Remote working can increase contact center efficiency, enhance agent engagement, and reduce overhead costs.
Yet, it is not without its challenges. Social isolation, network connectivity issues, and a lack of immediate support can hinder remote working strategies.
Thankfully, with a little planning, contact center managers can overcome such issues and optimize the performance of remote teams.
Here are some excellent ideas for how to do precisely that.
1. Define Your Goals and Expectations
Contact centers thrive when team members have both short and long-term goals to guide them. Unfortunately, many companies don’t invest time into setting and tracking goals.
Nevertheless, developing staggered performance objectives can drive results, as employees know what they must accomplish each day to impress supervisors and managers.
Ideally, companies will also consistently offer feedback to help guide agents toward their goals.
When individuals fall behind, supervisors should offer insights, support, or even training to help them improve.
Alternatively, When team members are excelling, they should receive recognition and rewards to keep them motivated.
Of course, this is tricky in remote environments. Thankfully, quality management solutions – which pull insights from every customer conversation help here.
2. Bolster the Technology Mix
Alongside quality management solutions, there are several tools designed to support remote agents.
Collaboration tools are an excellent example, connecting the contact center and enabling agents to work together to solve complex customer problems.
Some CCaaS solutions can even integrate with UCaaS platforms, like Microsoft Teams, to enable swarming channels, which connect agents to subject matter experts (SMEs) across the business.
Background noise reduction apps – such as Krisp – are another example, ensuring noises in agent remote workspaces do not negatively influence the customer experience.
WFM, CRM, and agent desktop innovations may also help to bolster remote working environments.
3. Kickstart Engagement Initiatives
Remote agents often become disconnected from company culture and workflows, which hampers their productivity and satisfaction.
Thankfully, numerous initiatives can keep the team engaged.
For instance, contact center managers can create dashboards for team members. These may offer real-time analytics and insights into their performance.
Some solutions even come with access to gamification features, like leaderboards, to inspire healthy competition between staff.
Often these come part and parcel with comprehensive "workforce engagement" and management platforms available. These assist businesses with scheduling teams, managing resources, and keeping staff connected.
Some even offer analytical insights into team engagement, provide ways to check in with staff, and help supervisors reward employees when they demonstrate exceptional work.