Best Tips For Call Center Agents Working From Home

Most people imagine a room full of people with headsets when they hear the word call center. Yet, in 2024, plenty of call centers operate fully or partially remotely. This makes sense, as running such a facility comes with great overhead costs. 

So, when you compare the costs of purchasing a cloud-based call center software and running a physical location, it’s no surprise that many contact centers hire more and more remote workers.

If you’re one of the call center agents who just got the word you’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future, you’re in for a bit of a bumpy ride to maintain a high level of productivity while operating in your pajamas. 

Although we’re positive you’ll appreciate the extra flexibility and the lack of a daily commute, you’ll also need to be properly armed to overcome these challenges. 

So, continue reading to learn some nifty tips for call center agents working from home.

1. Create a dedicated workspace

Whatever happens, never work in your bed. This is a recipe for disaster as you’ll practically have no home-work balance. Plus, your brain will start associating the bed with your job and you may struggle to fall asleep at night because of this.

Our suggestion is to create a workspace where you’ll spend most of your time during business hours. No need to go all fancy - it can be just a tiny corner in your room that will be solely used for work. 

Since this is now practically your office, feel free to decorate it and make it a conducive environment for your job. Place photos of your family on the desk or get some flowers - these decorations will work wonders for your productivity and mental health. 

2. Stick to a routine

There are two camps of remote workers:

Those who procrastinate and end up working excessive hours, and those who go beyond the assigned work hours to get in as much work as possible. Both approaches are flawed and will eventually lead to burnout to beat all burnouts. 

Remind yourself of your regular hours, take regular breaks (just as you would at the office), and try to find ways to further balance your personal and work life.

3. Sneak in some physical activity

Despite the sedentary nature of a call center job, most agents move around when communicating with coworkers or take a stroll every once in a while to the water cooler for their daily gossip sessions. 

It’s easy to ignore this when you’re working from home. Human bodies don’t like being stationary, so we recommend taking plenty of short breaks throughout the day that you can use to move around. To make it more interesting and efficient, try to get a few chores done like taking out the trash or picking up the mail. Just don’t get too carried away.

4. Set boundaries with the members of your household

One of the most important tips for call center agents working from home is to set clear expectations and boundaries with your family. While seeing your family more often is a huge plus, it can quickly become a hindrance to your productivity. 

Inform everyone in your home about your hours and ask them not to bother you until you’re on your breaks. You can also schedule timeouts around your family to minimize potential distractions. 

5. Get your supplies

Your home is your office now, and even though your company may provide the essential supplies you need to do your job, you can enhance your remote experience by getting some additional goodies. 

Extra monitor, better web camera, comfy chair with lumbar support, earbuds, lighting, and peripherals like a wireless mouse are all worth the investment. 

6. Be fully present during remote meetings

Most call center teams still do team-building activities and attend online team meetings. This helps bridge the gap between the remote and in-office setting, but it also builds a connection between coworkers and helps maintain rapport with the leadership. 

Stay present during these meetings. Just because you’re at home doesn’t suddenly mean you can treat your coworkers like they’re your Discord buddies.

7. Remind yourself of your goals

Since we’re talking about tips for call center agents working from home, this particular point needs to be brought up every so often. Working from home can feel weird. You’re disconnected from your work buddies and your family is suddenly an arm’s length away. In such circumstances, it’s easy to forget you have customers on the line. 

You may be compelled to get things over with as soon as possible by providing your caller with a short-term solution. However, don’t forget that you’re working to address your customer’s long-term needs, rather than your convenience.

That way, you’ll continue thriving in the call center environment from the comfort of your home. 

8. Give yourself some words of encouragement

When the pandemic we shall not name hit, things were a bit different. Working from home was a means to an end and at the time, everything seemed like a fun experiment. Nowadays, working from home long-term is quite a challenging experience, especially if you returned to the office at one point.

Dedicate the time for praising yourself and your achievements. Feel free to share your goals with your coworkers and continue building valuable connections. 

Working from home can feel isolating, which is why you should constantly remind yourself that you’re doing good and that you can overcome any challenge your job throws at you. 

Organize your way to success

Despite all the challenges, remote working is a rewarding experience, more so if you’re an introvert. Transitioning to a completely new environment may require an adjustment period, but the right mindset and strategies will get you faster toward your state of absolute flow. 

Using the tips for call center agents working from home provided above can improve your communication, productivity, and your mental well-being. Adhering to what you learned today will help you stay motivated and engaged when working from a desk in your room.