Network World
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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About 90% of employees today work away from their company's headquarters, on average, and 40% work at a remote location, away from their supervisors. What technologies do you need to have in place to ensure that those employees are at their most productive? This weekly alert by Nemertes Research will explore answers to that question, covering collaboration technologies, WAN optimization strategies, network performance management and other issues vital to network managers and CIOs whose companies have branch offices and remote workers. The alert also includes the latest remote office news headlines on NetworkWorld.com.

Toni Kistner

Telework boosted by virtual call centers, Part 2

Companies wide-eyed by bottom-line savings

Last week we discussed how transitioning to a home-based call center makes for happier workers, better retention, easy recruitment, higher productivity - and overall better customer care. A long list of benefits, yes. But the one that’s missing is the one that’s actually driving this market: cost savings.

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Toni Kistner is managing editor of Net.Worker. Contact her at tkistner@nww.com.

Telework boosted by virtual call centers, Part 1
Network World, 02/07/05

Apple Store announces Reserve And Pick Up program
11/07/09
For you pre-Thanksgiving shoppers, the Apple retail store on Friday announced a way to get a jump on your holiday list. The Reserve And Pick Up option will let you choose hardware products online and swing by your local store to collect them between December 15 and 24. Currently, the line-up of offerings includes iPods, iPhones, MacBooks, Mac Minis, iMacs, and Mac Pros. To make a reservation, you sign in with your Apple ID and select a store location. Payment is due only at the time of pick-up.

Q&A: isoHunt founder says P2P can help create post-piracy world
11/07/09
isoHunt's Gary Fung talks about how isoHunt has evaded legal trouble so far, why he holds out hope of working together with Hollywood and the music industry, and how he's launched a new P2P site for just that purpose.

Update fixes iPhone sync problem with Windows 7 for some
11/07/09
Gigabyte Technology issued a BIOS update on Friday that fixes a problem for some Windows 7 users who have been unable to sync their iPhones.

Of course, the other “fuzzy” benefits on the list save plenty in their own right. But not enough to get most businesses’ attention. But money saved by getting rid of entire buildings? That message they hear loud and clear.  

Time and again at the recent Call Center Demo Show in Dallas, panel speakers said the reason they went virtual was to get rid of the building. To consolidate office space, shut down floors. Again and again, hands would spring up. How did you get rid of your building? How do I get rid of my building? It’s costing me a fortune. Can I really do this?

Another message the audience really heard: “We pay our home-based agents less.” That’s not to say companies are cutting salaries. But when they hire directly into the home, many said they pay on average about 20% less.

Why? The current thinking is that sending someone home to work is the equivalent of giving them a raise of $4,000 per year, meaning they save that much in car gas and maintenance, dry cleaning, clothing, etc. That $4,000 figure was mentioned often at the show.

At the show, Michael Amigoni broke down exactly how much money he saved by transitioning his company, ARO Outsourcing, to virtual agents. People were on the edge of their seats. Hands went up, people scribbled Amigoni’s figures in their notebooks. See for yourself why:


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