Remote Working

I wish I could say, “Hate to see you go,” but that is definitely not the case. I believe that each of us has been bitterly disappointed by 2020. This year, holding the promise...

It’s mind-numbing how much is being written about COVID-19. Too much to absorb, much less process. Yet amid the lockdowns, layoffs and reopenings, we’re forced to figure out what could actually work—aside from pontifications...

Coronavirus has accelerated the virtualization of call centers worldwide, supercharging a trend that was already underway. Well before the pandemic, Gartner was forecasting that 35% of customer experience workers would be working from home...

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid and global shift of moving contact center agents and supervisors to a work-at-home model, giving rise to two central questions: How has this impacted performance; and...

Already experiencing pandemic change, contact centers can expect even more in 2021, at a more rapid pace. Call and ticket volumes continue to rise, and the remote workforce will remain, at least partially, distributed...

I’m no stranger to remote work. I’ve been onboarded remotely and have onboarded remote employees before. But I have to say I’ve never been a part of onboarding someone fully remote—with my onboarding partners-in-crime...

Now that call centers have transitioned to working from home, many managers and supervisors are finding coaching remotely to have its challenges. Managers often go into “survival mode” and put coaching on the back...

The first half of 2020 will forever be defined by the global response to the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Individuals, businesses and governments worked together to mitigate an unprecedented public health crisis, ensuring human health...

My blog series co-author, Paul Stockford, and I both lobbied to lead this one off. Paul, thanks for letting me set the stage—plus I know you’ll bring our main points home with well-researched facts...

Chances are you have pivoted toward remote agents, and maybe not by choice: Most organizations were forced into work-from-home situations. You scrambled and had little choice. The race will soon be on to either replace...

In 1978, the band REO Speedwagon released its seventh studio album. Called You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish, it was REO’s first album to crack the Top 40, reaching number...

When you think of working from home, several benefits come to mind. The savings in both time and money to commute back and forth to work. And, if you usually eat out for lunch,...

The Covid-19 pandemic created significant shifts in how we work. As businesses scrambled to set up employees to work from home, there was little time to be proactive and consider future implications. As the...

I have the privilege of knowing dozens of seasoned U.S. work-from-home (WFH) leaders in financial services, health care, retail, travel, professional services and utilities who have figured out (over the years) the secret sauce...

As companies realign their workforce during these disruptive times, work-from-home (WFH) is quickly redefining the concept of “business as usual.” Both companies and employees benefit from WFH strategies. A Stanford University study found that...

You know something is pretty important or interesting these days if it’s referred to as being on-trend, or trending. It’s not the same as being trendy, which to my ear sounds like it’s less...

Now more than ever, businesses are trying to deliver consistency in a world that is changing every day. We at Cresta have been in close contact with customers and prospects regarding their contact center...

After more than 20 years in the on-demand contact center industry, I’ve come across some great work-from-home practices. And a few not-so-good ones, too. Whatever the workstyle or workspace, an agent needs to be efficient...

The need for remote access to core contact center infrastructure continues to grow. Whether implementing a home agent program, accommodating “on the go” leaders, establishing connectivity to outsourcers, ensuring business continuity, or tying into...

Over the past few years, we’ve worked with 800-plus organizations in design, implementation and continuous improvement of work-at-home programs for contact centers. Now that home working for contact centers is moving into the...