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Article

Title: Call centers are heading for home

Author: Bednarz, Ann Article Type: Product Analysis
Source: Network World, v23 n4 p35(1) Publication Date: Jan 30, 2006
  ISSN: 0887-7661
  Illustrations: Graphs
URL of Publication: http://www.nwfusion.com

Call center software-maker Aspect has been routing customer technical support calls to employee homes for many years, and is a leader in the trend toward extending call centers beyond the confines of brick-and-mortar locations. Sometimes called homeshoring, the trend of firms building virtual call centers by equipping employees to work from their homes is continuing to gain momentum. For example, Jet Blue Airways uses their own home-based customer support agents, but other firms hire outsourcing companies that provide home workers. The demand for home-based agents is driven by companies that want to streamline expensive call center operations. Call center challenges include the need to find more productive workers, attain improved retention rates, and find ways to cope with voice traffic lulls and spikes. Utilizing home workers provides ways to deal with some of these problems. Experts contend that because work-from-home jobs are in demand, firms that hire home workers can tap into a larger pool of higher qualified candidates. They can also lower facility costs by shifting workers to home-based workstations. Another benefit for both firms and employees is the flexibility for home-based workers to take calls for short periods of time. A geographically distributed workforce also makes for easier round-the-clock scheduling.

Special Features: Graphs

Products:
Call Centers Technical Support
Telecommuting

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