If You Love Your Agents, Set Them Free

Brian Henson of Calabrio shares his advice for improving the advisor experience during these difficult times.

The morning grind. The daily commute. Rush hour. These days, the colloquialisms we use to refer to our workday travels don’t need to hold true.

While many forward-thinking companies, including Lyft, Uber and TaskRabbit, are building their business model around a workforce that works when it wants, this just isn’t possible in contact centres. Lines must always be open because customers are reaching out at all times.

Now, even though contact centres may not be able to avoid the morning commute by allowing employees to work when they want, they can offer something Lyft, Uber and TaskRabbit can’t: permitting employees work where they want.

The Benefits of Freedom

Every day contact centre employees don their professional attire, grab their coffee and brave the traffic. They arrive at their offices where they sit isolated in their cubicle for the remainder of the day.

Why? Employees could avoid the traffic and complete the same work in the comfort of their own home. Working from home is an option modern contact centres must explore.

While it isn’t quite as freeing as a work-when-you-want offer, it is a powerful perk that will entice top employees to remain, while attracting fresh talent. This is particularly true among millennials, who crave such freedom and have repeatedly been shown to value work/life balance above financial compensation.

Traditional central location policy limits options for part-time employment and often doesn’t consider those with physical limitations, childcare issues or poor commuting options. Adopting a work-from-home policy dramatically increases your hiring flexibility and options.

A work-from-home policy also allows for more flexible scheduling for the company. Contact centres can fill staff during busy times and dial back during slower periods, all without space concerns.

Solving for Freedom

The benefits of a work-from-home policy for both employees and the company are worth fighting for. With a sound software investment, companies can ensure brand quality and system capabilities are supported at the office and any “satellite location”.

Just remember that happy employees lead to happy customers, and allowing flexibility in locations can help.