In the ever-present reality of extreme "Outlier" events, is your customer management operation "black swan"-proof?

"Black swan" is a term used to describe rare, high-impact events that are impossible to predict.¹ We've experienced classic black swans including the rise of the PC and Internet, and the economic booms and rising contact center volumes they fueled.

Black swans are not always good - 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, 2008 market crash. What is the next black swan? H1N1 pandemic? A massive market reaction to the growing U.S. national debt? Who knows? The point is no one can predict, but we do know it doesn't take a major event to cause business impact. A local snowstorm, temporary power outage, or a sudden surge in holiday shopping can do it.

So what's a company to do to prepare for these unknown events while navigating everyday realities like rising costs to serve customers, shifting employee demographics and escalating energy and facility costs associated with running contact centers?

An easy-to-implement home agent program is the answer and here are five reasons why:

1. Reduce Risk via Continuity with Back-up for Disasters - Natural or Man-Made
   Lessons learned from power outages, winter storms, hurricanes, pandemics and other natural disasters have improved what we know about disaster preparedness.
   
   A major insurance company shifted work to its virtual contact center of home agents during a major winter storm and was able to field hundreds of calls with no business interruption.
   
   Each year we face flu and pandemic predictions. Having a geographically dispersed home agent workforce in place is an effective way to keep work going during pandemics. Employees can stay home to work, alleviating the threat of spreading a virus.
2. Workforce Flexibility and Lower Costs
   A home agent workforce is much more inclined to support a split shift situation, since two commutes are not involved. In general, home agents provide greater scheduling flexibility to more accurately match staff to call patterns. Companies who utilize home agent programs can also save 30 percent or more on overhead and real estate.
3. Improved Performance
   Advancements in technology like high speed Internet connections, remote management tools, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and secure technology platforms, have significantly improved the connectivity home agents have with their managers and team mates.
   
   Real-time coaching and two-way communication tools mean home agents receive the same feedback and access to supervisors as brick-and-mortar contact center agents making them more likely to feel part of a team, perform at a superior level and stay with a company longer.
   
   Adult education has advanced as well, through virtual classrooms for instructor-led training, and e-learning methodologies, delivering individualized training programs.
4. Greater Experience and Maturity
   Most home-based agents are more mature and have a great deal more education and practical business experience than is found in the typical domestic brick and mortar contact centers. 70-80 percent have college degrees, with nearly 10 percent having post-graduate education. With access to a broader pool of candidates, it's easier to find specialized skills or talent needed to be productive and deliver a superior customer service experience.
   
   And, with greater maturity typically comes a stronger work ethic, better listening skills, and usually more patience, all critical skills in serving the customer.
5. Reduced Recruitment and Churn Problems
   "Work at home" options are increasingly becoming a standard consideration for companies, who often realize greatly reduced turnover with improved employee satisfaction and loyalty as well.
   
   Using a virtual workforce opens a greatly expanded pool of workers; a population that is often disenfranchised: retirees who travel part year, physically challenged people, parents with children in school, people with elder care responsibilities, and "Millennials" who prefer a stronger work-life balance. These life situations can actually serve to enhance the ability to accommodate split shift and part-time scheduling a business often requires that compliment the need to manage fluctuations in call volumes throughout the day.
Cutting Risk in Today's Uncertain World
The reality is no business can be or ever has been "black swan-proof," but it is possible - and always wise - to minimize risk, particularly in the mission-critical area of customer care. Home agent programs reduce risk by decentralizing a crucial part of the work force. Home agents are smart business, enabling companies to size agent care to exact needs quickly and efficiently.

A home-based agent operation can leverage state-of-the art training and technology to ensure business continuity, reduce operational expense versus brick-and-mortar centers, and expand or shrink as needed while building an engaged "workforce of the future" delivering a superior service experience.

Brad Krinhop is a vice president in the Customer Management line of business for Convergys Corporation, a global leader in relationship management. He is responsible for leading and expanding the company's home agent program.

¹Popularized by New York Times best-selling author Nassim Taleb's "The Black Swan." Through the 17th century, Europeans believed that all swans are white and used the term "black swan" to describe the impossible. With the discovery of black swans in Australia in 1820, the term evolved to mean perceived impossibilities that, in fact, may come to pass.