REALIZING THE POTENTIAL OF REMOTE CONTACT CENTER AGENTS

Transcription

1 BUSINESS BRIEF REALIZING THE POTENTIAL OF REMOTE CONTACT CENTER AGENTS An examination of the promise and pitfalls associated with implementing a remote contact center agent model. A Jabra report, in conjuction with

2 REALIZING THE POTENTIAL OF REMOTE CONTACT CENTER AGENTS 2 SUMMARY Nearly six out of 10 contact center managers see the future of the contact center industry as one in which agents work remotely instead of from a centralized location. Managers of large contact centers, in particular, see this as a critical emerging trend, with 84% believing that remote agents are the future of contact centers. Managers of mediumsized and small contact centers lagged their larger counterparts, with 69% of medium-sized and just 46% of small contact center managers visualizing this trend. Contact center managers identified the primary benefits of this remote agent model as the ability to attract betterqualified agents, flexibility and cost savings. Nearly 8 out of 10 managers saw the ability to draw from a larger, more-qualified pool of candidates as the biggest benefit of a remote agent model. Managers believe that by breaking down geographical boundaries, they can attract better candidates and, as a result, increase agent retention. This would allow them to effectively address an industry trouble spot of agent attrition that can be as high as 50% annually in some contact center environments. To take full advantage of the potential remote agents provide, contact centers will need to overcome several hurdles inherent in a remote-employee model, the biggest of which is the lack of face-to-face communication between manager and agent. In fact, contact center managers rank the lack of face-to-face communication as the biggest disadvantage in embracing a remote model, with 9 out of 10 expressing concern about it. Slow Internet connections also ranked high as a potential disadvantage. However, contact centers appear to view the tradeoff between better employees and a lack of communication as an acceptable one, as reflected by the fact that nearly half of all contact centers are using at least some remote agents and another 25% are evaluating the practice. More than half of contact center managers believe that headsets that provide noise-cancellation technologies to eliminate noises in the remote location will be important to the success of the remote-agent model. BACKGROUND Contact centers, like all organizations worldwide, seek to run their operations as efficiently and profitably as possible. An emerging industry trend for achieving these goals is the practice of employing agents who work remotely usually from home instead of working from a centralized contact center. This allows contact centers to reduce overhead costs while enjoying a more dispersed and larger pool of agent candidates to draw upon. In December 2011 Jabra and analysis institute Frost & Sullivan conducted a survey of 250 contact center managers in Great Britain, France, the U.S., China and India to investigate the connection between a good sound environment, employee satisfaction and increased productivity.

3 3 KEY FINDINGS 1 60% of contact center managers interviewed believe that remote agents represent the future of contact centers. It is clear from our research that remote contact center agents represent the future of the industry, and we re thrilled that contact center managers are joining us in seeing this important trend, says Brendan Read, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. As we look to the future, we expect this trend to expand rapidly as contact centers begin to witness the increases in retention, efficiency, and productivity we expect this model to provide. Having agents work remotely is also good for the environment and the economy by reducing commuting whose costs, in traffic congestion, infrastructure demand, emergency services, and pollution-caused illnesses empties the public purse. 2 Contact managers in the United States, India and France were most likely to feel that remote agents are the future of contact centers. When asked, Do you find that the trend of employing remote employees will be the future of contact centers in your region? 72% of contact center managers surveyed in the United States responded affirmatively. 71% of contact center managers in India responded affirmatively. 60% of managers in France responded affirmatively. 3 Contact center managers in China were least likely to view remote agents as the future of contact centers, with only 38% agreeing with the above statement. 28% of contact managers in China cited cultural reasons as to why a remote-agent model would not work in that region. 4 Managers of large contact centers are more likely to view remote agents as the future of contact centers than managers of small contact centers. This likely reflects their ongoing quest to increase retention and reduce costs. When asked, Do you find that the trend of employing remote employees will be the future of contact centers in your region? 84% of managers of large contact centers (those with 500 or more seats) responded affirmatively. 69% of managers of medium-sized contact centers (those with seats) responded affirmatively. 46% of managers of small contact centers (those with fewer than 100 seats) responded affirmatively. 5 Nearly half of all contact centers are currently using remote agents, and a substantial additional percentage are looking into the practice. 45% of contact center managers say that they currently employ remote agents. 25% of managers say they are looking into the possibility of employing remote agents. 29% say they have no plans to employ remote agents. 6 By a wide margin, large contact centers are the most active in employing remote agents or evaluating the practice. 75% of large contact centers either currently employ remote agents or are evaluating the practice. 39% of medium-sized contact centers currently employ remote agents or are evaluating the practice. 18% small contact centers employ remote agents or are evaluating the practice.

4 4 7 Contact center managers cite several advantages for pursuing a remote agent model. The most popular include increasing the pool of qualified candidates and increasing agent retention. When asked to list the main advantages of employing remote agents 78% of contact center managers said that the practice provides a well-qualified pool of candidates. 76% of managers cited increasing agent retention. 73% said increased flexibility. 73% said more cost efficiency. The finding that a remote-agent model helps provide a well-qualified pool of candidates and increases agent retention confirms the findings we discussed in Improving Contact Center Employee Satisfaction and Retention, that explore the connection between a good sound environment, employee satisfaction and increased productivity, says Holger Reisinger, Jabra Vice President of Marketing, Products and Alliances. In that brief, we found that a positive work environment is among the most critical factors in retaining contact center agents. 8 Large contact centers lead their medium- and small counterparts in viewing a well-qualified pool of candidates as the main advantage of employing remote agents. This likely reflects an emphasis by large contact centers to reduce costly and inefficient agent turnover. When asked, What are, in your opinion, the advantages of a remote-agent model? 87% of large contact centers listed a well-qualified pool of candidates. 80% of medium contact centers said a well-qualified pool of candidates. 72% of small contact centers cited a well-qualified pool of candidates. 9 Contact center managers cite several disadvantages associated with a remote-agent model. The biggest is a lack of face-to-face communication between manager and agent. When asked to list the main disadvantages of employing remote agents 90% of contact center managers cited the lack of face-to-face communication.

5 5 77% said slow Internet connections that made remote access difficult. 67% said that equipment replacement tends to be too slow. 66% cited difficulties ensuring proper training. 10 According to contact center managers, the most important attributes of training are keeping downtime to a minimum and easily understood instructions. When asked, What are the most important elements in training on- or off-site agents? 85% of contact center managers said keeping downtime to a minimum. 82% of managers said easily understood instructions. 74% said motivated and experienced employees. 59% said intuitive, easy-to-use products that reduce training time. At Jabra, we are gratified to see that more than half of all contact center managers realize that headsets with noisecancellation technologies can be critical to the success of their remote contact center agents, says Holger Reisinger, Jabra Vice President of Marketing, Products and Alliances. Designed to help remote agents concentrate fully on the task at hand Jabra headsets features proven technologies to reduce background noises. 12 Contact managers in the United States and India were most likely to see a need for headsets with noise-cancellation technologies. When asked, Does your company see a need for special noise-cancellation features for headsets for home agents?... 79% of contact center managers in the United States said yes. 67% of contact center managers in India said yes. 11 More than half of contact centers see a need for headsets that feature noise-cancellation technologies to eliminate noises present in the remote location. 56% of contact managers surveyed see a need for headsets that feature noise-cancellation technologies.

6 6 FIND OUT MORE Different working environments demand different headset solutions. The Jabra range of headsets for Contact Centers and offices offers a wide choice of hands-free communication technology covering virtually any requirement. To find out more about which Jabra headset solutions are relevant for specific working environments, please contact Jabra at WP_CC_STUDY_BUSINESS_BRIEF_50029_V01_1205 ABOUT JABRA Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) - listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 850 people worldwide and in 2011 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,106 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of handsfree communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra s consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality.