The challenge

The COVID-19 outbreak forced a financial services company to rapidly shift thousands of customer care associates to work from home to ensure continued service. Management wanted to keep valuable CX talent engaged in the new work environment while upholding customer service levels, security, and regulatory compliance. An unprecedented move, the shift to remote work included orchestrating numerous technical, operational, and management collaborations within the customer care department, its partners, and the rest of the organization.

Our solution

TTEC worked hand-in-hand with the firm on contract amendments, as well as designing architecture and deployment processes to build a solution that met both highly secure requirements and the need for an expedited solution.

In preparing for the move, we identified the number of associates qualified to work at home, based on internet speed and home environment. Next, we conducted a pilot test to ensure associates would be able to handle customer calls from home and designated a centralized resource to organize deployment processes and ensure timely communication.

To ensure data security, we installed and activated individual certificates on each PC as part of the security protocols, required agents to register their mobile device to serve as a token for multi-factor authentication, and created a process to immediately terminate access if necessary, among other security measures.

To enhance remote employee engagement and maintain service levels, we designed a comprehensive virtual training program that included instructor-led training, online activities, integrated simulations through mock chats, email drafting, and self-paced modules. The program leveraged Slack channels and Zoom virtual meetings for knowledge support, integrated coaching, technical assistance, team briefings, and to address escalations. To create an operational rhythm, we also set up a daily touch-base meeting with all stakeholders to discuss training performance, client updates, learnings and challenges, and devise action plans. Employees maintained their sense of community, collaboration, and skills development virtually with minimal disruption.

The results

From the initial scope of the solution down to full deployment and execution, TTEC rose to this unexpected challenge by meeting and in some areas, exceeding expectations. Two months after deploying the virtual contact center solution, member satisfaction (MSAT) performance remained steady at 93%, compliance was at 97%, and there was zero increase in average handle time compared to prior brick-and-mortar results. The success has been so profound that the client is now looking to make a work-from-home a permanent contingency of its long-term strategy.