Expect the Unexpected: How to Support Your Business with Scalable and Flexible Work From Home Solutions

As the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic continues to impact how we live, travel and work, the need for business flexibility is greater than ever. In these uncertain times, the work at home agent model is a robust solution that brings flexibility, scalability and resiliency to your business continuity planning. 

Know your risks

Life happens – but unexpected events like unforeseen weather or fluctuating market conditions shouldn’t put a damper on your customer support. To continue delivering seamless, uninterrupted CX in the face of crisis or business disruption, today’s organizations must be prepared for anything. 

Retailers should be ready to respond to product recalls and seasonal spikes in demand, insurance providers must be equipped to manage increased claims caused by adverse weather and travel companies must act quickly in the event of a natural disaster or health crisis, like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Act fast

In a brick and mortar setting, ramping up or down as needed poses its challenges. Space has to be found, seats allocated and agents have to be recruited, hired and trained. This process can take weeks, even months – and in a crisis, time is of the essence.

Without the geographical restrictions of a physical location, the work at home agent model gives you access to a strong pool of agents who can be ready to flex to your needs at a moment’s notice – no matter where they are located. Work from home agents are spread out geographically, minimizing the risk that the entire team is affected and ensuring business continuity across operations. 

Be flexible 

Fostering flexibility to enable scalability in-line with market demand and unforeseen events is essential to your CX strategy. Having a virtual workforce spread out geographically enables you to flex to your customers’ ever-changing needs with agility and speed.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread globally, the flexibility of the work from home model may be the difference between your business thriving through disruption or needing to temporarily shut its doors. 

Deliver uninterrupted CX in the face of disruption

As local and regional authorities enforce measures to control the spread of infection, they are asking the public to practice social distancing, including in the workplace. As a result, increasing the likelihood of third-party suppliers, such as contact centers, being required to temporarily halt operations. 

Even those not required to close their doors are likely to be impacted by absenteeism; but they can be driven by employees’ fear of contracting the virus or the need to care for their children and schools and daycares close. 

The work at home agent model ensures that your company is up and running in any situation, ensuring continuity in your operations. Agents simply log in to a secure network from the comfort of their home.

Sitel at Home

Incorporating a work at home solution, like Sitel at Home, in your business continuity plan can help mitigate business risks caused by disruptions to the workplace. And companies that prepare ahead of time have a competitive advantage. Whether it’s in the midst of a global health crisis or business, as usual, Sitel at Home is a flexible solution that helps you deliver consistent service levels, flexing to demand through seasonal peaks and unexpected events. 

Over recent weeks, we have been working diligently with our clients to transition a portion of agents to Sitel at Home. This approach not only offers resilience through a virtual workforce of tenured agents ready to step in at a moment’s notice, but it also enables social distancing for agents in our brick and mortar locations. 

To find out how Sitel at Home can support your business continuity planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit: https://www.sitel.com/capabilities/work-at-home-solutions/