/hour. Employing an at-home workforce also significantly reduces the cost associated with The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 7

8 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce real estate, maintaining on-premise hardware, operational costs, etc. When you leverage browser-based call center software, all your agents need to make and receive calls is a computer, internet connection and a headset. With this new, affordable technology, your team can remain connected and efficient, no matter where they are located. 02 // HIRE THE BEST When hiring at-home agents, your labor pool widens beyond the geographic constraints of an office. By choosing from a much larger pool of candidates, you can find top talent with unique skill sets. Your top applicants will be better educated, more responsible, more reliable and more productive. They will also have unique cultural skills and live across the globe. This unencumbers the recruiting process and allows you to be more selective when hiring employees. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 8

9 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce 03 // EASILY HANDLE FLUCTUATING CALL VOLUMES When you employ an at-home flexible workforce, you can easily handle periods of high call volume. Part-time employees can log in for a few hours when call volume is expected to be high, they can remain on-call to handle overflow calls and they can ramp up for a few weeks or months during seasonal rushes. Cloud-based call centers offer pay-as-you go options so you can scale up or down as needed, making handling call volume ups and downs simple. 04 // PROVIDE 24/7/365 AVAILABILITY Providing 24/7/365 support and availability is simple when you employ a dispersed workforce. When your at-home agents are spread across the globe, they can collectively work 24 hours, with just a few agents on staff. Alternatively, by allowing at-home agents to choose their own hours, you can employ a local workforce that can easily cover the 24 hour span. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 9

10 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce 05 // REDUCE AGENT ATTRITION AND TURNOVER Attrition and absenteeism rates are well below the industry average for at-home call center agents. This is because at-home agents are more satisfied with their work, benefit from the increased flexibility and save time and money by eliminating their daily commute. As a result, they stay with their job longer, significantly reducing your cost of turnover. 06 // ENSURE BUSINESS CONTINUITY Regardless of where your office is located, there are inherent and varied business continuity and disaster recovery risks to having most or all of your agents working from one building. By establishing a geographically dispersed workforce, you will minimize the likelihood of widespread disruptions or outages and enhance business continuity. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 10

11 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce 07 // EASILY HANDLE FLUCTUATING STAFFING NEEDS Allowing agents to work from home will help accommodate the changing needs of your workforce. When they have the option to work from home when needed (i.e. as result of acquiring a disability, to take care of a sick relative, provide child care, recover from illness, etc.), they will appreciate this flexibility. 08 // INCREASED AGENT JOB SATISFACTION At-home call center agents typically report an increase in job satisfaction. They like the conveniences that come from working from home, benefit from eliminating their commute and often enjoy working flexible hours. All of this results in increased job satisfaction. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 11

12 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce 09 // INCREASE AGENT PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE When you can hire top talent and they are more satisfied with their jobs, they will be more likely to be excellent employees. Research conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission (2007) stated that more than half of people that work from home are more productive. In addition to being more productive, there is evidence to suggest that the quality of their work improves as well. A recent study conducted by Stanford University confirmed this. The study found that allowing call center agents to work from home led to a 13% increase in performance [2]. // That s a huge increase that will lead to measureable results. // The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 12

13 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce 10 // ENHANCE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION When you hire top talent and keep them happy as they enjoy the flexibility and the freedom to work from home, your customers will benefit. This will result in enhanced customer service interactions, increased customer satisfaction and increased sales conversions. These top 10 advantages to employing an at-home workforce are very compelling reasons to allow agents to work from home. When you join companies like JetBlue, Citi, American Airlines, Hilton and American Express in employing at-home agents, you too will benefit as they have. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 13

14 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call Center Workforce We embarked on a very successful home based worker solution that has paid off handsomely from both a financial and quality standpoint. Craig Carr Director Reservations Ops., American Airlines The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 14

15 // 02 // 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 15

16 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents Employing an at-home call center agent workforce starts with equipping them with the right tools. Below is a list of must-have technology, equipment and software that will make maintaining a dispersed workforce simple and effective. 01 // THE BASICS: COMPUTER, HEADSET AND INTERNET CONNECTION In order to make and receive calls, your at-home agents will need a computer that meets your basic system requirements, a headset and an internet connection. If you use browser-based call center software they won t need a telephone line, VoIP connection or a VPN. Making sure that their internet connection and system capabilities are sufficient to work optimally is a must. Many companies will provide these basics for their at-home agents. This ensures that all equipment is the same and simplifies the troubleshooting process for your IT helpdesk. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 16

17 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents 02 // BROWSER-BASED CALL CENTER SOFTWARE Any company that employs an at-home workforce should use browser-based call center software. With this software, all that is needed to make and receive calls is a computer, internet connection and a headset. Setup is simple: there is no hardware or software to install, no hassles with telecom providers, no plugins to update, just login and go. Browser-based call center software is also an invaluable tool for the at-home agent. It displays the entire history of a customer by integrating CRM, helpdesk systems and social media, providing your agents with a comprehensive overview of each caller as the phone rings. Enhance your agent s capabilities and keep your dispersed team on the same page by equipping them with the most valuable information about the customer, in real-time with browser-based call center software. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 17

18 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents 03 // AUTOMATIC CALL DISTRIBUTER (ACD) SOFTWARE An ACD is a telephony system that is typically incorporated in call center software. The ACD answers incoming calls and routes them to a specific agent. With an ACD, calls can be routed to specific agents based on customer information (i.e. the phone number the customer dialed, the information the customer input into the IVR, etc.) as well as agent information (i.e. the skill of the agent and agent availability). This is critical in making sure each remote agent only receives calls they are qualified to handle and only when they are ready to handle them. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 18

19 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents Today s consumer demands a heightened level of customer service, and [Hilton] delivers with motivated home-based salesandserviceprofessionals. Russ Olivier Senior Vice President, Hilton Worldwide 04 // CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) SOFTWARE When your agents work from home, they can easily miss important information about customers. CRMs fill this gap. CRMs compile information about each customer such as: client demographics, , phone numbers, call logs, chat transcripts, etc. so your agent will always be up-to-date no The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 19

20 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents matter where they are working. Some browser-based call center software functions as a CRM as well. Ensuring that your CRM is constantly up-to-date and that your call center agents are using it as a tool during their conversations with their customers is critical to success. 05 // CALL RECORDING Agents have a lot to handle. They have to answer a customer s question, make sure the conversation is pleasant and seamless, take notes and update a CRM with relevant information all at the same time. Due to the demands of their job, they sometimes forget to write down important information, enter wrong information or don t enter information at all. Reduce these mistakes by ensuring that all customer conversations are recorded and automatically updated into your company s systems. Then, the next time any employee would like more information about that interaction, they can listen to the call recording. Call recording is also critical for quality assurance and is essential when managing a dispersed workforce. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 20

21 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents 06 // CALL MONITORING Call center software that allows for systematic, standardized call monitoring practices is a must-have for managing an at-home workforce. Call monitoring will allow managers to remotely train agents, drop in on live calls, provide whisper coaching when needed and ensure that your team is delivering consistently excellent service at all times. 07 // COMPREHENSIVE ANALYTICS Keeping a close eye on performance metrics is even more important when your employees are not working in the same building as you are. You can evaluate agent effectiveness with metrics such as service level, average call length, average number of transfers and average hold time. You can also see when agents are logged in, how long they have been idle, when they are on live calls and when they are unavailable. Your managers will never miss a beat with comprehensive real-time and historical data. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 21

22 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents 08 // COMMUNICATION TOOLS FOR LONG-DISTANCE COLLABORATION A chat system and video conferencing tools will help keep your team connected and ensure that management can effectively monitor performance. With these tools, at-home agents can message a manager while they are on a call, ask a colleague a question and have the security of knowing that someone will be able to help them when needed. It is also a great way to help reduce the isolative feeling that can come with working at home. 09 // REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE FOR IT MONITORING Before employing at-home agents, you should be sure that your IT team is well equipped to help setup and monitor remote workers. This includes providing them with software so they can easily diagnose and fix any technical issues that the at-home agent may be experiencing, without having to leave the office. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 22

23 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents 10 // WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT TOOLS Workforce management tools are an easy way to create schedules and to monitor adherence to schedules. It is sophisticated software that takes into consideration agent availability, shift flexibility, call volume, etc. when formulating schedules. Workforce management tools can be invaluable, especially when you maintain a flexible and dynamic workforce. 11 // POST-CONTACT CUSTOMER SURVEYING TOOLS Analyzing real-time and historical metrics are not the end all be all of analyzing an at-home agent s performance. You should also listen to what your customers are saying. Using a postcontact customer surveying tool is the key to this process. When your customers are happy, your agents are doing a great job. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 23

24 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents In order to effectively maintain a team of at-home call center agents, you must equip your entire team with progressive call center software and associated business tools. These tools will have an enormous impact on their professionalism and effectiveness which will translate into more successful customer interactions. // They are so necessary that your team can t afford to work without them. // The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 24

25 // 03 // How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 25

26 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents hiring and managing a team of at-home agents may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn t have to be. Making sure that you are well prepared with the right tools and knowledge is half the battle. Below is a how-to guide that will help you with this process. 01 // MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS Before your at-home agents start, you should make sure that you have all of the tools they need for success. Take some time to find the best tools at the right price and to make sure that your team is proficient in using them. When you and your team are proficient, this will significantly decrease the headache involved in training remote agents. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 26

27 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 02 // PREPARE YOUR TEAM Hiring at-home agents may require you Checklist to bulk up your team, give additional trainings and work out any anticipated issues. You should make sure your management team can effectively train and monitor off-premise agents. You should also make sure that your IT department is ready to handle any issues with setting up remote computers, checking internet connections and is adept at troubleshooting when the agent is working from a remote location. They should also standardize trouble-shooting procedures and make a working from home checklist. 03 // MAKE TRAINING MANUALS, VIDEOS AND RECORDINGS Training remote agents can be more challenging if you are not prepared. However, once you have the right training methods in place, it can be a very seamless and quick process. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 27

28 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents Create a training protocol that includes all of the information that on-premise agents have access to and also addresses any additional requirements for at-home agents. Make detailed training manuals, record demo videos, record calls that demonstrate a specific point (i.e. how to handle a difficult client, what to do when you don t know the answer, etc.), write out use cases, make a FAQ, etc. Once you have all of these documents in place, the training process will be much smoother. 04 // ESTABLISH AT-HOME AGENT POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND WORK ETHIC GUIDELINES Before you begin the hiring and training process, make sure that you concretely define policies, procedures and what is expected from them. This may be a step that you overlooked in the past when hiring on-premise agents, but when agents work from home, there needs to be clearly defined expectations. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 28

29 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents Some of these should include: // Who is responsible for certain costs (i.e. internet connection, computer, headset, software, etc.) // Who to contact if they have questions, support issues, equipment malfunctions, etc. // What their employment status is (i.e. contractor, part-time, full-time, etc.) and what benefits they are entitled to // Appropriate and inappropriate places to work (i.e. on mobile phone, within a secure working environment, in a noise-free room, while they travel, etc.) // Scheduling policies (i.e. when/how to take breaks; when they should be available to field calls, how to call in sick, how to schedule vacation time, etc.) // Appropriate agent behavior and etiquette (i.e. how to handle a difficult client, what to do when you don t know what to do, etc.) // Document job responsibilities, requirements, organizational and departmental goals, performance expectations and monitoring policies The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 29

30 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 05 // TEST THE WATERS You don t want to jump in and have 100 at-home agents starting all at once. First, allow a few agents to work from home to see if it is feasible. Some companies don t have the right infrastructure to support at-home agents. Sometimes, teams can t function with remote agents. And of course, there are some agents who are not optimal candidates for working at home. By testing the waters, you can hammer out these details and any kinks in your at-home agent roll out plan before you fully commit to having a flexible workforce. 06 // DEFINE YOUR IDEAL AGENT When hiring at-home agents, you ll have a larger selection pool (as you are no longer geographically restricted), so you can afford to be more selective. Take some time to think about exactly what you want and what you don t want. Think about your company s culture, specific job details, goals and objectives when The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 30

31 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents deciding what you need in a future employee. When you have a concrete understanding of who you would like to hire, the hiring process will be much smoother. Even today, I can t figure out why more companies don t do it. David Neeleman CEO, JetBlue The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 31

32 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 07 // RECRUIT RIGHT Once you define your ideal agent, you will have a better idea on how to recruit them. Your recruiting materials should be made with the ideal candidate in mind. You should rely heavily on recruiting online (i.e. social media and using pay-per-click) as well as word of mouth (you can offer a bonus to anyone who refers a friend who is later hired). It might also be beneficial to recruit beyond borders: hiring globally will increase the diversity of your team and can be a much needed breath of fresh air. Finally, be sure to make your application process entirely online and simple. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 32

33 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 08 // HIRE THE BEST When you open up the pool of potential candidates by allowing agents to work remotely, you will receive a considerable number of applications and can choose the cream of the crop. When selecting at-home agents consider: COMMUNICATION SKILLS At-home agents should have excellent communication skills as they do not have the luxury relying on face-to-face interactions. They should also be skilled at picking up on subtleties that can otherwise be overlooked without the help of non-verbal cues. PERSONALITY Taking a candidate s personality into consideration before hiring them is a must. Individuals who are conscientious The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 33

34 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents (i.e. achievement-oriented, responsible, self-disciplined, organized, competent, dependable) are typically ideal work-at-home candidates. Think about their personality, ask personality-centric questions and ask them directly if they feel capable of working from home full-time. CULTURAL FIT Individuals who fit with the team (i.e. have the same goals, work-ethic, values, vision, etc.) are more likely to enjoy working for your company, engage in collaborative work and will stay with your company longer. Overlooking an applicant s potential to align with your company s culture and values may be a crucial mistake. remember: one bad apple spoils the bunch. TEAM-RELATED BEHAVIOR People who like the idea of working from home can also be the type of person who likes working independently. Make sure that they can be an effective team player and collaborate when necessary by asking team-related questions as well as any experience they have working as part of a team. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 34

35 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents SKILL At-home employees have to be able to work skillfully, without needing constant supervision. They therefore have to have a certain skill-set or be capable of learning the pre-requisite skills independently. // Having basic technology skills and problem solving skills are typically the most important when hiring at-home agents. // In addition to considering these attributes during the hiring process, you may also want to consider using a pre-hire employee assessment and work simulation to enhance the interview process. Companies like FurstPerson offer products that automate this process and can be excellent tools for your pre-hire toolkit. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 35

36 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 09 // HIRE WITH AN OPEN MIND Hiring the best agent doesn t mean selecting only those who meet stringent criteria. Keep an open mind. Some customers will enjoy speaking with an agent located in a remote location with a nice accent. Sometimes you might need the stay-at-home mom to work for 2 hours a day. If you overlook excellent candidates because they don t fit your ideal mold, you might be losing an opportunity to incorporate some much needed diversity on your team. 10 // FORMALLY WELCOME THEM TO THE TEAM Once you have made a hiring decision, it s important that the new agent feels like a part of the team. Welcome them to the team by sending out a company-wide , introducing them to the team over Skype and sending a welcome package. It will facilitate a personal connection with the team and help to decrease feelings of isolation. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 36

37 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 11 // HAVE A FORMAL TRAINING PERIOD Some agents will require more time to get up and running than others. Regardless of their level of competence or experience, they should all receive the same training manuals, information and the same length of training. Keep in mind that training remote agents may take more time than expected, so plan accordingly. Also keep in mind that for some agents, they will realize during the trial period that working from home is not ideal. Allow them the flexibility to change their schedule or change their mind. // Finally, during the training period, be sure that the agent is excelling, motivated, disciplined and requires minimal managerial supervision. // The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 37

38 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 12 // MANAGE EFFECTIVELY Effective management is crucial to maintaining an at-home workforce. Effective management involves proactively identifying and addressing challenges such as operational difficulties, IT issues and human resources challenges. It also includes making a personal connection with each at-home agent, being available for them when they need it, continuously monitoring their performance and providing effective guidance and feedback. 13 // FOCUS ON METRICS THAT MATTER When monitoring call center performance it is important to focus on the most important real-time and historical metrics. According to a recent study [3], the 10 KPIs that affect customer satisfaction with call center service in order are: first contact resolution, percentage of calls blocked, average time in queue, average after call work time, service level, The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 38

39 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents average abandonment rate, employee turnover rate, average speed of answer, average handle time and adherence to schedule. By focusing on the metrics that matter, you can refine your approach to managing and provide more effective feedback. There is no commute [and] DirecTV gets loyal, hardworking customer representatives [and] an incredibly flexible workforce. Gary Qualls Vice President, DirecTV The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 39

40 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 14 // MONITOR AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK Monitoring performance is critical to ensuring that your at-home call center agent is properly trained and performing optimally. You should ensure that you are continuously and methodically monitoring calls, dropping in on live calls when necessary, engaging in whisper coaching and keeping your eye on performance metrics. You should always be sure to provide feedback that is tied to performance metrics and direct observation. Scheduling daily communication sessions between a manager and at-home agent is also helpful at reducing feelings of isolation. Finally, chat systems are extremely helpful for providing in-the-moment feedback while the agent is on the phone. Make sure that your managers are well equipped to perform optimally. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 40

41 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents 15 // REWARD GOOD PERFORMANCE You should hold your at-home agents to the same standards as the rest of your team and when they exceed expectations, they should be rewarded for it. When your at-home agent is performing well, handled a tough caller with ease or put in a few extra hours when you really needed them, make sure that you reward them for their efforts. There should also be systems in place for peer recognition and rewards. Rewarding employees is critical to keeping them happy and keeping them on your team for the long haul. 16 // KEEP THEM CONNECTED It can be easy to feel isolated from the team when working from home. Make sure to keep them connected with chat systems, places to upload personal photos/funny memes, send them daily newsletters, include them in team meetings, video conferencing, team events, company off-sites, etc. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 41

42 How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents The more they feel connected and supported, the more likely they will enjoy working from home. // Hiring and managing a team of at-home agents can bring incredible benefits to a company. // By following the steps above, you can easily transform your workforce into a flexible, global and agile team of at-home agents. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 42

43 // 04 // 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 43

44 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected employing at-home agents can bring significant advantages but can also lead to the agent feeling isolated if steps aren t taken to ensure that they feel connected to the team and appreciated. Connecting with at-home agents will expedite acculturation into the team, enhance collaborative efforts, increase productivity and help to foster a more cohesive team-based culture. Below are 10 tips to keep your at-home agents connected. 01 // MAKE DAILY FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY Make sure that a manager personally connects with each at-home agent every single day. This could mean starting the day with a video conference, providing feedback throughout the day or ending the day with a wrap up session. Just 5 minutes of face-to-face communication will go a long way. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 44

45 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected 02 // ENSURE THAT THEY ARE PRESENT (VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE) AT ALL TEAM MEETINGS Team meetings are critical for keeping your company running flawlessly, but can be a logistical nightmare when you have employees working across the globe. Make team meetings a priority by scheduling it into the at-home agent s calendar and block off that time period. By requiring at-home agents to join the meetings, you are communicating the importance of the meetings and also letting everyone on the team know that the at-home agents are just as important to the team as the on-site agents. It is also a very effective way to enhance a team-based culture. 03 // INCLUDE THEM IN COMPANY PICNICS, OFF-SITES, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS It is always important to include at-home agents in all of the fun events that keep your team excited. Regardless of where they are located, at-home agents should always receive an invite to the next big event. This will make them feel included, no matter how far away they are. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 45

46 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected When at-home agents can t join the fun, your team should make an effort to include them in the conversation by posting pictures to a company newsletter or live chat system. 04 // PROVIDE THEM WITH CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES At-home agents may work limited hours and have tight schedules, but that doesn t mean that they value their career any less than an on-premise, full-time agent. Provide them with the same opportunities for career development and advancement as your full-time staff. Pay for them and encourage them to attend conferences and workshops. Take some time to see what conferences and workshops are offered in their location and ask them to go and represent your team. This can be a great way to increase a sense of pride and cohesiveness with your company. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 46

47 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected 05 // IMPLEMENT A PEER RECOGNITION SYSTEM At-home agents will likely connect more with their colleagues then they will with management. It is important to enhance this connection with peer recognition and rewards systems. By allowing them to recognize the accomplishments of others and receiving their own peer praise, they will feel more connected with their team. 06 // CELEBRATE SUCCESSES AS A TEAM When your company hits a long-anticipated milestone, has their annual holiday party, lands a huge client, has an anniversary or has something big to celebrate, do it together. Have a video conference of the party, send at-home agents the same company gift or fly at-home agents in for the big celebration. Having at-home agents attend one big event per year might be all they need to feel like an integral part of the team. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 47

48 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected 07 // BRING THEM TO COMPANY OFF-SITES Company off-sites are typically team bonding excursions. Take advantage of this and include your entire team. It can be a great way for at-home agents to feel at ease with their colleagues. Also, by having your company off-site is at an awesome location, the at-home agent who might be inclined to reject company invitations, might be more enticed to come. 08 // PROVIDE PERSONALIZED PRAISE AND RECOGNITION It can be easy to fall into a pattern of only providing feedback when there is room for improvement. With the at-home agent, if you fall short on providing praise and recognition for their efforts, it could make them feel like their work is not appreciated. Go the extra mile to make praise and recognition an integral part of the at-home agent management process. Just as you will make sure that management is monitoring their performance, make sure that they are recognizing them for a job well done. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 48

49 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected 09 // PROVIDE THEM WITH IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDED At-home agents can easily feel like they are all alone in their work. Make sure they have a lifeline. They should have a supervisor s direct line to call 24/7, should have a dedicated chat room where colleagues and managers can instantly answer questions and their s should be responded to promptly. Remember that these forms of communication are the only means they have to ask a question, get feedback and feel supported when they need it most. 10 // ENCOURAGE INTEROFFICE COLLABORATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKING Give your team a place to collaborate and hang out online. Setup an internal wiki to keep them informed of project updates, promote brainstorming and enhance collaborative The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 49

50 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Agents Connected work. Another great way to increase team cohesiveness is to setup an internal social networking site. Encourage your team to post personal announcements (i.e. birth announcements, birthdays, personal accomplishments), funny memes, local lunch specials, etc. You will be surprised at how well a few laughs can connect a team. // Keeping at-home agents feeling connected and part of the team can be simple when you have the right tools and practices in place. // go the extra mile to make sure at-home agents don t feel isolated and your agents will stay on the team longer, enjoy their work more and provide better customer service. The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 50

51 // 05 // At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 51

52 At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist before a newly hired at-home agent starts their job, you must make sure that they have the proper tools and space to work optimally. below is a sample checklist to help give ideas about what to include in your own new at-home agent starter kit. Do you have a reliable computer that meets our basic system requirements? // Does your processor have at least 1.8GHz? // Do you have at least 1536MB (1.5GB) installed memory? // Is your monitor 17 inches or larger? // Does your monitor have a resolution of at least 1024 x 768? // Does it have a video card? Is it at least 32MB? // Does it have a sound card (required)? // Does it have a USB port? The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 52

53 At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist Do you have a reliable high-speed internet connection? // Do you have Cable, DSL or ISDN? Dial-up, satellite and some wireless connections do not provide the necessary speed rates. // How much bandwidth? // Does your internet meet the following requirements: Download speed: 2.0 Mbps minimum Upload speed: 300 kbps minimum Quality of service: 80% Jitter: 20 ms Do you have a router? What is the brand of your router? // Recommended brands: Linksys, Netgear and D-link // Are you using a wireless router? Did you encrypt the Wireless connection using a WEP or WPA key? The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 53

54 At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist Do you have the latest version of Google Chrome (mandatory)? Do you have a headset with microphone that plugs into your computer? // What brand is it? Do you have a web camera? // Recommended brand: Logitech Quickcam Communications STX // Recommended resolution: 640x 480 VGA full-screen resolution Do you have a dedicated office space that is quiet and distraction-free? // Can this room shield noise from a TV, radio, pet, train, lawnmowers, traffic, etc.? The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 54

55 At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist Can you work in that office space for extended periods of time without interruption from family members, pets, personal phone calls, etc.? // Have you set in place childcare or care for other dependents during the time you are working? Do you have sufficient computer experience? // Are you competent with using a word processer (like MS Word), , a web browser and can you learn to use new software? The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 55

56 // 06 // Conclusion The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 56

57 Conclusion Allowing your agents to work from home and hiring a team of global at-home call center agents can be an incredible way to drive down costs and increase the professionalism and effectiveness of your team. Following the steps outlined in this e-book will help ease you into this process and be the first step you take towards a more profitable future. We will take as many people who can do the home-based servicing work as we can. Robert Garinger Senior Vice President, American Express The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 57

58 Works Cited 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // Anton, J. (2000). The past, present and future of customer access centers. International Journal of Service Industry Management,11, 2, p Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J. & J. Ying. (2012). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment. Feinberg, R., Hokama, L., Kadam, R. & I. Kim. (2002). Operational determinants of caller satisfaction in the banking/ financial services call center. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 20, 4, p Forrester, Research Contact Center Purchase Plans May IDC, US Home-Based Agent Forecast and Analysis, Doc. #34514, December, The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 58

59 About Talkdesk Talkdesk is easy-to-use, cloud-based call center software that helps growing businesses provide excellent customer service with phone support. Talkdesk makes it possible to have real time, personalized conversations with customers, without hardware, coding or downloads - all that is needed is a computer and an Internet connection. With Talkdesk, companies can have a call center up-and-running in minutes and have access to robust call center functionality including IVR, skills-based routing, call conferencing, comprehensive reporting, all in an intuitive web-based interface. Integrations with top business tools and CRM systems, such as Salesforce, Desk.com and Zendesk, make customer data easily accessible, so agents never have to wade through endless systems to provide superior service. For more information, visit TRY TALKDESK FOR FREE The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents // 59

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