Telework boosted by virtual call centers, Part 2

Companies wide-eyed by bottom-line savings

Branch Office Best Practices Newsletter By Toni Kistner, Network World, 02/15/05

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

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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.

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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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