Monday, May 5, 2014
By CallFire,


Happy agents make happy customers. Happy customers call less frequently and have fewer complaints when they do call. Which makes for happy agents.
 
Creating that loop of satisfaction between clients and employees should be the number one priority of any customer service contact center, and it all starts with the workforce. The happier they are, the more productive they are. So what makes for a happy employee?
  • Exercise is a proven method of overcoming depression and fatigue
  • More sleep inures people against negative emotions, and increases productivity
  • Shorter commutes can have a powerful impact on happiness
  • Spending more time with family and friends
  • Regular vacations – even just a couple of days away can recharge the batteries, both mental and physical
 
Under the 20th Century business model of working Monday to Friday, 9-to-5 in a proscribed office location, there simply wasn’t enough flexibility to allow employees to make these improvements to their lives. A Cloud Call Center makes it all possible, increasing customer and agent satisfaction and, ultimately, growing your business.
 
Using at-home agents in the right way could save your business thousands of dollars per agent, per year. Not only that, eliminating multiple commutes and reducing your office’s energy consumption will make your competitors as green as your eco-credentials.
 
If you’re used to keeping one eye on a floor filled with clocked-in agents, you might have reservations about making such a seemingly-dramatic change to your operation. To allay your fears, we’ve answered the most commonly asked questions regarding cloud call center management:
 
Won’t agents be distracted at home?
It’s hard to imagine a domestic situation that could compete with the hubbub of any office, let alone a call center with 80 agents all chattering away simultaneously. Like any new business, it’s about finding the right staff. If they have a dedicated workspace or office at home, it’s likely to be a lot more peaceful than an office.
 
Will my turnover be higher?
Quite the opposite. Since location is not an issue, at-home agents can be retained on staff, even if they move to the other side of the country.
 
How can I manage a remote workforce?
Cloud call center technology doesn’t require installation of hardware, so setting up your agents at home is not complicated. You can monitor calls and even conduct training via webinars. Even better, the flexibility inherent in managing a remote workforce means you can have some staff ‘on-call’ for unexpected surges in, and scale back your agent capacity when needed.
 
Will the call quality decrease?
If you’re running an in-house operation, you probably record calls for staff training and quality management purposes. You can do exactly the same using a cloud call center.
 
At-home agents are changing the game of customer experience, and they’re happier for it. Responsiveness, integration, quality control – everything improves with a cloud-based solution. 
Tags: