Telecommuting

[smallwood]

Our organization is exploring the possibility of expanding our workforce with customer service agents based out of there homes. I would appreciate any information or experiences you could share with me.
Questions for those who have expertise in this area.
How do they get paid??Are agents expected to cover the cost of equipment and internet cable connection? What is the cost to the agent??How do these agents get trained? How is monitoring and coaching handled? Has this opportunity reduced turnover? Are these agents held accountable for call center KPI's Adherence, Availability, Attendance, etc. Are the agents more flexible since they are working from home with availability? How do you communicate there schedules? Are agents required to work a certain amount of hours in the call center per month?

[bcrowder49]

I worked for a company that's model was "At Home" agents. At one point they had 4,000 agents. There are some hurdles to overcome, but it can be quite rewarding for you, the agents and the client all at the same time.
I would suggest you contact them. The company is Alpine Access based out of Golden Colorado. www.alpineaccess.com

[Mary Jo]

We have utilized work at home agents for over three years. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Retention and client satisfaction is high. Please feel free to contact me directly for more information, including forms the agents should sign prior to working from home.

[toyota_20030]

Originally posted by smallwood
Our organization is exploring the possibility of expanding our workforce with customer service agents based out of there homes. I would appreciate any information or experiences you could share with me.
Questions for those who have expertise in this area.
How do they get paid??Are agents expected to cover the cost of equipment and internet cable connection? What is the cost to the agent??How do these agents get trained? How is monitoring and coaching handled? Has this opportunity reduced turnover? Are these agents held accountable for call center KPI's Adherence, Availability, Attendance, etc. Are the agents more flexible since they are working from home with availability? How do you communicate there schedules? Are agents required to work a certain amount of hours in the call center per month?

Hi I work for a comeany called LiveOps www.liveops.com
We are independant contractors(self employed) and we supply all item such as computer, internet access, headset etc. The cost to us is nothing no fees tog et started. we get paid per each talk minute that we are on the phone line. When someone wants to become an agent for the company they must first meet all the requirements. then if you are selected to go to work there is a 3 hour training session that explains how the company works. After that we are set free. When new products come in you can choose to set up a training when the times are available to get to know the product. if you do go into the training you are entered into a "pool" so you get more calls on that product because you were trained. If you do NOT attend the training you are considered "overflow" and only get calls on the product if the "pool" agents are busy or not online.
We are able to work whenever we want to but we have to "commit" to times for work. if we miss out "commits" then we get punished and get less "commits" for the following week.
LiveOps is a great company to work for maybe you would like to contract out with them??

[Steve Turton]

There are a number of companies that offer a Virtual Call Center service and various forms of it. They can be simple or complex.

Some supply the agents, who work from home, much like an outsourced call center where they all work in one place. You benefit from not having to invest in the Call Center equipment. Very good for simple requests or fulfillment.

Or.... you can contract a monthly fee for a seat license for as many agents that you want, and use the technology (ACD/IVR hub), but have calls sent TO YOUR OWN AGENTS/CSR'S, no matter where they are sitting in the world. Again not having to invest in the expensive equipment, etc. and perhaps your own people are more well trained to answer questions about your product, etc.

If I can be of service, please email me at:

steve@telax.com