MANAGEMENT
• Was your security and compliance weak in the beginning and have you implemented the appropriate changes ?
• Do you have the right backup / business continuity plans when your network is down ?
• Did you rely too much on your employees to make sure they had the correct internet connectivity / bandwidth in their home offices ?
A : Whether you decide to bring all staff back to the office full-time , or have some type of hybrid WFH model , you should survey your current remote workers on how they feel about it .
Here are a few questions to ask them :
• What was / is the most frustrating about WFH ?
• What did / do you like / dislike ?
• Do you want to continue working away from the office fulltime or would you prefer part-time ?
• If part-time , how many days / hours in the office per week ?
• If you continue to WFH , do we need to restrict the hours of the day you are reachable ?
• Did we reach out to you too often / too little during the day ?
• Where did we miss the mark on helping you transition to WFH ?
• What could we have done better ?
Obviously “ cloud ” connectivity for remote workers , as stated earlier , was the fastest way to get your staff up and running when the pandemic first arrived .
Here are a few questions to ask yourself :
• What have you learned if you want to continue a WFH hybrid model ?
"... YOU SHOULD SURVEY YOUR CURRENT REMOTE WORKERS ON HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT ."
• Should you be supplying laptops , printers , headsets ?
• How did you handle remote worker IT problems and / or policy questions ?
• What could you have done better ?
For new-hire remote workers , the job description must have the same categories / headings as for office workers . However , it must clearly indicate REMOTE in the title of the position you are looking to fill , the geographic location for the main contact center site , and that travel to a facility for training may be required .
The first candidate interview should be done by video . Remember , all remote workers require collaboration and communication methodologies , a clear understanding of their routine deliverables and performance , and [ must ] receive guidance on how to separate work-from-home activities .
SIMILARLY , HAS THE ON-PREMISE CONTACT CENTER CHANGED SINCE PRE-PANDEMIC , AND IF SO WHY , AND HOW ?
A : I do not feel the on-premise contact center since-pre-pandemic has operationally changed . However , they have finetuned how they operate from a policy and procedures perspective . The pandemic forced a deep dive into the adage “ we have always done it that way ” to let ’ s keep it simple and to the point .
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY EFFECTIVE NEW METHODS OR TOOLS TO HELP MANAGE CENTERS IN TODAY ' S NEW NORMAL ?
A : I think collaboration software is the best thing since “ sliced bread .” I was reluctant in the beginning to use it as a tool in my consulting business and now I cannot live without it !
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO CONTACT CENTER MANAGERS TO HELP THEM SUCCEED IN THIS ENVIRONMENT ?
A : Now that we are moving quickly to get back to whatever we think of as normalcy , I would like to share what I think are the lessons learned for the contact center industry regardless of all-office , all-home , or hybrid work models .
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