Enterprises have been increasingly transitioning to virtual call center environments for its added benefits and uniquely accommodating work environment. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a St. Louis-based car rental company, has done away with its call center completely, with its employees now working from out of their homes. This move speaks volumes to the virtual call center becoming more than just a trend or phase, but a legitimate, functioning working experience for both the agent and the customer.
It may come as a surprise to learn that employees receive the same pay and benefits working from home as they would if they worked at a physical call center, according to spokeswoman Lisa Martini. When working from home, employees start at $11.10 with opportunities to make up to $13.10 an hour – not to mention the chance to receive a monthly bonus of $450, she added.
Making the virtual move is largely in part to boost retention and recruit from a broader geographic area to offer employees the chance to better balance their work and personal life.
Currently, the company boasts more than 600 virtual call center agents across the states of Oregon, Illinois and Missouri. Additionally, Enterprise has begun recruiting home agents in Arizona, Minnesota and North Carolina, Martini noted.
It’s safe to say that Enterprise’s move to completely omit its traditional call center speaks loud and clear for the growing and solid move to relying on thriving at-home employees.
Spokeswoman Kelly Cheeseman explained how these jobs are ideal for “college students, stay-at-home parents, military spouses, wounded warriors and others who either cannot or choose not to work outside the home.”
Jack Heacock, senior VP of the Telework Coalition and long-time call center veteran, explained that once call center managers got over the idea of questioning and second-guessing virtual call center worker’s potential and trustworthiness, the trend took off. Not only this, but Heacock adds that call centers use the same programs to measure productivity with their at-home agents as they do in a bricks-and-mortar center, as reported by The Register-Guard.
If you’re looking to hop on the virtual bandwagon, there’s one thing you first need to remember. To ensure the success and efficiency of one’s virtual call center, businesses must rely on robust virtual call center solutions and software, such as those offered by industry-leader 8x8 (News - Alert), Inc. 8x8 offers a wide variety of virtual call center solutions that include low start-up costs and monthly fees as well as boast sophisticated call center features to empower your team with advanced capabilities including skills-based routing, multimedia queuing and real-time monitoring and reporting.
To learn more about 8x8’s virtual call center solutions, click here.
Edited by Jamie Epstein