FEATURE
Bottom line: Remote work options, in some form, will be key for recruiting / retaining a qualified labor force for contact centers.
NATURAL DISASTERS, SOCIAL DISRUPTION
NATURAL DISASTERS APPEAR TO BE BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON AND SEVERE. HOW IS THIS IMPACTING LOCATING ON-PREMISE AGENTS, USING REMOTE AGENTS?
A: Natural disasters are reshaping how organizations think about where— and how— they deploy their customer contact workforces. In recent years, we have seen hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat events disrupt entire regions, sometimes for weeks at a time. It is a frightening reality that can happen to any company, particularly those that rely heavily on on-premise operations.
" NATURAL DISASTERS ARE RE- SHAPING HOW ORGANIZATIONS THINK ABOUT WHERE— AND HOW— THEY DEPLOY THEIR CUS- TOMER CONTACT WORKFORCES."
Concerns around declining weather forecast quality are also creating new challenges for organizations that rely on accurate climate data for business continuity and site selection.
Historically, companies have depended on increasingly precise forecasting models to anticipate risks, prepare facilities, and safeguard operations. If those forecasts become less reliable, the margin for error widens.
From a business continuity and disaster recovery( BCDR) standpoint, reduced forecast accuracy means that contact centers may have less lead time to prepare.
Power outages, evacuation orders, or infrastructure failures could arrive sooner than anticipated, making rapid response protocols more critical than ever.
This uncertainty also influences on-premise contact center location strategies.
In the past, long-term climate projections helped identify markets with lower risk profiles. But if those projections become less dependable, companies must focus more heavily on observable historical patterns, infrastructure resilience, and the adaptability of local utilities and emergency services.
Even as environmental risks become harder to predict, customer contact organizations are being pushed toward more resilient workforce and operational models.
If medium- and long-term weather forecasting becomes less accurate, companies can compensate by strengthening structural resilience through smarter site selection, robust BCDR plans, and workforce models that can flex quickly during unexpected disruption.
SOCIAL DISRUPTION, E. G., CRIME, DRUG USE, CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, HAS AFFECTED MANY LARGER AND SMALLER METROS. WILL THIS HAVE A DISCERNIBLE IMPACT ON CONTACT CENTERS LOCATING IN THESE AREAS?
A: These social-related challenges tend to be localized in a metro area. In siting a new contact center, it will be imperative to select a submarket that is removed from the primary concentration of these social ills.
If there are no submarkets that will shield a new contact center from these problems, then that metro area will be rejected as a location for their operations.
ON-PREMISE CENTER DESIGN, LOCATION
ARE THERE CHANGES IN WHERE AND HOW ON-PREMISE CONTACT CENTERS ARE BEING LOCATED? FACILITIES AND PROPERTIES CHOSEN? DESIGN, INCLUDING FURNITURE AND AMENITIES?
A: Without a doubt, on-premise contact centers are being located, designed, and integrated within broader corporate footprints.
One of the most obvious changes is a stronger emphasis on market stability and long-term workforce sustainability. Companies are no longer selecting sites based solely on labor cost advantages.
The Tier 2 and Tier 3 metro areas( 1 million-3.9 million, 300,000-999,000 million population respectively; Tier 1 is over 4 million) are becoming preferred destinations for American contact centers. Desirable location attributes include:
• Favorable demographics.
• Depth of employment in customer-facing occupations.
• Presence( but not an overconcentration) of customer service employment.
• Starting and median salaries in line or less than national average.
• Moderate household income levels.
• Sizable pool of white collar underemployed.
• Presence of bilingual or multilingual skills.
• Available office space close to where targeted skillsets reside.
• Reliable electric power, state of the art fiber connections, and lower exposure to natural disaster risks.
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