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During the pandemic, it was a necessity for many companies around the globe to allow their workers to work remotely on a full-time basis. That move helped to accelerate an emerging trend that was already underway in call center operations: the rise of the virtual call center agent. These agents work from home or remotely, not in a traditional call center.
Cloud computing and the proliferation of broadband infrastructure make a virtual call center business possible. A virtual call center agent is less reliant on call center telephony hardware and can use computers, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, and less costly software to provide seamless customer service, technical support, or marketing services to clients.
Future call center predictions suggest that the virtual call center business is here to stay. That means plenty of job opportunities for virtual call center agents and teams. In fact, research analyst firm Gartner projects that the number of virtual call center agent employees is expected to grow by 60% in the two years between 2022 and 2024.
As noted above, virtual call center agents work from home or other remote work sites. A location such as a co-working space or a regional office would be an example of a place where a virtual call center agent might perform their job instead of in a traditional call center environment.
A virtual call center agent is connected to their company’s call center operations by technology, especially virtual call center software.
Virtual call center agents are connected to a business’s call center operations and can work from anywhere. This sometimes means that a company does not need to set up and maintain a physical call center facility, which saves on real estate costs. And with virtual call center agents located in different time zones, or even in other countries, the business can enable 24/7 inbound customer support or outbound call coverage.
For all the benefits virtual call center agents can provide, managing remote workers and teams can be challenging. Traditional inter-office communication, such as individual and group meetings conducted in person, is rarely possible. Extra reliance must be placed on email, video calls via platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and virtual chat through instant-messaging services like Slack.
Cloud-based software and other technology tools can help make managing a virtual call center agent easier — and set virtual call center agents on the path to success.
There are plenty of virtual call center software programs to choose from, and they’re referred to as Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions. Most CCaaS software provides features such as interactive voice response (IVR), call routing, and advanced reporting and metrics.
Because virtual call center agents work remotely from a traditional call center operation, their ability to perform their jobs hinges on several basic technology requirements being in place. They include:
A computer is the primary equipment needed by a virtual call center agent since it replaces the need for expensive telephony hardware. In addition to being the primary communication tool, using VoIP technology, the agent’s computer can also run CCaaS software and other cloud-based productivity tools.
Of course, this is all dependent on the agent having fast, reliable internet access. Most call center agents require super-fast broadband connectivity in their homes to operate effectively in a virtual call center environment. A broadband speed of 8 megabits per second is considered the minimum speed required to work from home as a virtual call center agent.
A high-quality, comfortable headset with a built-in microphone is a must-have for any agent handling phone calls from customers whether they are working on-site or virtually. (There are many options available, but these are some of the best.) Using a headset keeps agents’ hands free for typing notes or messages while speaking with customers.
Many newer headset models have Bluetooth connections that allow agents freedom of movement while working. However, remember that this type of connection can sometimes be less reliable than a traditional hard-wired connection. Another selling point for Bluetooth headphones is that they help to reduce cord clutter in a workspace.
All customer service and sales agents need access to a customer relationship management (CRM) system. The CRM holds information that is critical to streamlining interactions with customers and enhancing the customer experience. Luckily, leading CRMs like Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot, and Zendesk easily integrate with virtual call center software or a virtual call center platform, providing seamless communication between agents and the CRM.
Other useful tech tools for virtual call center agents include predictive dialers (essentially, speed dialers for outbound calls) and call tracking, monitoring, and recording software that can provide valuable data for the CRM and help with agent training and improving the overall customer experience. (Much more on this below.)
Training and development are critical components of any job. However, a thorough onboarding process and ongoing training are particularly important in a remote work environment. So, too, is technology.
Training agents to work remotely in virtual call centers takes superior communication skills and best practices. Here are three key components of a robust training program to consider:
You’ll want to create a training program that helps new agents working remotely hit the ground running and feel like they have all the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. This means imparting the basics of call-handling procedures and customer service techniques and delivering solid knowledge of the product. You’ll also want to instruct virtual call center agents on how to use all the software tools available to make their jobs easier, and customer interactions better.
All agents can benefit from continuous learning. However, the reality is that call center leaders don’t always have the time or resources to maintain an ongoing coaching program. However, the use of micro-coaching can be an effective approach.
Micro-coaching involves the use of easily digestible, coaching pointers delivered to agents in real time. The approach is made possible with a conversation intelligence platform like Invoca, which tracks, records, transcribes, analyzes, and scores every call made and received in the call center. Immediately following calls, managers can review transcripts to identify keywords and flag issues, so they can quickly seize on coachable moments with any agent, working from anywhere.
AI makes automated quality assurance easy in a virtual call center (and traditional call center operations, too). Invoca’s platform, for example, makes regular monitoring of calls almost routine for call center leaders. AI algorithms can call out quality issues so that managers can provide feedback and coaching to help agents refine their scripts and skills “on the fly.”
The availability of scored call transcripts and recordings also means that virtual call center agents have access to the coaching materials they need in real time, 24/7. This opens the door to ongoing e-learning, team learning, and self-paced, on-the-job training among agents. The potential coaching and learning collaboration opportunities are greatly magnified when 100% of calls are monitored and scored.
Security and data protection are key concerns in any contact center environment but it’s especially important in a virtual call center business. Call tracking and recording software, such as Invoca’s solution, can help monitor compliance by providing automated QA scoring of every call handled by virtual call center agents and agents in traditional call centers.
Here are some other considerations for ensuring security and data protection in virtual call centers and work-from-home arrangements for agents:
Modern call centers may have a mix of on-premises human agents, virtual human agents, and AI agents. No matter what the exact makeup of your call center team is, it’s important your customers receive a consistent, seamless experience when they reach out to you. Following are some tips for making sure that happens:
Integrating all three types of agents (human agents on-site at the traditional call center, virtual human agents, and AI-powered agents) is easier with the right technology. Be sure to equip your virtual agents with the same type of resources as your on-site agents, such as CRM access and VoIP technology.
A successful virtual call center operation really begins with intelligent call routing. It creates a poor customer experience when a call is routed to the wrong department, or an agent who does not pick up.
AI-powered automated call routing eliminates the guessing game by identifying who is calling and what they need, then sending them to the right respondent at the first attempt. Invoca’s call routing features also enable personalization in every call to enhance the customer experience.
Conversational interactive voice response or IVR is also useful for improving the caller experience. The technology makes sure that every caller is greeted appropriately, and it uses automation to hand them off seamlessly to the right agent for assistance, wherever that person is working from.
Invoca’s IVR is easy to set up and integrates with any phone system. It also provides detailed reports on caller responses and interaction data that can be passed to the CRM and used for marketing optimization and audience targeting.
AI agents can conduct simple, repetitive tasks while human agents can handle complex and creative tasks that require human empathy. As the conversation in a customer call becomes more complicated or the customer’s temperature starts to escalate, you’ll want to have procedures in place to route the call from an AI agent to a supervisor or a separate department.
Measuring the success of virtual agents in the call center is a critical component when building a virtual call center. You’ll want to know if the effort and resources being invested are worthwhile. As with on-premises agents, you’ll also want to establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs). Here are some tips for making KPIs part of your overall process for managing a virtual call center business:
KPIs for virtual agents should mirror those of on-premises agents. So, you should monitor things like average response time, call abandonment (when an agent fails to pick up the call), average handle time, and first call resolution. If agents are making outbound calls, measure their rate of calls. Since virtual agents work remotely, you’ll probably also want to measure absenteeism and turnover.
Measuring KPIs is easy with integrated software. Invoca’s conversation intelligence platform provides the data needed to evaluate agent performance throughout the contact center operation. Invoca also easily integrates with the CRM and the rest of the tech stack to provide a seamless flow of information.
With the relevant KPI metrics in hand, you can then slice and dice data to identify areas of success and improvement. Here again, Invoca’s software plays an integral role in creating and collating performance data through its AI-powered reporting features.
You can use the data and analytics obtained through Invoca, your CRM, and other parts of your tech stack to optimize the performance of virtual agents. For example, data may show that at certain times of the day, the average response time is higher, indicating you may need extra agents on call. Fortunately, virtual call centers are easy to scale since agents don’t need to report to an on-premises location.
Once you have your virtual call center business set up, follow these five best practices to manage your virtual call center agents effectively:
Make sure remote agents have access to the same updated software and technology as agents who would work on-premises. Failing to ensure this results in poor integration into the contact center operation (if you maintain a traditional one) and, of course, poor customer and employee experiences.
Be realistic and specific in setting goals for virtual call center agents. Just because they work remotely, it doesn’t mean they should be treated differently when it comes to performance.
Any agent benefits from regular feedback, mentoring, and coaching but these are particularly important to agents working remotely. Coaching helps to develop an agent’s skills, and it can be an important point of communication between agent and supervisor.
Coachable moments from actual customer interactions in recorded calls and transcripts provide real-world solutions for agents and are easy for coaches to highlight and use, further cementing the agent-supervisor relationship.
Always be measuring: Analyzing performance metrics lets you know that your virtual call center agents are on track with their performance. It can also help you to unearth inefficiencies in your call center operations. Studying conversation intelligence insights can help you to improve call routing strategies, reduce unwanted call volume, and even identify and fight spam and robocalls.
Finally, always recognize ability and reward good work, especially when your team members achieve exemplary customer satisfaction. Recognition for agents who are working remotely can be doubly important since they may feel detached from a physical call center operation where agents are close to management and can receive kudos in person, and in the moment.
Invoca’s cloud-based and AI-powered conversation intelligence platform offers tremendous benefits for both virtual and physical contact centers.
Invoca’s automated QA scoring and coaching features work seamlessly for all agents, whether they are stationed off-site or on-premises. Agents receive scores immediately after calls, and real-time feedback in the platform, making it easy for leaders to coach agents working from anywhere.
Want to learn more about how Invoca can help you coach virtual call center agents? Check out these resources:
