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It’s not often that removing something from a business model substantially adds to a bottom line. Sure, less is more, but that’s usually nuance not hard numbers.
But when that something being removed is a barrier, the results can be astounding. Take geography out of the equation by adopting a green, hosted call center model and you not only save on commuting, real estate, and utility costs (and reduce toxic emissions tons as well), but you literally grow your labor pool by geometric proportions. As your labor pool increases, your productivity and customer satisfaction levels soar even as costs decline dramatically.
Wider Pool of Agents: With a traditional call center, you are limited to hiring only those call agents within a roughly 30-mile radius of the office. The ability to staff your call center with home-based agents means you now have access to top-producing and specialized talent worldwide. Anywhere a top agent can plug in and log on is exactly where you can employ them.
But is a Bigger Pool Better: Booz Allen Hamilton reports that the attrition rate for home-based agents is 10 percent, compared to industry standards of 25%-45% for on-premise agents. Frost and Sullivan explain that the median age of on-premise call agents is 23-years-old. The median age of a home-based agent, according to the analysts: A seasoned, stable 38-years-old. In call centers, experience is everything. Veteran, home-based agents were a whopping 40 percent more productive than their younger, in-house counterparts.
Reduced Costs: Not only does a virtual call center let you cherry-pick top talent wherever you find it, but if that talent isn’t in a major metropolitan area, IDC reports you might save as much as 30 percent by hiring home-based agents who live in remote areas. Using $13/hour wage (in metro areas), a conservative 10 percent savings translates into a $195,000 annual saving in payroll for a 100-seat call center. Even a 20-seat call center realizes a $40,000 savings in compensation by going green via a virtual call center.
Start adding up the savings in labor, real estate, utility, and commute costs when you go virtual and you will soon see how quickly all that green adds to your bottom line in substantial savings.