The work-life balance is a goal for many professionals today who want the best of both worlds. The challenge is often in finding the right position that satisfies the desire to go after career goals and still fits in with the expectations of life. The virtual call center is a great place to start as flexibility is generally second to none.
A recent Benzinga blog highlighted a conversation from Bloomberg TV's “Money Moves” between Arise Virtual Solutions (News - Alert) CEO John Meyer and API Global Resources CEO James Butts. The two industry leaders outlined the benefits of optimizing talented support staff through home-based agents. Environments such as the virtual call center benefit both companies and their employees.
According to Meyer, Arise employees have the opportunity to work when they want. Employees are required to work 15 to 20 hours per week. If the employee prefers to complete their 15 hours straight, they have the option to do so. With the virtual call center environment, they pick the hours they want to work and are matched with the customer they would like to support.
Acting as a giant virtual call center, Arise outsources work to employees who are based at home. A number of their employees are recent military, students, retirees and others who are looking for a little extra income to offset a faltering 401K, payoff student loans or subsidize a pension plan or college costs while studying. The company currently employs 25,000 individuals that range from sales to technical support experts. API Global Resources offers a similar situation.
Both Butts and Meyer believe there is a secret to their employees’ success, including discipline, dedication and commitment. If someone doesn’t show up to complete their assigned or selected shift, they simply don’t have their contract renewed. Only those who can accept the responsibility of self-management will find themselves with continued opportunities.
The virtual approach continues to be a popular one in industries throughout the call center space. While not every organization is set up to support this flexible approach for workforce management, an increasing number of companies are exploring the opportunity. The cost savings and ability to cater to a wide audience with more experienced employees is a powerful value proposition – one too powerful to ignore.
Edited by Alisen Downey