The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 1
About Talkdesk
Talkdesk is easy-to-use, cloud-based call center software that helps
growing businesses provide excellent customer service with phone
support. Talkdesk makes it possible to have real time, personalized
conversations with customers, without hardware, coding or downloads
- all that is needed is a computer and an Internet connection. With Talkdesk, companies can have a call center up-and-running in minutes and
have access to robust call center functionality including IVR, skills-based
routing, call conferencing, comprehensive reporting, all in an intuitive
web-based interface. Integrations with top business tools and CRM
systems, such as Salesforce, Desk.com and Zendesk, make customer data
easily accessible, so agents never have to wade through endless systems
to provide superior service.
For more information, visit www.talkdesk.com.
TRY TALKDESK FOR FREE
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 2
// table of contents //
01 // 10 Advantages to Employing an At-Home Call
Center Workforce // 06
02 // 11 Tools Required for Employing an At-Home Workforce
of Call Center Agents // 15
03 // How to Hire and Manage At-Home Call Center Agents // 25
04 // 10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home Call Center Agents Connected // 43
05 // At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist // 51
06 // Conclusion // 56
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 3
Meta Description
Companies are increasingly turning to employing an at-home
call center workforce. In 2010, about 10% of the U.S.
workforce worked from home at least one day per week
(US Census, 2010) and this number is expected to grow considerably.
A recent Forrester report estimated that 34% of U.S.
companies plan to invest in at-home agents. This shift has
largely been fueled by the advent of new call center software
technologies that allow agents to make and receive calls
using only a computer and a headset.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 4
Additionally, these companies are benefitting from reduced
operating costs, improved service quality and enhanced
customer satisfaction, without compromising service level.
This e-book is the definitive guide to hiring and maintaining
an at-home workforce of call center agents. It will discuss:
Advantages to having an at-home call
center workforce
Tools you may need
A how-to guide
Tips to keep your at-home agents connected
At-home agent basic requirements and
checklist
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 5
// 01 //
10 Advantages
to Employing
an At-Home Call
Center Workforce
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 6
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
Companies like American Airlines, Citi, American Express
and JetBlue that have shifted to employing at-home agents
are reaping huge benefits. These companies are noticing
that the benefits far outweigh the effort required to start
an at-home agent program and are making these programs
a cornerstone of their call center operations.
that companies have
benefitted from by employing an at-home workforce as well
as information about how your company can benefit too:
below are some of the advantages
01 // REDUCED COSTS
Employing an at-home workforce will dramatically
reduce costs.
According to consulting firm IDC, the typical costs for
an agent working in a call center is $31/hour. The at home
agent costs approximately $21/hour. Employing an at-home
workforce also significantly reduces the cost associated with
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 7
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
real estate, maintaining on-premise
hardware, operational costs, etc.
When you leverage browser-based
call center software, all your agents
need to make and receive calls is
a computer, internet connection
and a headset. With this new,
affordable technology, your team
can remain connected and efficient,
no matter where they are located.
02 // HIRE THE BEST
When hiring at-home agents, your labor pool widens
beyond the geographic constraints of an office. By choosing
from a much larger pool of candidates, you can find top
talent with unique skill sets. Your top applicants will be
better educated, more responsible, more reliable and more
productive. They will also have unique cultural skills and
live across the globe. This unencumbers the recruiting process
and allows you to be more selective when hiring employees.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 8
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
03 // EASILY HANDLE FLUCTUATING CALL VOLUMES
When you employ an at-home flexible workforce, you can
easily handle periods of high call volume. Part-time employees
can log in for a few hours when call volume is expected to be
high, they can remain on-call to handle overflow calls and
they can ramp up for a few weeks or months during seasonal
rushes. Cloud-based call centers offer pay-as-you go options
so you can scale up or down as needed, making handling
call volume ups and downs simple.
04 // PROVIDE 24/7/365 AVAILABILITY
Providing 24/7/365 support and availability
is simple when you employ a dispersed
workforce. When your at-home agents
are spread across the globe, they can
collectively work 24 hours, with just
a few agents on staff. Alternatively, by
allowing at-home agents to choose their own hours, you can
employ a local workforce that can easily cover the 24 hour span.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 9
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
05 // REDUCE AGENT ATTRITION AND TURNOVER
Attrition and absenteeism
rates are well below the
industry average for
at-home call center
agents. This is because
at-home agents are more
satisfied with their work, benefit from the increased
flexibility and save time and money by eliminating their
daily commute. As a result, they stay with their job
longer, significantly reducing your cost of turnover.
06 // ENSURE BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Regardless of where your office is located, there are inherent
and varied business continuity and disaster recovery risks to
having most or all of your agents working from one building.
By establishing a geographically dispersed workforce, you
will minimize the likelihood of widespread disruptions or
outages and enhance business continuity.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 10
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
07 // EASILY HANDLE FLUCTUATING STAFFING NEEDS
Allowing agents to work from home will help accommodate
the changing needs of your workforce. When they have the
option to work from home when needed (i.e. as result of
acquiring a disability, to take care of a sick relative, provide
child care, recover from illness, etc.), they will appreciate
this flexibility.
08 // INCREASED AGENT JOB SATISFACTION
At-home call center agents typically report an increase in
job satisfaction. They like the conveniences that come from
working from home, benefit from eliminating their commute
and often enjoy working flexible hours. All of this results
in increased job satisfaction.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 11
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
09 // INCREASE AGENT PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE
When you can hire top talent and they are more satisfied with
their jobs, they will be more likely to be excellent employees.
Research conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission
(2007) stated that more than half of people that work from
home are more productive. In addition to being more
productive, there is evidence to suggest that the quality
of their work improves as well. A recent study conducted
by Stanford University confirmed this. The study found that
allowing call center agents to work from home led to a 13%
increase in performance [2].
// That’s a huge increase that will lead to measureable
results. //
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 12
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
10 // ENHANCE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
When you hire top talent and keep them happy as they
enjoy the flexibility and the freedom to work from home,
your customers will benefit. This will result in enhanced
customer service interactions, increased customer
satisfaction and increased sales conversions.
These top 10 advantages to employing an at-home
workforce are very compelling reasons to allow agents
to work from home.
When you join companies like JetBlue, Citi, American
Airlines, Hilton and American Express in employing
at-home agents, you too will benefit as they have.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 13
10 Advantages to Employing an
At-Home Call Center Workforce
We embarked on a very successful
home based worker solution that
haspaidoffhandsomelyfromboth
a financial and quality standpoint.
Craig Carr
Director Reservations Ops.,
American Airlines
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 14
// 02 //
11 Tools Required
for Employing
an At-Home
Workforce of Call
Center Agents
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 15
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
Employing an at-home call center agent workforce starts
with equipping them with the right tools. Below is a list of
“must-have” technology, equipment and software that will
make maintaining a dispersed workforce simple and effective.
BASICS: COMPUTER, HEADSET
01 // THE
AND INTERNET CONNECTION
In order to make and receive calls, your at-home agents will need
a computer that meets your basic system requirements, a headset
and an internet connection. If you use browser-based call center
software they won’t need a telephone line, VoIP connection or
a VPN. Making sure that their internet connection and system
capabilities are sufficient to work optimally is a must. Many
companies will provide these basics for their at-home agents.
This ensures that all equipment is the same and simplifies the
troubleshooting process for your IT helpdesk.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 16
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
02 // BROWSER-BASED CALL CENTER SOFTWARE
Any company that employs an at-home workforce should use
browser-based call center software. With this software, all
that is needed to make and receive calls is a computer, internet
connection and a headset. Setup is simple: there is no hardware
or software to install, no hassles with telecom providers, no plugins
to update, just login and go. Browser-based call center software
is also an invaluable tool for the at-home agent. It displays the
entire history of a customer by integrating CRM, helpdesk systems
and social media, providing your agents with a comprehensive
overview of each caller as the phone rings. Enhance your agent’s
capabilities and keep your dispersed team on the same page by
equipping them with the most valuable information about the
customer, in real-time with browser-based call center software.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 17
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
03 // AUTOMATIC CALL DISTRIBUTER (ACD) SOFTWARE
An ACD is a telephony system that is typically
incorporated in call center software. The ACD answers
incoming calls and routes them to a specific agent. With
an ACD, calls can be routed to specific agents based on
customer information (i.e. the phone number the customer
dialed, the information the customer input into the IVR,
etc.) as well as agent information (i.e. the skill of the agent
and agent availability). This is critical in making sure each
remote agent only receives calls they are qualified to
handle and only when they are ready to handle them.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 18
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
Today’s consumer demands
aheightenedlevelofcustomer
service, and [Hilton] delivers
with motivated home-based
salesandserviceprofessionals.
Russ Olivier
Senior Vice President,
Hilton Worldwide
04 // CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT (CRM) SOFTWARE
When your agents work from home, they can easily miss
important information about customers. CRMs fill this gap.
CRMs compile information about each customer such as:
client demographics, email, phone numbers, call logs, chat
transcripts, etc. so your agent will always be up-to-date no
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 19
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
matter where they are working. Some browser-based call
center software functions as a CRM as well. Ensuring that
your CRM is constantly up-to-date and that your call center
agents are using it as a tool during their conversations with
their customers is critical to success.
05 // CALL RECORDING
Agents have a lot to handle. They have to answer
a customer’s question, make sure the conversation
is pleasant and seamless, take notes and update a
CRM with relevant information all at the same time.
Due to the demands of their job, they sometimes forget to write
down important information, enter wrong information or don’t
enter information at all. Reduce these mistakes by ensuring that
all customer conversations are recorded and automatically
updated into your company’s systems. Then, the next time any
employee would like more information about that interaction,
they can listen to the call recording. Call recording is also
critical for quality assurance and is essential when managing
a dispersed workforce.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 20
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
06 // CALL MONITORING
Call center software that allows for systematic,
standardized call monitoring practices is
a must-have for managing an at-home
workforce. Call monitoring will allow
managers to remotely train agents, drop in on live calls, provide
whisper coaching when needed and ensure that your team is
delivering consistently excellent service at all times.
07 // COMPREHENSIVE ANALYTICS
Keeping a close eye on performance metrics is even more
important when your employees are not working in the same
building as you are. You can evaluate agent effectiveness with
metrics such as service level, average call length, average number
of transfers and average hold time. You can also see when agents
are logged in, how long they have been idle, when they are on
live calls and when they are unavailable. Your managers will
never miss a beat with comprehensive real-time and
historical data.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 21
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
08 // COMMUNICATION TOOLS FOR
LONG-DISTANCE COLLABORATION
A chat system and video conferencing
tools will help keep your team connected and ensure that management can
effectively monitor performance. With
these tools, at-home agents can message
a manager while they are on a call, ask a
colleague a question and have the security
of knowing that someone will be able to
help them when needed. It is also a great way to help reduce
the isolative feeling that can come with working at home.
09 // REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE
FOR IT MONITORING
Before employing at-home agents, you should be sure that
your IT team is well equipped to help setup and monitor
remote workers. This includes providing them with software
so they can easily diagnose and fix any technical issues that
the at-home agent may be experiencing, without having to
leave the office.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 22
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
10 // WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Workforce management tools are
an easy way to create schedules and
to monitor adherence to schedules.
It is sophisticated software that
takes into consideration agent
availability, shift flexibility, call
volume, etc. when formulating
schedules. Workforce management
tools can be invaluable, especially
when you maintain a flexible and
dynamic workforce.
11 //
POST-CONTACT CUSTOMER SURVEYING TOOLS
Analyzing real-time and historical metrics are not the end all
be all of analyzing an at-home agent’s performance. You should
also listen to what your customers are saying. Using a postcontact customer surveying tool is the key to this process. When
your customers are happy, your agents are doing a great job.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 23
11 Tools Required for Employing an
At-Home Workforce of Call Center Agents
In order to effectively maintain a team of at-home call center
agents, you must equip your entire team with progressive
call center software and associated business tools. These
tools will have an enormous impact on their professionalism
and effectiveness which will translate into more successful
customer interactions.
// They are so necessary that your team can’t afford
to work without them. //
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 24
// 03 //
How to Hire
and Manage
At-Home Call
Center Agents
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 25
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
may
seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.
Making sure that you are well prepared with the right
tools and knowledge is half the battle.
hiring and managing a team of at-home agents
Below is a how-to guide that will help you with this process.
01 // MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS
Before your at-home agents start, you should make sure
that you have all of the tools they need for success. Take some
time to find the best tools at the right price and to make
sure that your team is proficient in using them. When you
and your team are proficient, this will significantly decrease
the headache involved in training remote agents.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 26
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
02 // PREPARE YOUR TEAM
Hiring at-home agents may require you
Checklist
to bulk up your team, give additional
trainings and work out any anticipated
issues. You should make sure your
management team can effectively train
and monitor off-premise agents. You
should also make sure that your IT
department is ready to handle any issues with setting up
remote computers, checking internet connections and is adept
at troubleshooting when the agent is working from a remote
location. They should also standardize trouble-shooting
procedures and make a working from home checklist.
03 // MAKE TRAINING MANUALS, VIDEOS AND RECORDINGS
Training remote agents can be more challenging if you are
not prepared. However, once you have the right training
methods in place, it can be a very seamless and quick process.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 27
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
Create a training protocol that includes all of the information
that on-premise agents have access to and also addresses
any additional requirements for at-home agents. Make
detailed training manuals, record demo videos, record calls that
demonstrate a specific point (i.e. how to handle a difficult client,
what to do when you don’t know the answer, etc.), write out use
cases, make a FAQ, etc. Once you have all of these documents
in place, the training process will be much smoother.
04 // ESTABLISH AT-HOME AGENT POLICIES,
PROCEDURES AND WORK ETHIC GUIDELINES
Before you begin the hiring
and training process, make
sure that you concretely define
policies, procedures and what
is expected from them. This may
be a step that you overlooked in
the past when hiring on-premise
agents, but when agents work
from home, there needs to be
clearly defined expectations.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 28
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
Some of these should include:
// Who is responsible for certain costs (i.e. internet connection, computer, headset, software, etc.)
// Who to contact if they have questions, support issues, equipment malfunctions, etc.
// What their employment status is (i.e. contractor, part-time, full-time, etc.) and what benefits they are entitled to
// Appropriate and inappropriate places to work (i.e. on
mobile phone, within a secure working environment,
in a noise-free room, while they travel, etc.)
// Scheduling policies (i.e. when/how to take breaks; when
they should be available to field calls, how to call in sick,
how to schedule vacation time, etc.)
// Appropriate agent behavior and etiquette (i.e. how to
handle a difficult client, what to do when you don’t know
what to do, etc.)
// Document job responsibilities, requirements, organizational
and departmental goals, performance expectations and monitoring policies
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 29
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
05 // TEST THE WATERS
You don’t want to jump in and have 100
at-home agents starting all at once.
First, allow a few agents to work from
home to see if it is feasible. Some
companies don’t have the right infrastructure
to support at-home agents. Sometimes, teams can’t
function with remote agents. And of course, there are
some agents who are not optimal candidates for working at
home. By testing the waters, you can hammer out these details
and any kinks in your at-home agent roll out plan before you
fully commit to having a flexible workforce.
06 // DEFINE YOUR IDEAL AGENT
When hiring at-home agents, you’ll have a larger selection pool
(as you are no longer geographically restricted), so you can afford
to be more selective. Take some time to think about exactly
what you want and what you don’t want. Think about your
company’s culture, specific job details, goals and objectives when
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 30
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
deciding what you need in a future employee. When
you have a concrete understanding of who you would
like to hire, the hiring process will be much smoother.
Even today, I can’t
figure out why more
companiesdon’tdoit.
David Neeleman
CEO,
JetBlue
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 31
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
07 // RECRUIT RIGHT
Once you define your ideal agent, you will have a better
idea on how to recruit them. Your recruiting materials
should be made with the ideal candidate in mind. You
should rely heavily on recruiting online (i.e. social media
and using pay-per-click) as well as word of mouth (you can
offer a bonus to anyone who refers a friend who is later hired).
It might also be beneficial to recruit beyond borders:
hiring globally will increase the diversity of your team
and can be a much needed breath of fresh air. Finally,
be sure to make your application process entirely
online and simple.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 32
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
08 // HIRE THE BEST
When you open up the pool of potential candidates
by allowing agents to work remotely, you will receive
a considerable number of applications and can choose the
cream of the crop. When selecting at-home agents consider:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
At-home agents should have excellent communication
skills as they do not have the luxury relying on face-to-face
interactions. They should also be skilled at picking up on
subtleties that can otherwise be overlooked without the
help of non-verbal cues.
PERSONALITY
Taking a candidate’s personality into consideration before
hiring them is a must. Individuals who are conscientious
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 33
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
(i.e. achievement-oriented, responsible, self-disciplined,
organized, competent, dependable) are typically ideal
work-at-home candidates. Think about their personality,
ask personality-centric questions and ask them directly
if they feel capable of working from home full-time.
CULTURAL FIT
Individuals who “fit” with the team (i.e. have the same
goals, work-ethic, values, vision, etc.) are more likely to
enjoy working for your company, engage in collaborative
work and will stay with your company longer. Overlooking
an applicant’s potential to align with your company’s culture
and values may be a crucial mistake. remember: one bad
apple spoils the bunch.
TEAM-RELATED BEHAVIOR
People who like the idea of working from home can also
be the type of person who likes working independently.
Make sure that they can be an effective team player and
collaborate when necessary by asking team-related
questions as well as any experience they have working
as part of a team.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 34
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
SKILL
At-home employees have to be able to work skillfully,
without needing constant supervision. They therefore
have to have a certain skill-set or be capable of learning
the pre-requisite skills independently.
// Having basic technology skills and problem solving
skills are typically the most important when hiring
at-home agents. //
In addition to considering these attributes during the
hiring process, you may also want to consider using
a pre-hire employee assessment and work simulation
to enhance the interview process. Companies like
FurstPerson offer products that automate this process
and can be excellent tools for your pre-hire toolkit.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 35
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
09 // HIRE WITH AN OPEN MIND
Hiring the best agent doesn’t mean
selecting only those who meet stringent
criteria. Keep an open mind. Some
customers will enjoy speaking with an
agent located in a remote location with
a nice accent. Sometimes you might need the stay-at-home
mom to work for 2 hours a day. If you overlook excellent
candidates because they don’t fit your ideal mold, you
might be losing an opportunity to incorporate some
much needed diversity on your team.
10 // FORMALLY WELCOME THEM TO THE TEAM
Once you have made a hiring decision, it’s important
that the new agent feels like a part of the team. Welcome
them to the team by sending out a company-wide email,
introducing them to the team over Skype and sending
a welcome package. It will facilitate a personal connection
with the team and help to decrease feelings of isolation.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 36
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
11 //
HAVE A FORMAL TRAINING PERIOD
Some agents will require more time to get up and running
than others. Regardless of their level of competence or
experience, they should all receive the same training
manuals, information and the same length of training.
Keep in mind that training remote agents may take more
time than expected, so plan accordingly. Also keep in
mind that for some agents, they will realize during the trial
period that working from home is not ideal. Allow them the
flexibility to change their schedule or change their mind.
// Finally, during the training period, be sure that the
agent is excelling, motivated, disciplined and requires
minimal managerial supervision. //
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 37
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
12 // MANAGE EFFECTIVELY
Effective management is crucial to maintaining an at-home
workforce. Effective management involves proactively
identifying and addressing challenges such as operational
difficulties, IT issues and human resources challenges.
It also includes making a personal connection with each
at-home agent, being available for them when they need it,
continuously monitoring their performance and providing
effective guidance and feedback.
13 // FOCUS ON METRICS THAT MATTER
When monitoring call center performance it
is important to focus on the most important
real-time and historical metrics. According
to a recent study [3], the 10 KPIs that affect
customer satisfaction with call center service in order are:
first contact resolution, percentage of calls blocked, average
time in queue, average after call work time, service level,
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 38
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
average abandonment rate, employee turnover rate,
average speed of answer, average handle time and
adherence to schedule. By focusing on the metrics
that matter, you can refine your approach to
managing and provide more effective feedback.
There is no commute [and]
DirecTV gets loyal, hardworking
customer representatives [and]
an incredibly flexible workforce.
Gary Qualls
Vice President,
DirecTV
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 39
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
14 // MONITOR AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Monitoring performance is critical to ensuring that your
at-home call center agent is properly trained and performing
optimally. You should ensure that you are continuously
and methodically monitoring calls, dropping in on live calls
when necessary, engaging in whisper coaching and keeping
your eye on performance metrics. You should always be
sure to provide feedback that is tied to performance metrics
and direct observation. Scheduling daily communication
sessions between a manager and at-home agent is also
helpful at reducing feelings of isolation. Finally, chat systems
are extremely helpful for providing in-the-moment feedback
while the agent is on the phone. Make sure that your
managers are well equipped to perform optimally.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 40
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
15 // REWARD GOOD PERFORMANCE
You should hold your at-home agents
to the same standards as the rest of your
team and when they exceed expectations,
they should be rewarded for it. When
your at-home agent is performing well,
handled a tough caller with ease or put
in a few extra hours when you really needed them, make sure
that you reward them for their efforts. There should also be
systems in place for peer recognition and rewards. Rewarding
employees is critical to keeping them happy and keeping
them on your team for the long haul.
16 // KEEP THEM CONNECTED
It can be easy to feel isolated from the team when working
from home. Make sure to keep them connected with chat
systems, places to upload personal photos/funny memes,
send them daily newsletters, include them in team meetings,
video conferencing, team events, company off-sites, etc.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 41
How to Hire and Manage At-Home
Call Center Agents
The more they feel
connected and supported,
the more likely they will
enjoy working from home.
// Hiring and managing a team of at-home agents
can bring incredible benefits to a company. //
By following the steps above, you can easily transform
your workforce into a flexible, global and agile team
of at-home agents.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 42
// 04 //
10 Tips
to Keep Your
At-Home Agents
Connected
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 43
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
employing at-home agents can bring significant advantages
but can also lead to the agent feeling isolated if steps aren’t
taken to ensure that they feel connected to the team and
appreciated. Connecting with at-home agents will expedite
acculturation into the team, enhance collaborative efforts,
increase productivity and help to foster a more cohesive
team-based culture.
Below are 10 tips to keep your at-home agents connected.
01 // MAKE DAILY FACE-TO-FACE
COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Make sure that a manager
personally connects with each
at-home agent every single day.
This could mean starting the
day with a video conference,
providing feedback throughout
the day or ending the day
with a wrap up session. Just
5 minutes of face-to-face
communication will go
a long way.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 44
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
02 // ENSURE THAT THEY ARE PRESENT (VIA VIDEO
CONFERENCE) AT ALL TEAM MEETINGS
Team meetings are critical for keeping your company
running flawlessly, but can be a logistical nightmare when
you have employees working across the globe. Make team
meetings a priority by scheduling it into the at-home
agent’s calendar and block off that time period. By requiring
at-home agents to join the meetings, you are communicating
the importance of the meetings and also letting everyone on
the team know that the at-home agents are just as important
to the team as the on-site agents. It is also a very effective
way to enhance a team-based culture.
03 // INCLUDE THEM IN COMPANY PICNICS,
OFF-SITES, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
It is always important to include at-home agents in all
of the fun events that keep your team excited. Regardless
of where they are located, at-home agents should always
receive an invite to the next big event. This will make
them feel included, no matter how far away they are.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 45
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
When at-home agents can’t
join the fun, your team
should make an effort to
include them in the
conversation by posting
pictures to a company
newsletter or live chat system.
04 // PROVIDE THEM WITH CAREER
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
At-home agents may work limited hours and have tight
schedules, but that doesn’t mean that they value their career
any less than an on-premise, full-time agent. Provide them
with the same opportunities for career development and
advancement as your full-time staff. Pay for them and
encourage them to attend conferences and workshops.
Take some time to see what conferences and workshops
are offered in their location and ask them to go and
represent your team. This can be a great way to increase
a sense of pride and cohesiveness with your company.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 46
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
05 // IMPLEMENT A PEER RECOGNITION SYSTEM
At-home agents will likely
connect more with their colleagues
then they will with management.
It is important to enhance this
connection with peer recognition and rewards systems.
By allowing them to recognize the accomplishments of
others and receiving their own peer praise, they will feel
more connected with their team.
06 // CELEBRATE SUCCESSES AS A TEAM
When your company hits a long-anticipated milestone,
has their annual holiday party, lands a huge client, has
an anniversary or has something big to celebrate, do it
together. Have a video conference of the party, send at-home
agents the same company gift or fly at-home agents in for the
big celebration. Having at-home agents attend one big
event per year might be all they need to feel like an
integral part of the team.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 47
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
07 // BRING THEM TO COMPANY OFF-SITES
Company off-sites are typically team bonding excursions.
Take advantage of this and include your entire team.
It can be a great way for at-home agents to feel at ease
with their colleagues. Also, by having your company
off-site is at an awesome location, the at-home agent
who might be inclined to reject company invitations,
might be more enticed to come.
08 // PROVIDE PERSONALIZED
PRAISE AND RECOGNITION
It can be easy to fall into a pattern of only providing
feedback when there is room for improvement. With the
at-home agent, if you fall short on providing praise and
recognition for their efforts, it could make them feel like
their work is not appreciated. Go the extra mile to make
praise and recognition an integral part of the at-home
agent management process. Just as you will make sure that
management is monitoring their performance, make sure
that they are recognizing them for a job well done.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 48
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
09 // PROVIDE THEM WITH IMMEDIATE
ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDED
At-home agents can easily feel like they are all alone in
their work. Make sure they have a lifeline. They should have
a supervisor’s direct line to call 24/7, should have a dedicated
chat room where colleagues and managers can instantly
answer questions and their emails should be responded to
promptly. Remember that these forms of communication
are the only means they have to ask a question, get
feedback and feel supported when they need it most.
10 // ENCOURAGE INTEROFFICE COLLABORATION
AND SOCIAL NETWORKING
Give your team a place to collaborate and hang out online.
Setup an internal wiki to keep them informed of project
updates, promote brainstorming and enhance collaborative
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 49
10 Tips to Keep Your At-Home
Agents Connected
work. Another great way to increase team cohesiveness
is to setup an internal social networking site. Encourage
your team to post personal announcements (i.e. birth
announcements, birthdays, personal accomplishments),
funny memes, local lunch specials, etc. You will be
surprised at how well a few laughs can connect a team.
// Keeping at-home agents feeling connected and
part of the team can be simple when you have the
right tools and practices in place. //
go the extra mile to
make sure at-home agents
don’t feel isolated and your
agents will stay on the team
longer, enjoy their work
more and provide better
customer service.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 50
// 05 //
At-Home
Call Center
Agent Checklist
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 51
At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist
before a newly hired at-home agent starts their job,
you must make sure that they have the proper tools and
space to work optimally. below is a sample checklist to
help give ideas about what to include in your own new
at-home agent starter kit.
Do you have a reliable computer that
meets our basic system requirements?
// Does your processor have at least 1.8GHz?
// Do you have at least 1536MB (1.5GB)
installed memory?
// Is your monitor 17 inches or larger?
// Does your monitor have a resolution of at least
1024 x 768?
// Does it have a video card? Is it at least 32MB?
// Does it have a sound card (required)?
// Does it have a USB port?
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 52
At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist
Do you have a reliable high-speed
internet connection?
// Do you have Cable, DSL or ISDN? Dial-up, satellite and some wireless connections do not
provide the necessary speed rates.
// How much bandwidth?
// Does your internet meet the following requirements:
• Download speed: 2.0 Mbps minimum
• Upload speed: 300 kbps minimum
• Quality of service: 80%
• Jitter: 20 ms
Do you have a router? What is
the brand of your router?
// Recommended brands: Linksys, Netgear and D-link
// Are you using a wireless router? Did you encrypt the Wireless connection using a WEP or WPA key?
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 53
At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist
Do you have the latest version of
Google Chrome (mandatory)?
Do you have a headset with
microphone that plugs into
your computer?
// What brand is it?
Do you have a web camera?
// Recommended brand: Logitech Quickcam Communications STX
// Recommended resolution: 640x 480 VGA
full-screen resolution
Do you have a dedicated office space
that is quiet and distraction-free?
// Can this room shield noise from a TV, radio, pet, train, lawnmowers, traffic, etc.?
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 54
At-Home Call Center Agent Checklist
Can you work in that office space for extended
periods of time without interruption from family
members, pets, personal phone calls, etc.?
// Have you set in place childcare or care for other dependents during the time you are working?
Do you have sufficient computer experience?
// Are you competent with using a word processer
(like MS Word), email, a web browser and can
you learn to use new software?
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 55
// 06 //
Conclusion
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 56
Conclusion
Allowing your agents to work from home and hiring
a team of global at-home call center agents can be an
incredible way to drive down costs and increase the
professionalism and effectiveness of your team. Following
the steps outlined in this e-book will help ease you into
this process and be the first step you take towards a more
profitable future.
We will take as many people
whocandothehome-based
servicing work as we can.
Robert Garinger
Senior Vice President,
American Express
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 57
Works Cited
1 // Anton, J. (2000). The past, present and future of customer
access centers. International Journal of Service Industry
Management,11, 2, p.120-130.
2 // Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J. & J. Ying. (2012).
Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese
Experiment.
3 // Feinberg, R., Hokama, L., Kadam, R. & I. Kim. (2002).
Operational determinants of caller satisfaction in the banking/
financial services call center. International Journal of Bank
Marketing, 20, 4, p.174 – 180.
4 // Forrester, Research Contact Center Purchase Plans 2010.
May 2010.
5 // IDC, US Home-Based Agent 2005-2010 Forecast and
Analysis, Doc. #34514, December, 2005.
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 58
About Talkdesk
Talkdesk is easy-to-use, cloud-based call center software that helps
growing businesses provide excellent customer service with phone
support. Talkdesk makes it possible to have real time, personalized
conversations with customers, without hardware, coding or downloads
- all that is needed is a computer and an Internet connection. With Talkdesk, companies can have a call center up-and-running in minutes and
have access to robust call center functionality including IVR, skills-based
routing, call conferencing, comprehensive reporting, all in an intuitive
web-based interface. Integrations with top business tools and CRM
systems, such as Salesforce, Desk.com and Zendesk, make customer data
easily accessible, so agents never have to wade through endless systems
to provide superior service.
For more information, visit www.talkdesk.com.
TRY TALKDESK FOR FREE
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 59
The Guide to Hiring and Managing At-Home Call Center Agents
// 60