HSBC made headlines by announcing staff from their UK contact centres will be working from home permanently. The move is of great significance because the major global bank is paving the way for other banks and financial competitors to follow their lead in a move that will no doubt improve the working lives of their live agents and senior staff. Banks and financial institutions, CX Today has reported over the course of the pandemic, have lagged behind other sectors when it comes to remote working conditions, whether that be taking the step to offer them on a permanent basis, or ensuring technologies are put in place to allow a smoother remote working transition for both workers and customers.
But the news of HSBC making what some consider to be such a bold move goes to show they’re a forward-thinking business with employee welfare at the heart of their operations. It was at that point I read on and it occurred to me that Unite, a union agents had signed up with, had seemingly forced HSBC’s hand on the matter. A statement read that workers had “volunteered” to work from home and that as a result, “70% of the bank’s 1,800 call centre workers based across Britain had decided not to return” to their offices.
An HSBC UK spokesman said: “We are in discussions with contact centre colleagues who serve HSBC UK retail customers about ways that we can offer flexibility on work location while ensuring the way we work meets our customers’ needs. Unite added that discussions were “ongoing”.
I found it disappointing that it has taken the support of a union for the workforce to retain the working conditions they desire, particularly as data shows remote working increases live agent job satisfaction but also because the effect of a happier live agent is that they provide better CX. So remote working really is better for business.
Live agents across the nation have reported better productivity and engagement with customers. I had a virtual chat with Babble Managing Director Mark Jordan who said the humane side of CX customers experience when engaging with remote working agents is better for travel operators. He told me that “people want that emotion and that attachment to their experience that they’re taking. And that comes in the form of the human booking experience where a live agent might have to apologise for their dog barking in the background or the post worker delivering their mail”.
The pandemic has pushed us five to six years ahead when it comes to technological advancements, so with a workforce now equipped to take on their roles from the comfort of their own homes there really is no reason to ask for them back to offices on a permanent basis. It’ll be interesting to see what banks – if any – follow HSBC’s lead in the coming months as the UK, and other nations, come out of lockdown. And for those not willing to embrace the new normal with remote working offerings to their agents what their excuse will be.
