Nowadays it has become popular to work in Home Office mode, even among customer service consultants. However, is it profitable?
The advantages of hiring remote consultants:
Larger selection of candidates – people from all over the country (and even abroad) can apply for the position, not just from the region where the company’s headquarters are located.
Lower maintenance costs for the company – remote work is characterized by the fact that the employee works from his own home. Therefore there is no need to rent an office and equip it.
Enabling a larger group of people to work remotely – remote work can be undertaken by people with disabilities who would have difficulty in getting to a stationary office, e.g. people in wheelchairs.
Disadvantages of hiring remote consultants:
Working with people you don’t know – when you hire a person to work remotely, you don’t know who they really are. There is no way to observe her while working, so the only source of knowledge about the employee is her resume.
Limited communication – to contact a remote worker you have to use instant messaging or telephone. This is a certain difficulty due to possible mobile network failures or lack of access to the Internet.
Lack of control over consultants – when you hire a person to work remotely there are limited methods of controlling their work. There is always a risk that the employee will not do his work during the set hours.
In conclusion, there is no good answer to the question of whether it pays to hire employees to work remotely in customer service. Much depends on the company’s structure, capabilities, and funds. For many companies, remote work is the best solution. For all the disadvantages of such work, you can find a convenient solution.
