What are virtual call centers and why are they becoming the new norm?

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on call centers. Some call centers are closing their physical offices and instead banking on virtual call centers to get the job done.

The Arlington Emergency Communications Center is the latest to be evacuated, amid growing COVID-19 numbers. According to reports, the EEC was recently deep-cleaned, and all operations moved to a back-up facility.

Meanwhile, over in Virginia, the majority of workers at the Martinsville Call Center are now working from home after six of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.

According to official complaints filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the call center’s strategy for mitigating the coronavirus pandemic was not in line with CDC requirements. For one, they kept all employees working from the physical office, well into May. After the six infections, 121 of the 130 are now working from home.

Virtual Call Centers are the “New Normal”

Call center employees working from home will likely become the new norm. Although there are many call centers outrightly refusing to move to adopt work-from-home approaches, most employers (and employees) are seeing the consequences of the pandemic (and benefits of remote work) first-hand and choosing to try new, digital solutions.

These include the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially in natural language processing (LP) and new-generation chatbots and voice-based agents. These tools are now easier to build and deploy, and more responsive to queries.

Companies are currently struggling to adopt and implement them, yes. The efforts will certainly pay off in the end, as these technologies are predicted to outlive the coronavirus pandemic. We’re effectively entering a new area; the era of virtual call centers.

Call Center Hiring in the New Era

Hiring for virtual call centers will be slightly different. Nearly the entire process will take place online. From talent searches to background checks and interviews to onboarding, most of these activities will be accomplished over the internet.

Additionally, the qualities and characteristics you look for in a candidate will also change. The following is a summary of what you can expect:

1. The need to understand remote work characteristics: This will likely be the biggest change. Initially, recruiters focused on people who could fit into the office. You’ll need to find those who are very productive when working from home. Integrity, self-development, problem analysis, and planning/organization, therefore, become vital characteristics.
2. Increased investment in data collection and analysis: Even before the coronavirus, call centers were already capturing and storing lots of data to use in the hiring process. Both the amount of data captured and the analysis needs will expand post-covid-19 to allow recruiters to extract more information for hiring.
3. Changes in candidate assessment: Since most of your workers will be working from home, you’ll also want to place a stronger emphasis on the candidate’s typing speed, data entry, and language skills. Virtual spoken language assessments, for instance, will become standard.
4. Remote onboarding: Recruiters must also create a robust remote onboarding program. Ideally, you want a simple, easy to understand, and digital, “how-to” guide for every role in your contact center. In addition, pre-recorded videos, video conferences, and scheduled video check-ins will be necessary.
5. Regulatory compliance in the online world: Fair hiring laws haven’t changed. The consequences, including penalties, for breach, remain the same. You must find ways to meet all the requirements, even in the world of virtual hiring. Keeping your data relevant and up-to-date, standardizing interviews, and assembling diverse hiring panels would be a good start.

Contact Pridestaff Today for Call Center Hiring in Fort Lauderdale

PrideStaff is the preferred employment agency in Fort Lauderdale. We specialize in administrative and clerical staffing, call center hiring, and general employment agency services. Whether you’re setting up a new virtual call center or modernizing an existing one, we can help. Contact us today to schedule a no cost consultation.