REMOTE AGENTS
BY MICHELA LOMBARDI, 3C CONTACT SERVICES
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE IMAGES
HOW TO MAKE REMOTE WORK ACTUALLY WORK
Remote agents have become the standard operating model for contact centers across North America. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was the only viable option for many contact center and BPO leaders, requiring organizations to pivot quickly to support their customers ' demands.
Now, nearly 70 % of organizations operate under a hybrid model, according to a report by ICMI reviewing industry trends, reinforcing that remote work is no longer an exception but an expectation.
But the experience of contact centers with remote work is that it cannot be used as a quick fix as it poses its own challenges. And there are many advantages to having agents in-office that are often difficult to duplicate remotely.
32 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
SUPPORTING REMOTE AGENTS REQUIRES COMMITMENT.
Therefore, as I will discuss in this article, contact centers that want to have successful remote agent programs must make a serious and long-term commitment to them.
... THE EXPERIENCE OF CONTACT CENTERS WITH REMOTE WORK IS THAT IT CANNOT BE USED AS A QUICK FIX AS IT POSES ITS OWN CHALLENGES.