Why technical support agents in firms perform better than freelancers

OABPO Blog Team Published on April 1, 2014

smiling-female-technical-support-agents
The voice-based technical support operations of an outsourcing firm have great advantages over home-based freelance work in terms of reliability, security, management, and costs. This is what we inferred in a comparison we made in a previous post between freelance call center agents and full time representatives under an outsourcing company.

Despite being less manageable due to time and location differences, freelancers somehow get the upper hand because they have greater control over their work schedule and location than office-based agents. But the question is, does this flexibility guarantee superior customer service? Independent employees may have the freedom to work at home, but there, they may encounter obstacles that office-based workers don t normally face.

Distractions

female-freelance-technical-support

Home-based tech support agents work in an environment that is not solely dedicated to customer service work. There are things, situations, and personal duties at home that may interfere with their productivity. This is especially true for parents who have to juggle time between children and freelance work.

In technical support firms, distraction rarely becomes an issue because the physical attributes of common call centers and outsourcing companies are structured to mask noise, provide comfort, and boost efficiency. Some offices even mandate workers to keep personal devices away from workstations to foster better focus among agents.

Isolation

Independent contractors don t have to travel to their workplace and physically meet their boss or coworkers on a regular basis or even at all. While this may seem convenient, home-based work could subject freelance agents to isolation and cause them to seek a job that involves social interaction.

As poor colleague interaction is one of the factors blamed for attrition in call centers, companies providing customer service solutions encourage constant communication and bonding among employees to build a sense of teamwork and increase employee satisfaction. Thus, your technical support agents will less likely feel isolated if they are part of a team managed by your outsourcing partner.

Technical issues

male-freelance-technical-support

Freelancers usually work on their own, so they rely on themselves to fix technical issues. This can be time-consuming and costly on their part, especially if they don t possess the technical expertise required in troubleshooting complex problems.

On the other hand, service vendors assign a separate department to handle technology-related problems in the workplace. This way, only customers have the agents’ full attention, and there will be other representatives to take over the halted work of the agent facing technical difficulties.

Taking all these situations into consideration, businesses could indeed avail better services if they outsource tech support to an outsourcing firm than entrust independent agents working at home. Representatives managed by a service vendor are less prone to distractions, isolation, and hindrances caused by technical issues.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 21 days ago
For global businesses, #outsourcing has evolved beyond a cost-saving measure into a strategic pillar for building true business resilience.

๐—” ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ.

โ“ How do you future-proof your business in an unpredictable market?
โ“ What is your approach to building a business that is built to last in an unpredictable market?

Learn more about creating an unbreakable business model, continue the conversation with us over at: https://buff.ly/N4b8hOD

________________________________
Brands trust Open Access BPO in building resilience, with our customized solutions and a diverse, multilingual workforce that strengthens their operations.

Don't wait for the next market shiftโ€”connect with us now to start building your unbreakable business:
https://buff.ly/rWaK05N

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#PhilippineCallCenters #BusinessContinuity
#BusinessResilience #StrategicOutsourcing
#B2B #FutureProofing #BusinessAgility
Open Access BPO 36 days ago
Disasters can happen at any time. So, if you're thinking about #outsourcing to a #CallCenter.

The best thing you can do to ensure your ops' resilience is to choose an #OutsourcingPartner with robust #DisasterRecover and #BusinessContinuity strategies.

Here's why and how (plus tips for implementing a successful outsourcing strategy):
https://buff.ly/Zf9nscz

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Open Access BPO's commitment extends beyond exceptional #CX.

Our robust information security strategy ensure the protection of your data, even in times of disaster: https://buff.ly/TVHntWT

#WeSpeakYourLanugage
#PhilippineCallCenters #DisasterPreparedness
#BusinessResilience #RiskManagement
#CrisisManagement #EmployeeSafety
Open Access BPO 39 days ago
Promoting #CallCenter agents to leadership roles is crucial for both talent development and ensuring a consistent #CustomerExperience.

Structured training programs are the bedrock for building the skills that enable these new leaders to effectively oversee their teams.

Let's discuss how to infuse these key points into a future leader's workplace persona: https://buff.ly/uD7ouM6

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Partner with an #outsourcing firm that finds a way to leverage accents and multilingualism to deliver excellent #CX.

Outsource your business needs to Open Access BPO's expert team, supporting over 30 languages.

Contact us today.
Let's start planning your ops: https://buff.ly/n3TzYaF

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 40 days ago
Boosting agent #productivity and #satisfaction is a critical strategy for increasing efficiency in #CallCenters.

A positive work environment leads to more engaged employees, which in turn improves #CustomerService and retention.

A highly engaged and motivated workforce is essential for providing excellent #CustomerService and retaining top talent.

Check out these 5 tips to boost #EmployeeEngagement and productivity in #ContactCenters: https://buff.ly/ba5Mx36

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
See how Open Access BPO's dedication to employee training, engagement, and a diverse culture helps us deliver a superior #CustomerExperience: https://buff.ly/uTdQH3D

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CSat #CustomerSupport #CX
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat
#EmployeeManagement
Open Access BPO 41 days ago
Open Access BPO is taking a big step towards a healthier workplace with a new program designed to help employees build lasting, healthy habits.

The multilingual call center's initiative focuses on holistic wellness practices that are perfectly suited for the #BPO environment, including physical fitness, nutrition, and stress management.

See how we're revolutionizing employee wellness: https://buff.ly/dXBijx5

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
The success of our team is our top priority, and that dedication is reflected in the results we deliver for our clients.
We believe that a happy and healthy workforce is the best foundation for a successful partnership.

Looking for an outsourcing partner that's invested in both its people and your brand? Let's talk: https://buff.ly/n3TzYaF

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OneForHealth #oabpoSHIFT
#IdeaHubOABPO #EmployeeWellness
#WellbeingAtWork #EmployeeEngagement
Open Access BPO 43 days ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ

Multilingual call center ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐Ž has launched its largest employee wellness program, ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—œ๐—™๐—ง: ๐—”๐—ป ๐—ข๐—”๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ.

The three-month program was launched July 30 at the company's Robinsons Summit Center HQ in Makati, with a live stream to its Davao and work-from-home teams. According to Senior Director Nate Martinez, SHIFT focuses on a holistic approach to fitness and nutrition to promote lasting lifestyle changes.

The initiative, which stands for ๐’๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐‡๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐ˆ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐…๐—ถ๐˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐“๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, aims to help employees in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry build healthier, sustainable habits.

Company Nurse Princess Ann Louisse Pascual provided a detailed overview of the program, emphasizing its goal of long-term wellness rather than just short-term fitness goals. Nurse Supervisor Shania Semper also highlighted the importance of health and wellness within the BPO industry.

The company anticipates this investment in wellness will lead to a more productive, engaged, and healthier workforce.

This initiative is a testament to the company's commitment to building a supportive, people-first culture, with the goal of fostering improved employee well-being, morale, and overall performance.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OneForHealth #WorkLifeBalance
#MentalHealthMatters #IdeaHubOABPO
#EmployeeWellness #WellbeingAtWork