An article about remote reps caught my eye recently. According to the article, remote reps amount to 7% of the total call center worker population in 2009, and the group is expected to grow by as much as 19% per year. CCC’s data from its benchmarking database is strong as well, with about 13% of the companies surveyed using remote reps.
No doubt about it…and in case you’re still wondering…remote reps are here to stay. Stories of “failed” programs are rare, and most companies have very positive experiences. Commonly cited outcomes (when compared to brick and mortar operations) include:
- Better customer survey scores
- Higher productivity
- Lower turnover
- Environmentally friendly (This is a new one…we’ve recently heard some organizations publicize remote programs as a “green” initiative to cut the company’s carbon footprint—because fewer people are driving to work.)
CCC members, learn more about our remote rep research.
These benefits are great, but almost all of them are highly dependent on the reps you choose to staff the program. If you hire the wrong type of rep, you’re investing time and resources into people likely to leave the job or, worse yet, stick around and be entirely unproductive. When hiring remote reps, here are some things to consider:
1. Start with your stars—Many companies acknowledge one primary reason their programs are so successful is they are primarily staffed by high-performers who used to work within the brick and mortar operation. Even if you don’t target your high-performers, using reps that already work for the company does have several benefits, including:
A. Leveraging proximity—Operating on the assumption that they already live in the area, you’ll be able to maintain the option of asking reps to come to the office when needed.
B. Using the program as a performance incentive—Many of our members use remote agent status as a reward, or a “promotion without a promotion”, for high performance.
C. Eliminating some unknowns—By using reps already in seat, you’ll know what to expect in terms of performance, trustworthiness (particularly regarding sensitive customer information), and dependability.Please note: I’m not saying that you can’t be successful with externally-sourced remote reps. But be aware that you will need to put a lot more effort into getting the program up and running from a training perspective, including considerations like —Will you house these people temporarily in your center to onboard them? If so, where will you put them? Or will you invest in remote learning technology?—and your benefits will be a) slower to come and b) incrementally smaller.
2. Give applicants a test-run—Even among your high-performers, not everyone is suited for remote work. Given the complexity and expense involved with launching work at home arrangements (specifically from a technology perspective), some companies stipulate that employees must commit to working from home for a minimum period of time (perhaps six months).
Better yet, giving reps an opportunity to back out before they enter the program can save you quite a bit of time and money of brining them back into the brick-and-mortar operations after a few months.
One way to give reps a taste of remote work before fully committing is to create a “test cube environment” that mimics the physical isolation that reps will experience when working from home. This allows reps to self-select out of the application process if they decide it isn’t right for them. If you try this, have the applicant work from the “test cube” for at least a week—a single shift is likely not going to be enough of a trial.
These considerations are certainly just a start…what would you add to the list? How have you ensured that you are sending the right people to work from home?
CCC members, be sure to review our tool for remote rep program development
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on December 29, 2010
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