Not much can be done with topline, so the focus is now shifting to bottom line and many companies across industries are looking to improve efficiencies, increase productivity and outright eliminate jobs. And, customer service and contact center functions among others are definitely starting to look at cutting costs. Infact, a recent IDG CIO Covid-19 research said that the #1 priority for leaders in the COVID-19 crisis, is process efficiency to drive costs down.

Last week, I noticed headlines announcing yet another business that’s decided it “won’t reopen half its offices after pandemic, amid restructuring and work-from-home success”. Maybe that’s not so shocking, though, considering that work-from-home contact center agents have an 80% better retention rate than those working out of a physical call center (according to a recent ICMI benchmark study on agent experience).

As the world shrinks and is more connected, technology enables companies of all sizes to scale globally. Whether a European organization is looking to expand into other European countries, or a U.S.-based company is expanding across the pond, adapting products and brand awareness to multiple new markets and cultures is not only doable but is often necessary for growth and survival.

At this point in the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly every company that operates a contact center has had to transition some, if not all, of their agents to a work from home environment. According to an informal survey on one of our recent webinars, 88 percent of our customer attendees said they had moved all their agents to a work-from-home setting.

After spending the last couple of crazy months executing all of our contact center business continuity plans in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, let’s pause for a moment to reflect on what’s next for the work from home call center. Our CEO Paul Jarman has a saying that he’s used often these days and I think it applies broadly to any business or contact center leader when thinking about how to manage through this uncertainty: “we’re going to be short-term realistic and long-term optimistic.”

Maintaining a strong performance management process with remote contact center agents can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. On a regular day in the contact center, a supervisor will usually walk the floor, check on performance levels and coach agents face-to-face. In a remote contact center, performance management processes look a bit different, but the fundamentals remain the same.

Contact centers can create a team approach that increases consistency and enables everyone to have their individual contributions recognized. Agents do what they’re incented to do, and the right incentives can create great experiences for all.