Work-from-Home and Geo-balancing Preserve Retailer’s Ability to Serve Customers During Pandemic

[24]7.ai™ is a long-time business process outsourcing (BPO) partner of this general merchandise retailer, supplying a significant percentage of its customer support agents.

When COVID-19 closed brick-and-mortar stores and offices around the world, [24]7.ai led the way in providing secure, effective work-from-home (WFH) environments for contact center agents. Our client was so impressed, it’s CX leadership asked us to set up WFH procedures for their own customer service agents.

This retailer is a favorite of families who appreciate its reasonable prices, top-quality service, and distinctive brand. It is known for creating a full experience for its shoppers: Fresh, modern design is important, and a keen attention to detail is carried throughout its 45+ unique, owned brands, as well as in the design of its stores.

When the pandemic hit and facilities shut down, the company scrambled to ensure customers could still be served expediently and employees could operate safely.

[24]7.ai had already established an excellent reputation as a key BPO partner for three of the company’s lines of business. At the start of our relationship, we had supported the company’s website as its only chat provider. The company so highly regarded our service, that it tapped us as its sole outsourced partner to handle the branded credit card business as well as guest relations for escalated store experiences.

Store employees were particularly vulnerable to virus exposure, so it was fortuitous that this retailer had already built a strong online presence. Online demand spiked 100 percent in just two months: The company’s customer loyalty, broad product assortment, and geographic reach made it a natural for customers who looked to a brand they trusted.

That surge in online traffic required additional chat and phone support for customer inquiries.

As the business made adjustments to keep its employees safe, it asked us to increase headcount in off-shore contact centers that already had secure WFH operations. We walked its customer care teams through the [24]7.ai-designed best practices and demonstrated the effectiveness of our procedures.

Our retail partner loved our approach and asked us to lead the way in helping shift its own contact center teams to WFH.

The company preferred a conservative WFH approach and was happy to learn what [24]7.ai had already proven in our sites about operationalizing outsourced WFH agents. We taught our client how to set up its own agents for success as well.

Within two months of the world shutdown, 40 percent of our operations had transitioned to home workspaces. We became the experts in providing the right equipment for WFH agents, arranging flexible schedules, and remotely managing risk and compliance. We shared best practices in home office setup for customer-facing agents, the use of proctoring tools, new ways to provide virtual training, and ideas for extending the extra effort to keep employees motivated and happy while working during a stressful time.

Our distributed agent workforce also proved to be a valuable strategy.

During subsequent waves of COVID-19 infections around the world, as individual locations struggled to slow outbreaks with shutdowns and extra precautions, it became especially important that customer service agents were distributed among a variety of geographies. Alternate geographies in the [24]7.ai network added capacity to serve customers without disruption.

Work-from-Home. Geo-balancing. With expertise in these two key customer service strategies, we made sure this much-loved retailer survived—even flourished—during the pandemic.

And both of us are ready for what comes next.