Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Do At-Home Agents Make Sense?
In the early 1970s, my parents, in their early twenties and still somewhat newlyweds, adopted two pre-teens. The story of how this came together is pretty fun, but the reality at that time was taking on two nearly adult-sized individuals to a household with one baby and two green individuals was stressful on the pocketbook. While dad secured as many jobs as he could, mom looked for ways she could generate income at home.
In that era, the individual with an education, degree and three children to care for had few options if her primary focus was on the home. She proposed taking in typing, but that also required finding clients. While dad had a few through his primary vocation as an accountant, the opportunity didn’t support the effort and the work from home ambitions never really became a reality.
Today, mom could have easily joined an online site, bid on projects and made money. Or, if the baby would cooperate, she could sign up with a call center and take or make customer service calls as an at-home agent. Regardless of the pay in either situation, she would have been contributing to the household income. It’s a reality for a number of stay-at-home moms today and an interesting challenge and opportunity for those in charge of call center scheduling.
Millions of individuals work from home to support the call center industry today. Still, it’s not an automatic given that it’s the right fit for everyone. The North American Quitline Consortium’s “Call Center Metrics: Fundamentals of Call Center Staffing and Technologies” report suggests the practice offers seven advantages, including schedule flexibility. When those in charge of call center scheduling have to account for peak times or special campaigns, it helps to have extra agents available who can pick up the overflow.
At the same time, the organization doesn’t have to support the physical space to house the at-home agent. In many situations, the agent even brings their own equipment to the job, easing the burden for the organization while the agent enjoys the flexibility and freedom that comes from working from home. Plus, the organization doesn’t have to stick only to the local labor pool and can pull individuals onto the team from all over the world.
If the organization has an effective call center scheduling solution in place to ensure the at-home agent gets the hours he or she needs, as well as breaks, training, etc., the likelihood of that individual looking elsewhere for a job is reduced. Quality of life is enhanced and productivity is increased. Disaster recovery is ensured as at-home agents can step in where in-house agents may be cut off and the carbon footprint created by the organization is reduced as agents don’t have to drive to get to work.
Given these benefits, does it make sense to implement the at-home agent in your own environment? That really can only be answered after you do some homework, but it’s at least worth consideration. While mom later got an MBA and earned her CPA all after she had three more children added to the roost, she is now planning her retirement. Instead, a new generation of moms is seeking ways to earn some income from home. Their motivation to do a great job is in the nursery upstairs, so why not explore the potential?
Edited by Stefania Viscusi