To attract and retain employees, call centres are modernizing and even offering telecommuting… under certain conditions.
The image of small cubicles in a windowless call centre room is changing. These conditions were certainly not unrelated to the high turnover rate of the industry (the average employment duration is one year). With competition, employers had a vested interest to remedy the situation.
This is particularly the case with Telus, the country’s second largest telecommunications operator. “We have a program that mobilizes our employees by offering different ways of working to balance their professional and personal lives,” explains François Gaboury of Telus Media Relations.
According to the company, this ability to work in the office, from a mobile location or from home has the effect of increasing their employees’ productivity. Besides, working from home also reduces the environmental footprint and provides significant savings for the company and employees.
A watchword – discipline
At Telnek, a call and outsourcing centre with teams varying from 25 to 30 subcontractors, telecommuting is the company’s business model.
“Telecommuting is not for everyone,” explains Michel Riccio, president of Telnek. Working at home requires a lot of discipline. If you have a dog, children, unexpected visitors, as well as distractions such as TV, Netflix, the fridge… it won’t work!
The conditions for working at Telnek are simple, but imperative. “People have to have an isolated work area, a high-performance computer, an internet connection and a headset. We want people who have a high sense of responsibility,” Michel Riccio says.
The founder of Telnek can monitor the work of his remote team. “Staff have to connect to a platform to make their calls, which are recorded. Random checks are made several times a week,” he adds.
Michel Riccio says he has a low turnover rate at his company. “All my subcontractors have from 3 to 11 years of experience.”
“Our people are free to manage their schedule 100%, regardless of whether they are at their cottage in the Laurentians or in the Dominican Republic six months a year. Provided, that is, they meet the results sought for,” Michel Riccio concludes.