Study of 200 UK-based contact centre advisors reveals that the majority want to split their time between the office and working remotely but require specialist equipment to do so
Over three quarters (79%) of UK-based contact centre advisors would like a hybrid working model, according to a new study from the CCMA (Call Centre Management Association) that was supported by global communications company Poly. More than half (59%) of respondents would like to split their time equally between the office and remote locations, or mainly be office-based with some remote working.
The study, which surveyed 200 UK-based contract centre workers, reveals that 76% expect to have a say in where they work. It found that there is a strong demand for co-working spaces with more than three quarters (76%) of contact centre workers saying they would be happy to work from a shared location.
Among those interested in working some of their hours remotely, if they were to work in co-working spaces or ‘third spaces’ such as coffee shops, 85% said they would require specialised equipment to work effectively. This is in conjunction with a growing dissatisfaction for the basic communications technologies available outside of the office, with just over a third of contact centre employees saying they are satisfied with their current headsets (37%), telephones (37%), and webcams (39%).
The top reasons cited by call centre workers for working in an office are feeling part of a team (33%) and socialising with colleagues (32%). In a remote working location, meanwhile, the most important considerations are natural light (55%), privacy (52%) and having a quiet space to work (51%).
Richard Kenny, Senior Marketing Manager, Poly, commented,
“Hybrid working is a new term for call centres. This is a fundamental shift away from previous operating models and requires a reimagining of the role of the call centre, building towards more team, social and learning activities to keep advisors connected.”
“This signals a dawn of a new type of contact centre advisor – a highly mobile individual who works from multiple locations and brings with them the tools they need to do their job. This requires an understanding of how employees can transition between across multiple locations and work seamlessly from anywhere and investment in pro-grade personal devices such as headsets and webcams.
“Contact centre advisors want to be involved in decisions on what equipment they use and in the choice of where they work, and now is the time to listen to the voice of the advisor so they can deliver an exceptional customer experience from anywhere.”
For additional information on the findings, download the full Are you ready for the hybrid future? report by Clicking Here.
Research findings were led by CCMA Research Director Stephen Yap, conducting 200 interviews with UK contact centre workers from 11-15th March 2021.
All survey participants were screened to ensure they held customer-facing roles.
