The Philippines holds the title of being the call center capital of the world, with the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry being a crucial economic pillar, valued at USD 29.4 billion in 2021, and has a worldwide value of USD 261.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4% from 2023 to 2030. This industry is expected to continue growing in the future, making call center services increasingly essential for businesses and in high demand among customers.
The benefits of having a call center service are numerous. Traditionally, call centers have served as the primary channel for customer support, allowing companies to directly connect with their clients and address their concerns in a more personalized manner. By doing so, call centers add a human touch to otherwise impersonal interactions, fostering stronger bonds between companies and their customers. Certain industries, such as healthcare or businesses catering to older clientele, find call centers indispensable. Likewise, companies offering products requiring technical support, like appliances or gadgets, greatly benefit from call center services that can provide step-by-step guidance to customers facing issues.
Depending on the company’s specific needs, call centers can be either in-house or outsourced. Large multinational corporations, needing 24/7 operations and staff in the thousands or tens of thousands, often find it more practical and efficient to outsource their call center requirements. On the other hand, smaller companies with lower call volumes and fixed schedules, like a 9-to-5 timeframe, may choose to hire an in-house team of agents to manage their telephone lines.
Regardless of the approach, having a call center service offers immense value, providing a direct and personal line of communication between a company and its clients.
Are BPO seat leases characterized by long-term commitments or flexible contracts?
After establishing the importance of having a call center service, the focus now shifts to examining the costs and logistics involved in running one. One crucial aspect is the physical space required for call center operations. While call center companies and BPOs typically have their own offices, the industry’s rapid and continuous growth demands a constant need for space. Even the largest BPO companies may struggle to keep up with the escalating demand, leading to the emergence and success of seat leasing services.
Similar to how companies outsource their call center needs to external organizations, call center companies can also outsource their workspace requirements through seat leasing. Seat leasing is a widely practiced arrangement in the BPO world, beneficial for both small and large organizations.
The typical seat lease contracts are uncomplicated: property owners provide fully-equipped offices furnished with desks, chairs, computers, and headsets for companies to expand their call center services. The most prevalent type of seat lease is the “plug and play” option, where companies can bring their own tools, such as laptops and other mobile computers, and utilize the office’s desk space and internet connection.
The popularity of the plug-and-play arrangement lies in its security features. While sharing amenities and facilities may be perceived as risky, modern shared office spaces have addressed longstanding security concerns, making them safer than often perceived. This advancement in technology contributes to the widespread adoption of plug-and-play seat leasing in call centers.
At Virspacio Coworking Spaces, our BPO seat lease package offers comprehensive security measures, ensuring a safe and secure environment for your operations. With 24/7 Security Personnel and continuous CCTV surveillance, our space is monitored around the clock. Additionally, our staff is available day and night on weekdays to assist you.
To further enhance security, each member is provided with a personalized security card, granting access to specific areas based on their clearance level.
Unlike many other coworking spaces in the country, we go above and beyond by providing more than just a physical workspace. Our primary call center room can accommodate over 150 agents and is continuously expanding. We also offer smaller offices suitable for smaller teams like 33 seaters, and 21 seaters. Each BPO room comes fully equipped with essential amenities, including desks, computers, and partitions, allowing companies to select the services that best suit their needs. Our flexible payment options let you choose between paying per shift for shared space or paying per seat for a dedicated area exclusively for your use.
In addition to these essential features, Virspacio Coworking Spaces offers a host of other amenities to support your hardworking employees. Our facilities are accessible 24/7 and include free parking, high-speed fiber optic internet, a well-stocked kitchen and pantry with freshly brewed coffee, a well-staffed clinic, lockers, shower areas, a nap area, and a lounge.
Should your business require additional space beyond your rented office, we have various areas designed to cater to your diverse needs. These include training and events rooms, meeting rooms, interview rooms, and private booths for confidential one-on-one calls.
Key Benefits of BPO Seat Leasing
There are several compelling reasons why opting for a BPO seat lease is not only advantageous but actually the best decision for your company.
Great for Startup Companies
The most prominent and evident advantage of a BPO seat lease for small and new businesses is its affordability. In densely populated areas like the Metro, acquiring office space can be challenging and expensive. Seat leases offer a perfect solution by providing ready-to-use spaces that are fully furnished, eliminating the need for costly equipment purchases. Monthly premiums for seat leases are generally more budget-friendly compared to traditional office rentals. Additionally, BPO seat leases are highly customizable, tailored to meet the unique needs and requirements of each organization. At Weremote, we collaborate closely with you to draft a personalized contract that perfectly aligns with your specific needs.
Perfect for Established Companies
Although it might seem counterintuitive for established call center companies to lease office spaces outside their own premises, it is a pragmatic arrangement that many BPO businesses adopt. As mentioned earlier, space is an ever-present necessity in the call center industry, and even the largest BPO organizations with their own buildings or complexes may require additional room to manage their operations.
In reality, few, if any, BPO companies follow a one-to-one ratio for employees and workstations. Employees work in shifts to share workspaces, as providing each employee with a dedicated desk is impractical. However, this arrangement can lead to complications. Strict shifting schedules can limit overtime opportunities without affecting others’ work hours, and shared facilities raise security concerns even within the same organization.
BPO seat leases resolve these issues with their plug-and-play packages. Call centers can rent a space where their employees can bring their own devices and utilize the provided desk and internet connection. This setup is especially beneficial for high-ranking employees who have company-issued computers and may need to work longer hours. Furthermore, trainings can be outsourced to external facilities, offering attendees a well-regulated environment separate from the main office’s hustle and bustle.
What measures can be taken to enhance employee efficiency?
Even with the necessary tools in place to support employee performance, their actual efficiency remains dependent on themselves.
A potential drawback of having employees work outside the company’s premises is the potential disconnect between the people and the organization. Integrating organizational culture with employees becomes challenging when they are not physically present. Fortunately, modern technology offers solutions to bridge this gap. Companies can maintain virtual communication with their remote workforce, allowing them to keep track of their activities.
Effective communication between employees and their superiors is crucial for boosting employee efficiency, especially for call center agents who experience hectic and stressful workdays. Working in a leased office space away from the company headquarters may lead to complacency if employees feel their activities aren’t monitored. Nevertheless, enhancing employee performance is in the company’s best interest and can be achieved through simple steps.
Ensuring that equipment is functioning properly is a critical initial step. Even the most skilled agents will be hindered if their tools are malfunctioning. To prevent backlogs, it’s important to provide agents with reliable equipment that can handle their workload.
At Virspacio Coworking Spaces, our fiber optic internet connection guarantees seamless connectivity for our workers, with internet speeds of 400 MB available through our two fiber optic lines. Our brand-new computer systems are designed to handle any demanding workload.
For companies handling voice-related work in coworking spaces like Virspacio Coworking Spaces, it is essential to ensure call rerouting is smooth. While we offer such services, it’s beneficial to communicate specific requirements to management. Moreover, our premises are staffed 24/7 on weekdays, and our IT team is always available to address any technical concerns.
Allow Them Independence
While promoting open communication with employees is crucial, it’s equally important to grant your agents the freedom to work without constant instructions. Sometimes, problems can resolve themselves, including periods of reduced productivity experienced by agents. Allowing your agents a certain level of autonomy has been proven to enhance their professional performance through intrinsic motivation.
When agents are given the freedom to manage their tasks independently rather than being micromanaged, they tend to develop a sense of ownership and intrinsic drive to accomplish their work. This leads to increased enjoyment and improved performance, even without direct oversight from management. When they feel personally invested in their tasks, they are more likely to persist through challenges.
Micromanagement can negatively impact productivity, so the distance that off-site working provides can actually be advantageous. While you may not be physically present to oversee every task, this is an opportunity to cultivate self-sufficiency and independent thinking among your employees. Open lines of communication are maintained for urgent matters or teamwork-related discussions, but ultimately, allowing your agents the freedom to work is highly beneficial.
Create a Vibrant Environment
Despite call center work being monotonous at times, it’s crucial to remember that your agents are individuals first, and introducing variety is essential to keep them engaged and motivated. A dull and uninviting workplace can significantly diminish productivity and lead to disengagement among employees in the long run.
The physical office environment plays a vital role in your agents’ overall well-being, impacting their work quality and productivity. Studies have shown a direct link between employees’ fondness for their workspace and their performance. While extravagant additions like slides and mini-golf courses are not necessary, incorporating colorful motivational posters and adding some greenery with plants can work wonders. At Virspacio Coworking Spaces, we offer an abundance of such features, including a pool table, bright wood accent walls, and high-quality furnishings, creating an excellent work environment for our users.
Beyond the furniture and physical environment, it’s crucial to foster an atmosphere where the people your agents interact with contribute to collective productivity. Conducting small team-building activities regularly can enhance working relationships, even if it’s just simple games at their desks. Daily icebreakers can help team members get to know each other better, and recognizing each member’s hard work fosters engagement, motivation, and alignment with company goals. At Virspacio Coworking Spaces, we organize monthly activities that allow your team to both work hard and play hard.
Keep them Informed
Even though your agents are working off-site, it’s vital to involve them in the company’s activities. Demonstrate the actual impact of their work on the customers they serve. Provide consistent feedback and updates on their accounts, reviewing both problematic and well-accomplished interactions. Keep them informed about their performance metrics.
Create a work experience that goes beyond simply showing up to the office and mechanically completing their shifts. Show them the real-world value of their contributions and how their efforts contribute to the company’s success.
Help your agents understand how they positively impact the customers they serve and how they add value to the company as individuals. Avoid making them feel like mere statistics; instead, highlight their significance as valued members of the organization. When employees feel included and valued, they are more motivated to work harder and excel.
Enhancing Practices and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
When your employees are working outside the office, especially for extended periods, it becomes even more essential to ensure they are well-versed in your company’s policies and standard operating procedures. Additionally, management must recognize the need for different practices in this new work environment.
When seeking to improve business practices, your employees should be the primary consideration. Productive employees are key to success, so implementing procedures that enhance their productivity is crucial. Here are some specific practices that can help achieve this goal:
It Starts with Onboarding
Adopt a strict application process to ensure only the best candidates are selected, particularly for call center agents who represent your company to clients. Consider a “competency-based approach,” where candidates work on tasks that mirror real job situations, providing valuable insights into their performance. Establish clear parameters for evaluation to maintain objectivity and transparency throughout the hiring process.
For established BPOs sending teams to offsite locations, a similar approach can be used to assess employees’ suitability for independent work and handling confidential information outside the company’s premises.
Training is Essential
Prioritize training as an ongoing and consistent practice for all employees. While companies often prepare new hires for their roles, continuous training is essential as customer needs evolve, and employees’ skills must keep up. Existing skills should be continuously honed and improved upon.
In the case of seat leasing, where new hires are consistently joining call centers, in-house training rooms may be at capacity, limiting opportunities for current agents to train. Seat leasing can alleviate this issue and ensure consistent training for personnel.
By implementing these practices, companies can effectively adapt to the challenges of employees working outside the office and foster a more productive and efficient workforce.
When you opt for a BPO Seat lease to expand your BPO services, you gain instant access to additional office space. Some leased offices even come with extra amenities that cater perfectly to your other business needs. For instance, at Virspacio Coworking Spaces, we offer spacious meeting and training rooms capable of accommodating 10 to 150 attendees, available 24/7, including weekends. You can include the use of these facilities in your BPO seat lease contract, maximizing your setup.
Keep Your Focus
While setting ambitious goals is admirable, it’s crucial to stay grounded and realistic. Understand your limitations, weaknesses, and potential challenges. Enthusiasm and fearlessness are essential, but a dose of realism is equally necessary. Set achievable objectives and use relevant metrics to measure progress. Be mindful not to include irrelevant performance indicators that may skew your assessment of success.
For instance, using call quota as the sole performance indicator for call center agents may not accurately reflect the quality of their work. A high call count doesn’t necessarily indicate valuable interactions. Instead, focus on more meaningful criteria like call resolution, adherence to schedule, timely deliverables, average handle time, average hold time, and call abandonment. These metrics provide better insights into the quality of interactions and whether your employees are meeting the desired standards.
Utilize the Correct Tools
Just as you hold your employees to a certain standard of performance, ensure that your equipment is in good working condition. Train your employees to conduct regular quality checks on their assigned devices as part of their routine. Before starting their shifts, employees can examine their computers, desks, headsets, and other company-issued equipment daily to promptly report any issues that need attention. This proactive approach ensures smooth operations and minimizes disruptions caused by faulty equipment.
Certainly, management holds the responsibility of ensuring that the materials provided to employees are in good working order. This entails conducting quality assurance checks regularly. If you are using seat leasing services, you can benefit from the lease provider’s own inspections, reducing the need for extensive self-inspections, especially if you are working on-site and away from your employees.
Emphasize the Positive
In modern business practices, using negative language is discouraged due to the negative message it conveys to customers. Phrases like “I can’t answer that” or “We can’t solve that for you” may be factually accurate, but they can create a negative impression. Customers might perceive that the company is unable to help, even when it could be a simple matter of escalating the call or transferring it to someone who can resolve the issue.
Even seemingly harmless statements like apologizing for putting a customer on hold can contribute to a negative experience, highlighting the company’s inaction (leaving the client on hold). Therefore, language plays a crucial role in business practices and should be corrected accordingly.
Instead of saying “sorry for putting you on hold,” agents can adopt a more affirmative approach, such as saying “thank you for your patience!” This simple change puts a positive spin on the interaction, emphasizing the client’s contribution (patience) rather than the company’s shortcomings (waiting time). Though seemingly small, this shift can significantly impact the overall experience.
Improving your business practices can begin with something as straightforward as revising your language. If your current scripts include negative language, rewrite them to be positive and upbeat. Always use words that convey action, assuring the client that the company is actively addressing their concerns. Ultimately, positive language fosters a positive experience for everyone involved.
Our Conclusions
Being the call center capital of the world, the BPO industry in our country is abundant with opportunities. However, this very fact also makes it an intensely competitive sector, making it challenging to establish a strong presence amidst the competition.
A BPO seat lease can be a significant advantage for your business. Beyond being a mere extension of your office, it proves to be an invaluable tool in meeting your growing call center demands. These leases offer readily available spaces where you and your team can work without interruptions, equipped with all necessary amenities and more to ensure maximum productivity. They are a cost-effective alternative to traditional office spaces, giving small and emerging companies the chance to thrive in a highly competitive environment. Even industry giants can find all their business needs met, whether it’s a plug-and-play setup or an extension of their operations, including access to training and meeting rooms.
At Virspacio Coworking Spaces, we understand that each company has its unique needs, and we steer away from one-size-fits-all solutions. Our BPO seat lease contracts are tailored specifically for you, created entirely from scratch based on your requirements and preferences. Our commitment is to help you and your business succeed, and we offer state-of-the-art facilities and top-notch services to achieve that objective. Reach out to us today at +639171901152 or send a message to connect@virspacio.com to get started on the path to success.