Omni

Is a remote workforce right for your business?

Not surprisingly, this year has seen a 20-fold increase in the discussion of remote work as the pandemic has sent large swaths of the workforce home to work virtually. A recent Gartner Hype Cycle joined the conversation by declaring work-from-home to have reached the “Plateau of Productivity,” or mainstream status. Yet simply sending someone home to work, does not mean they can effectively work from home.

Omni’s leadership team has been leading the charge with comprehensive work-from-home solutions for more than 20 years. We understand what it takes to empower people to be truly productive in their customer support roles. However, some companies are deeming remote work a success so long as someone can login and take calls from their home.

Now that most companies have sent at least a portion of their workforce home, everyone seems to be claiming remote work “experience.” Traditional BPOs, in-house teams, domestic, and global support centers all sent people home this spring assuming the situation was temporary. Now, however, reality is setting in. It’s expected 25-40% of roles working remotely will remain that way which means companies will have to learn to navigate additional aspects of workforce management.

If you are considering making the work-at-home model a long-term part of your customer success organization, here are some considerations.

Recruiting
How do sourcing, selection, and on-boarding practices evolve for remote workers?
How can an expanded applicant pool be accessed through new channels, new geographies, and better targeting? What enhanced skills and capabilities can be realized from this broadened talent pool?
What compensation structures, incentives, rewards, and engagement tools should be considered for remote team members?

Training
What does it really mean to “virtualize” curriculum?
How can training times be reduced up to 25% in a remote environment?

Workforce Management
What opportunities exist to break free of full-time shifts and increase flexibility with part-time, split shift, and micro-shift offerings?
How can seasonal peaks or intraday spikes be handled more efficiently with a remote team?

Operational Delivery
What is the best way to allow current managers to engage in a remote environment?
How does support staff selection change to allow them (supervisors, quality assurance, continuous improvement) to thrive in a remote model?

Costs
What technology and infrastructure changes might allow for improved management and lower costs?
Where can increased staffing efficiency allow for reduced team sizes and total delivery hours?

If you’re ready to explore if a work-at-home model is right for your organization, reach out to Omni and we’ll walk you through the ins and outs.

If you’re ready to reduce your costs, build capacity, and delight your customers, get in touch today.