CCC first started talking about remote rep programs with our members back in 2004, when the concept was really beginning to pick up steam across the customer service and support industry.  In the intervening 8 years, there’s certainly been a lot of growth when it comes to the use of remote reps.  And the benefits are truly remarkable.

But, as the old adage goes, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.  And recently I’ve been wondering if that is going to be true for remote reps.  Will this honeymoon phase we’ve been enjoying come to a close?  And if we are destined to see that bubble burst, what will be the tipping point? Read More »

By Corey Stout

Companies increasingly turn to remote reps to improve employee engagement, enhance the customer service experience, and achieve cost savings. Thirty six percent of companies surveyed by CCC in 2010 (n=98 companies) reported that they use remote reps – and this number is expected to continue to grow.

As a result of the sustained interest in this topic among our member companies and across the industry, the CCC team has pulled together our collective insights into a portal dedicated to all things remote reps. These new web pages will provide you with rich insights that will help you incorporate the right variables when making the decision to launch a remote rep program as well as develop effective on-going remote rep support.

Read More »

By Kirsten Robinson

Are leaders in your organization constantly on the road? Is your organization geographically dispersed? We all recognize it’s important for employees to feel a connection with their leaders, but many executives struggle to make their presence felt where they can’t be in person.  Add the growing numbers of remote reps to the equation and you have a real engagement challenge on your hands.

Our sister program for corporate communicators, the Communications Executive Council, recently received a question on their Employee Communications Forum from an executive eager to hear about how other companies drive virtual engagement with leadership. Most organizations are using the Internet and other visual media to bridge the gap — here are a few of the takeaways from the thread:

• Get “face time” in real-time. Employees can get virtual face-to-face contact using a video chat program.  One member suggests Live Meeting, which hosts web conferencing in real-time meetings, training sessions and events. Read More »

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: Read More »

During Washington, D.C.’s recent “Snowmaggeddon” blizzard, I (like many of my colleagues) found myself working from home.  It was great for a day or two, and I felt very productive. But by day five, I felt, well…isolated.  I think this was different than your run-of-the-mill cabin fever…the isolation I felt was connected to my workplace engagement.

This naturally led me to think about contact center reps who work from home full-time.  Whenever I speak with companies who are considering a work-from-home program, people are aware that it is tricky to keep remote staff engaged, but no one knows how to get over that hurdle effectively. Read More »