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Question:

What are some best practices for at-home agents?

Answer:

Here is a list of several best practices for contact center operations that include home-based agents:

  • Invest time in hiring qualified agents. Use a competency-based assessment tool as part of the hiring process to ensure candidates have the necessary skills and are highly motivated self-starters. Conduct behavior-based interviews and perform thorough background checks.
  • Deliver comprehensive training via eLearning solutions that can measure improvements to knowledge levels and skill competencies based on quizzes and/or assessments, as well as post-course job performance results.
  • Train supervisors to manage a virtual workforce; out of sight cannot mean out of mind. Supervisors need to be effective communicators who create work environments that promote collaboration. Ensure supervisors are comfortable using the technologies that help them manage remote agents.
  • Provide agents with easy access to the complete and up-to-date information they need to successfully perform their job, via knowledge management solutions and through agent and supervisor online communities.
  • Establish a defined number of quality assurance (QA) evaluations. Provide regularly scheduled feedback on agent evaluations, reflecting both strengths and opportunities.
  • Ensure agents have access to their performance management reports, scorecards, QA evaluations and recordings to help them self-manage and improve their results.
  • Motivate, engage, recognize and reward agents for performance-driven achievements.
  • Utilize contact center technologies to provide additional insight into at-home agent performance, including:
    • 100% recording of calls and screens
    • Desktop analytics to monitor application usage
    • Real-time speech analytics to trigger supervisor alerts when emotionally charged verbal interactions are in progress
    • Text analytics to generate notifications when negative sentiment is expressed in a text-based channel
    • Workforce management (WFM) to monitor real-time adherence to schedules
    • Voice biometrics for employee verification