The pandemic forced everyone to work from home. Now that the health emergency is over, executives have choices again.
With that choice, some are maintaining remote work to benefit from lower operating costs, access to larger talent pools, and improved employee satisfaction.
However, others are tied to real estate commitments or simply prefer being in the office themselves and want their teams there, too.
In contact centers specifically, because of expensive real estate and lower-wage employees who often prefer working from home, remote work has remained attractive.
Yet, five years after the pandemic ensued, there are many ways that contact centers can prime their work-from-home (WFH) strategies.
In this episode of Contact Center Talk, Michele Rowan, President of the Work from Home Alliance, shares six of those best practices in conversation with Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa.
A written rundown of each best practice is also available below.
1. Run a WFH Audit
Before considering best practices to refresh a contact center WFH strategy, it’s critical to note that some still haven’t made the switch to remote work.
Those in this position may consider an audit, focusing on the following three critical considerations:
- Employee Preferences: Is the contact center willing to hire or allow people to work where they want? Forcing people into a specific setup—remote or office—rarely works. Transparency and clarity about expectations are critical.
- Leadership Readiness: Are contact center leaders prepared to manage distributed teams? Leading a remote team requires different tools, rhythms, and skills.
- Logistics: Does the contact center have the right infrastructure in place? This includes equipment distribution, technology for collaboration and performance management, and platforms for learning, recognition, and engagement.
2. Embrace Solutions for Digital Learning
Most work today – whether remote or in-office – is already digital. Employees reach out to supervisors or the helpdesk digitally.
Learning platforms and microlearning are often delivered to the desktop. Even in co-located offices, much of the work happens through digital tools.
So, for remote teams, it’s about continuing to leverage and refine these tools.
Things like virtual collaboration platforms, performance tracking systems, and tools for recognition and engagement are critical.
The in-person element, when possible, is a bonus, but most of the work can – and should – happen seamlessly through technology.
3. Amplify Reward & Recognition Programs
Whether people work in an office, from home, or in a hybrid setting, contact centers must establish viable methods to relieve some of the day-to-day pressure and make the workday as interesting, engaging, and enjoyable as possible.
So, beyond the usual engagement tools like meetings, updates, and town halls, go further to amplify recognition and rewards, contests, and promotions. None of this is new; service teams have done it for years. But, in a distributed environment, the tools evolve.
Now, contact centers should consider digital solutions like gamification platforms (e.g., Centrical) and swag shops (e.g., Achievers), where employees earn and give badges. These tools are critical for keeping engagement levels high when teams are more distributed.
4. Reinvent the Onboarding Process
Onboarding and training are huge. If contact centers don’t get it right, people start disengaging mentally and emotionally, and eventually, they leave.
Those that do this best start the engagement process the moment someone accepts the job offer. The recruiters and HR reps build excitement right away.
After that, there needs to be consistent communication – at least twice a week – through emails, videos, or interactive activities. These should go beyond formal processes.
For instance, a video of a current employee explaining benefits in their own words can be far more relatable than a generic HR presentation.
Breaking onboarding into small, engaging parts – like learning about scheduling or pay through storytelling – makes a huge difference.
Organizations need to focus on filling the gap between when someone accepts an offer and their first day because, during that time, they’re still being recruited by others.
5. Revisit the Knowledge Management Strategy
Contact centers need better knowledge management systems (KMS). Employees, especially new hires, need quick, user-friendly access to information.
If they have to put a customer on hold to dig through SharePoint files or search Slack channels, that’s a failure. A powerful KMS tailored to how employees search is critical.
Second, gamification platforms are a must. They drive engagement, connection, and consistency in employee experiences, especially in distributed teams where leadership styles can vary widely.
Automated systems for recognition, rewards, and contests help level the playing field.
Finally, contact centers require easy-to-use platforms for meetings and learning design. These tools need to be intuitive and accessible so agents can focus on their work, not figuring out the tech.
6. Don’t Wait Until Something Breaks to Change
Don’t wait for things to break before updating workflows, policies, and technologies.
Many organizations try to roll out existing in-office processes to remote teams without adapting them, which inevitably leads to confusion and frustration.
Instead, take the time upfront to review and refresh everything before scaling up WFH operations.
Don’t miss an episode of our Contact Center Talk miniseries. Sign up for the CX Today Newsletter.
