Call Recording Featured Article

How do you manage your employees that are out of sight? It’s a common question for the individual managing field team members. The best of the best contact center workers are productive regardless of the location of the supervisor. Those with a little less training and dedication may need to be a little more in touch. Regardless of their level of engagement, workforce optimization may help you demonstrate just how important they are to your overall goals.

This kind of thinking is gaining importance for companies throughout the marketplace as virtual offices and call centers with remote workers are becoming more commonplace. For those who haven’t left the traditional office environment behind, they may be missing out on key benefits to the off-site employee. In fact, a recent Gallup study found that those employees who spend at least part of their workday out of the office are more engaged and work longer hours than their in-office counterparts.

A recent Business2Community post by Cam Garrant highlights the importance of building a plan for success for those who will work outside of the office. While workforce optimization is a good bet, it’s also important to find those employees with the right tools, mindset and fantastic relationships with their superiors. The last in this series is dependent upon the investment from both parties, but the outcome will benefit all involved.

To pick those able to work on their own, it’s best if the contact center finds individuals who have a strong drive to succeed, incredible self-discipline, strong communication skills and a willingness to use new technologies. The right skills ensures that individuals sent out to work on their own can quickly adapt to changes, communicate results or potential problems and stay focused on the desired outcomes.

Still, there are a few tools field employees need if they are to complete their jobs efficiently. For instance, workforce optimization is critical, but it has to be customized for the field worker separate from the office worker. Plus, the field employee may need a few extra elements. For instance, mobile forms are a great way to ensure these individuals have access to the documents they need to transmit the proper information. Whether the form is for office or customer use or both, the goal is to deliver what’s needed in the most efficient way.

Team members, regardless of location, can also benefit from communication and team collaboration. Those individuals always in the field miss out on the office banter and meeting others for lunch. Set up opportunities for them to engage anyway so they feel like they are still an important part of the team. In doing so, all employees will feel the love and drive toward better outcomes.