| If you ask any answering service owner what the | | | | as filling those difficult to handle shifts. There are |
| biggest challenge that they face today almost all would | | | | offices that will staff overnight shifts with work at |
| answer employees. For a number of years employers | | | | home operators. |
| have tried a number of methods to find a desirable | | | | Still other offices have been slow to embrace this type |
| employees to work in what is sometimes less than | | | | of technology while other offices reluctantly use this |
| desirable circumstances. Today technology has | | | | technology only for emergencies or supervisory tasks. |
| delivered these answering service owners a new | | | | There is a general misconception that these operators |
| alternative; the stay at home operator. | | | | are more difficult to supervise and that the only way |
| Thanks to VoIP services it is very easy for an | | | | to run a call center is from a centralized location. With |
| answering service operator to log on and work off | | | | the advanced statistical reporting capabilities that most |
| premise with the same advantages as an operator | | | | answering services possess, coupled with voice |
| has in the war room of the call center. There are | | | | recording technology these employees are as easy to |
| several advantages to such technology and call | | | | supervise as they would be in your office. |
| centers who have implemented these advances are | | | | As the answering services that utilize at home |
| seeing major changes. Some of these answering | | | | operators continue to flourish, others are following their |
| services virtually had to beg for employees and the | | | | lead. At home operators now make up the fastest |
| pickings were slim. Now these same businesses | | | | growing segment of employees in the answering |
| actually have a waiting list for employees, with highly | | | | service industry. In addition this new trend seems to be |
| qualified candidates. | | | | an alternative to overseas outsourcing. With the |
| Another advantage to the stay at home operator is | | | | advantages offered to work at home operators, |
| that it allows the answering service to be able to fill | | | | answering service owners and the industry as a |
| peak time periods and cover absenteeism more | | | | whole, stay at home agents seem to be the trend of |
| efficiently. The answering service now has alternatives | | | | the future. |
| when there are weather related emergencies as well | | | | |