The Hosted Voice over IP (VoIP) market has been propelled into the future of communication due to the inception of the Virtual Call Centre solution into the range of products available from telephony service providers. Designed to revolutionise the way call centres currently operate, the solution enables a home-based work force to complete business communications as if they were in the office. This removes the need for fixed offices and the associated operational overheads. The Virtual Call Centre solution is aimed at creating a more appealing working environment for part-time workers, those who require flexible working arrangements or who are unable to travel into an office, such as working parents, students or the physically disabled.

Virtual Call Centres have Become a Necessity

Service centres have identified call centres as struggling to recruit and retain employees because the staff turnover is of a high level. The Virtual Call Centre solution was created to help call centres capitalise on the growing part-time work force, particularly those who have a predominantly home-based work force.

Recent research suggests that the home-based workforce will continue to increase. The number of employees working flexibly has risen sharply over the past two years, according to the latest employment trends surveys. A survey of 513 employers found that almost half (46%) allow their employees to ‘telework’ (work via telecommunications); a percentage increase of 32% from 14% two years ago. Interestingly, a travel company surveyed 1,000 office workers recently and found that almost half of the employees interviewed would rather work from home, enabling them to escape the rush hour traffic jams, save on travel costs and benefit from flexible working hours.

Call centre staff conduct the majority of their work via email and telephone, and therefore in most cases, staff can work just as effectively from home, providing they have the right communications infrastructure and tools. Using a home-based work force can enhance people’s work-life balance greatly. The reduction in commuting alone could save several hours each day. Furthermore, in the current economic climate, home working can help save both the employer and employee money.

Also, the reduction in travelling of employees and lesser need for office buildings and structures will benefit the environment positively, due to reduced pollution levels and a smaller carbon footprint.

Most companies’ previous systems have proven to be inflexible and costly. Many companies came to the conclusion that maintaining their current system and ensuring that the system could support rapid company expansion would result in unaffordable costs. Companies with a majority of their workforce being home-based, with the exception of administration staff, trainers and team leaders, communication between employees is costly. Tracking the performance of the work of home-based staff is an added complexity.