A Blended Workforce for Customer Service

Working Solutions chief executive Kim Houlne addresses the value of a blended workforce of in-office and remote customer service during the pandemic and its aftermath.

In her piece, How to Make Work Work Again in Contact Center Pipeline, Kim outlines several aspects to consider now and going forward. They are:

• A flexible network that spans the distance, safeguards operations and protects customers.
• Well-distributed, skilled agents led by managers who know how to engage remote workers.
• Always-on communications to connect and operate in real time as circumstances dictate.

She realizes investments in infrastructure and traditional operations cannot be forsaken. Given the times and predictions, Kim also knows that business as usual now is anything but—and presumably will never be again.

That’s why she advocates for a balanced business model. One that takes the best of today’s service operations—both brick-and-mortar and remote—and combines them into a future state that performs well, no matter the crisis.