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White Paper Demonstrates How Home-based Agent Programs Improve Customer Loyalty

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

In the realm of call centers, there are number of different approaches to managing the agent base. In-house sales professionals may make up the call center, outsourced agents may operate as customer service representatives who answer calls -- or alternatively the call center can be supported by agents based in their homes.

While a home-based agent model may not work for every company in every industry, it can deliver significant value in the right situations. Benefits that have been realized by companies using this platform include increased customer loyalty, higher agent productivity, reduced attrition, lower operational costs and stronger business continuity.

A new white paper from hosted call center solutions provider inContact, 'The Work-at-Home Agent Model for Improved Customer Loyalty,' examines the options for deploying and managing a home-based model while focusing on the ultimate goal of increasing customer loyalty. When you consider that the home-based agent model improves agent satisfaction, which leads to increased customer satisfaction, it's easy to understand why the results are almost always positive.

Many call centers are already using home agent programs to some extent -- or they are considering making the change. A national poll conducted by inContact in 2007 showed that 46 percent of respondents were using at-home agents. Of those who were not, more than half planned to implement an home agent program within the year. Earlier projections had estimated that in the U.S. home-based agents could surpass the 300,000 mark by the end of 2010. (And this is a conservative estimate.)

One obvious element that exists with at-home agents is the flexibility for both the customer and the agent. This type of model will attract high-quality agents who offer specialized expertise. At the same time, companies must provide the agents with the tools they need to do their jobs well. This capability helps to create satisfaction for the agents, who will in turn deliver better customer service.

Lower costs are also a reality with home-based agents. Not only is the company able to deliver the level of service necessary without the overhead of a traditional brick and mortar building, at-home agents are proven to be more productive than their office-based equivalents. In addition, business continuity is much easier to attain if agents are located throughout the country and supported through a private network.

To gain further insight into the home-based agent model and what it can mean for the next-generation contact center, download this free white paper. Understanding of how a cloud-based, hosted call center platform can facilitate the home agent model is a great place to start.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Patrick Barnard