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America is known as the land of opportunity. The market here often affords those with the drive for independence, risk tolerance and financial support necessary to branch out on their own to do so and win. Owning or managing a business often attracts this individual, especially if he or she is in a geographic area with few options for corporate employment. Thanks to the availability of business VoIP technology, anything is possible.

For those who don’t want the responsibility of business ownership or management, the option of a flexible work environment is still possible. A number of individuals can’t work the 8-5 traditional schedule, but still need employment and have experience and skill sets to contribute to the corporate goals. For these individuals, working in a virtual call center may be a possibility.

According to this 8x8 (News - Alert) blog, roughly 80 percent of all contact centers now have some work-at-home agents. One industry source suggests this trend is growing at a rate of 30 percent per year. As contact center leaders are finding that the virtual environment delivers the desired results at a lower price, this rate may increase over time. Likewise, as agents recognize the freedom and flexibility afforded in such a position, the availability in labor may also expand.

The contact center environment is one that is relatively easy to transfer to the home-office. So much of the activity of the agent is conducted via a VoIP system, allowing the agent to work from anywhere there is an Internet connection. As a result, a number of contact centers are going virtual and the benefits don’t stop at a lower cost.

Consider the aftermath on the East Coast after Hurricane Sandy did her damage. Countless residents and companies were without power or access to other utilities. With access to the public Internet, however, these companies could quickly come back online using a hosted call center software solution. 8x8’s virtual call center service enabled individuals to continue working from home or from any commercial hotspot using their laptop or cell phone. Customers never need to know the difference.

Firms that once turned to offshoring their agents can bring those jobs back to the U.S. as the virtual call center allows for the lower cost without sacrificing service. Too many customers are demanding local interactions to ignore the trend. By launching a homeshore initiative, companies that could not previously afford to connect customers with a U.S. based agent now have more options than the traditional brick and mortar center.

Likewise, the contact center that wants to grow the business but has run out of space has more options with the virtual call center. Adding more agents to take on more business simply requires a Human Resources effort. Scaling up accordingly is easy and the profit margins are healthy thanks to lower overhead.