Pamela Dodrill
Pamela Dodrill has been working in the customer service industry for 21 years. In 2007 she started Customer Service Initiative, which advocates for call centers to allow their employees to work from home.
It may be surprising, but remote customer service jobs are not uncommon. Various phone companies, cable companies, infomercial companies, hotels, and other operations use employees who work from home. These companies don’t usually like to be named for fear of tarnishing their brands, so for the purpose of this article that wish will be respected.
But people like Dodrill are working to get rid of the perception that working at home means that employees can’t be trusted; and in fact, allowing employees to do so can be beneficial for business and employees well being.
What made you start Customer Service Initiative?
I truly believe the call center is the best place to start a work at home initiative because the benefits are many – and everybody wins. Customers are treated better by a more sophisticated and satisfied agent base. Simultaneously, the company saves a lot of money, increases customer loyalty and satisfaction. Not to mention the reduced carbon footprint impacting the health of our planet.
How have you dealt with resistance to your ideas?
That’s a good question. It was the resistance to my ideas that encouraged me to start Customer Service Initiative. So far I’ve found my clients are very open to the ideas, which is why they are my clients. In a couple of cases I’ve had discussions with companies that don’t agree with my philosophy of customer service is the secret to a company’s success or they are not inclined to go through the paradigm shift required for a successful work at home model. In these cases, I decided they were not the type of clients I wanted to work with and I moved on to other clients that show a real commitment to changing the way they do business for the purpose of improving their business.
In some cases, call center employees can be very micromanaged. From needing to ask to have to use the bathroom, to only being allowed to get up when told; does that same mentality work when employees are remote?
It’s actually quite the opposite. You cannot have a successful work at home call center if you try to micro-manage. Research has shown that call center agents working from home are of a higher caliber then those employed in a bricks and mortar (traditional) call center. On average, they tend to be in their 30s, with at least two years of higher education. They have more life experience and do not need to be micro managed. They report higher job satisfaction and lower attrition rates. Therefore, most companies find they don’t need to micromanage them. Also, the technology available for remote call centers ensures, in real time, that you can see what everyone is doing. It also allows for instant communications to alert people instantly of needs.
Also See:
What is Coworking?
Companies Embrace Telecommuting During The Recession
How to Get Respect When You Work From Home
Comments
This is a terrific idea, and not just for call center employees. I work in regulatory affairs, and could easily work from home four days a week with my job responsibilities. Not only am I more efficient working from home (probably wouldn't be on this message board right now) but I could actually put in longer days, since there would be no commute. If companies did an honest evaluation of who could effectively work from home, there could be enourmous benefits, such as smaller office spaces being needed (less heating & AC), higher employee satisfaction with easier work/life balancing, less rush hour traffic. I would even take a salary decrease to make up for gas money. There needs to be much more awareness of this idea, and forward-looking managers that are willing to do things differently than they've always been done.
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