Seven hundred and sixty three miles per hour: The current record for the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land set by a jet-propelled car which broke the sound barrier in October 1997.
Thrity-two hours 49 minutes 3 seconds: The fastest time a plane has flown westbound around the world, achieved by the supersonic Concorde aircraft in October 1992.
Twenty-seven days: The time it took for Alpine Access, a virtual call center, to begin taking customer calls after a new client contract was signed in October 2009. This included recruiting, hiring, on-boarding and training the highest-caliber call center agents, as well as integrating multiple technologies and communication systems.
These feats of speed each involved taking an existing solution and improving it to produce results never before accomplished. Successes like these raise the bar for what can be achieved and reset customer expectations.
While I can only speculate and marvel at what it took to create the world’s fastest vehicles, I can provide insight into how Alpine Access was able to launch an account from beginning to end in the same time it typically takes brick-and-mortar centers (B&Ms) to place a help wanted ad and start the recruiting process. The unique characteristics of the home-based agent model create the ability to quickly scale operations in ways never before experienced within the call center industry.
Behind-the-Scenes of the Home-Based Model
It’s hard to believe that a new account could be launched in a little over a month, while also delivering high quality results. Yet, the home-based model is designed to quickly scale while maintaining all the economic and service benefits customers have come to expect. Of course, every program is different and the actual time to launch depends on numerous variables. However, one can get a clearer understanding of how it is possible to scale with speed by looking at some of the competitive advantages of being “virtual.”
Human Resources
B&M call centers face two main obstacles with hiring new agents: location and job desirability. B&M centers are typically restricted to hiring within a 30 mile radius. This makes it difficult to find additional staff for a new account, and is one of the main reasons B&M centers move out of communities after 3-4 years once the local talent pool has been exhausted.
In contrast, human resource managers for virtual call centers can recruit and hire employees from anywhere in the nation. Working from home also has such wide appeal that virtual call centers typically receive several hundred thousand applications a year. This means that when a new contract is signed, home-based centers do not need to spend weeks or months recruiting. Instead, with a click of a button, HR can instantaneously search and filter the applicant database and locate prospective employees with the ideal mix of experience, skills, and abilities.
Training
Ask B&M trainers to train 200 new agents at the same time and personalize all the materials according to how each agent learns best and they would give you a blank stare. Provide the further instruction that the training curriculum for a new account must be created in less than a week with custom examples and multimedia and they would say it is impossible. In the first place, typical B&M centers do not have physical capacity to hold training classes of more than 30-50 students at a time. Second, trainers normally require at least a month to develop curriculum for new accounts and, when it is created, it involves reviewing binders of processes and procedures. Employees who find it difficult to learn in this one-size-fits-all environment drop out before answering a single call. Finally, true hands-on learning takes place only after initial training and nesting is complete, thus adding additional hours to a very linear timeline.
Distance-based eLearning, on the other hand, allows trainers to utilize the latest technologies to deliver training content in a variety of formats to as many students as needed. Existing materials are quickly converted to electronic documents and are brought to life with illustrating videos or hands-on practice sessions that help agents see as well as hear what is being taught. With no room size limitations, trainers can facilitate hundreds of students through some of the curriculum and then allow everyone to go through other sections at their own pace. The result is more knowledge retention, less agent attrition and reduced overall training time and cost.
Infrastructure
When executives at B&M centers evaluate potential new business, they must take into consideration the infrastructure costs of providing a location for additional agents to work. In many cases, accepting a new client sets off the lengthy and expensive process of developing a suitable work environment for new hires. First, a B&M center must be established by finding and leasing office space. Then work stations have to be purchased and built while telephony networks are installed. Next, office supplies and décor must be bought, a building management firm secured and additional support staff hired. The cost of setting up and maintaining a large, B&M center is staggering. Customers need to be mindful that sometimes these start-up expenses are passed on to them in the form of higher per minute costs or hidden fees.
Speed Equals Cost Savings
Virtual call centers achieve speed by creating new processes that allow them to quickly grow while maintaining high quality standards. In the case of the 27 day launch, Alpine Access’ client saved substantial time and money with a record ramp-up. But it’s the broken service records after launch that prove the virtual model has changed the dynamics of the call center industry forever. Immediately out of the gate the home-based agent team exceeded by over 10% the highest CSAT scores ever observed coming out of a training class. Even more importantly, these agents continue to deliver CSAT scores 25% higher than the rest of the client’s network.
By taking less time to recruit, train and integrate new agents, home-based call centers save businesses millions of dollars annually. Add to that the cost advantages of retaining and expanding their client’s customer base with superior service, and virtual centers are the smart choice for companies across all industries.
Rob Duncan is Chief Operating Officer of Alpine Access, Inc. a nation-wide provider of call center services using home-based customer service and sales employees. Alpine Access clients include Fortune 100 companies in a wide variety of industries.
Rob Duncan is COO of Alpine Access, Inc., a Denver, Colorado-based provider of contact center services using exclusively home-based customer service and sales employees.Duncan can be reached at 303-279-0585.Edited by Patrick Barnard