Debunking the Myths about Home Agent Recruitment and Hiring

By Rick Owens

In my first blog “Why Aren’t More Companies Using Home Agents,” I discussed common concerns or myths that often cloud a company’s consideration of incorporating home agents into their care strategy. My next blog, “Debunking the Home Agent Data Security Myth” set out to bust the most common myth many companies have when considering home agents: data security. Now it is time to focus on another common myth, and that is that the recruitment and hiring of a virtual workforce over the Internet is not as efficient and effective at finding qualified and reliable agents as is the process for a traditional brick and mortar workforce.

In 2006, when Convergys started to consider adding agent-assisted services provided from the home, a number of complexities became apparent. Some of the complexities related to federal and state employment laws, regulations, and taxes, as well as additional complicating factors associated with a geographically dispersed applicant pool. It was also apparent that home agents needed to be not only PC and Internet proficient, but also capable of keeping their Internet connection and their PC functioning properly. Even now, nearly six years later, it is not surprising that many companies ask today what we asked ourselves in 2006: how do you find and hire the right, qualified applicant from such a geographically dispersed applicant pool — without ever engaging with the applicant face to face?

Well, the answer is you can and we have, and it is not a myth, with the use of technology! In fact, the home agent recruitment and hiring process is as concise, efficient, and effective as the process used in a typical brick and mortar facility. Let me explain further.

Recruitment

As with our brick and mortar agents, we must attract the best qualified candidates for our home agent programs.

Typically, sourcing applicants for brick and mortar operations includes contacting the local media and distributing local hiring news releases, as well as contacting local employment organizations, universities, PTA’s, etc. We recruit locally to the site since a typical brick and mortar center’s effective hiring radius is generally determined by the driving distance the local population will endure.

For sourcing Home Agent applicants, it is different. We can leverage the Internet and social media channels as they provide an opportunity to target across a large geographical footprint the skills and demographics we are looking for in a home agent. We engage with online communities and consortiums, and with other specialty group employment programs that leverage the Internet as a communication medium. The sourcing reach is quite large, and is in a continual state of evolution and refreshment, as people move in and around the Internet.

While a different approach, the end result is the same: we attract many interested applicants that must then go through our hiring process.

Hiring

At Convergys, we view the home agent’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) and computer as the agent’s “transportation” to the work environment. We utilize VoIP technology for delivering our customer care services, thus validating an agent’s environment is critical in our recruitment and hiring process. Many other Home Agent providers still use traditional landlines for voice connectivity, but that is hard to police and agents often are found using unprotected VoIP or even cell phones. In addition almost 20% of homes no longer have a landline and that number is increasing.

Therefore, rather than begin with considering an applicant’s personal qualifications, we first verify ISP and PC qualifications. We do this through an automated ISP and computer testing application on our recruitment Web site at www.ConvergysWorkAtHome.com. We describe carefully the minimum standards that we require for employment and then automatically test an applicant’s Internet connectivity speed and computer hardware to make sure these meet our standards. If an applicant’s equipment doesn’t pass, we tell him or her why so necessary upgrades can be made to reapply.

It is important to consider that the home agent is the first line of support to keep his or her Internet connection and PC functioning properly, thus we educate throughout the hiring process so applicants  are equipped to maintain their operational status. We also verify an applicant’s general understanding of the Internet and what a browser is as well as their ability to perform such PC functions as how to “cut and paste” and other editing functions of a PC. We also check to determine how well an applicant can control the “noise” on his or her home network, including the many toys, DVD players, movies-on-demand services and even smart phones that automatically connect now to the home network.

Once we have determined that an applicant is technically qualified, we then validate personal qualifications. Obviously we can’t meet an applicant face to face like we would a brick and mortar applicant. Instead, the screening of an applicant’s personal skill-set is also enabled by Internet technology. Some of this is accomplished through the application process itself. By design, we incorporate e-mail communications with links and URL’s that an applicant has to be able to manipulate so not to fall out of our hiring process. By incorporating technology into the hiring process, we are able to get a picture of an applicant’s technical capabilities and his or her level of perseverance and discipline, along with the traditional résumé information. In addition, an applicant’s ability to follow instructions via this technology-driven process reveals to us that applicant’s ability to learn and follow remote guidance.

The final step for applicants that make it through this part of the hiring process is a personal, but remote, direct interview with a trained recruiting expert via a phone conversation. This professional will validate all the criteria described above, judge the applicant’s voice quality and communication skill, and determine if we have a good fit.

Statistically, we hire less than 2% of the applicants that get to the virtual front door– the threshold being technology verification. That is because working from home requires meeting basic qualifications, but also unique characteristics to work successfully in a home environment.

Industry analysts have predicted annual growth of Home Agents by 10-15% over the past few years, but we’ve seen a little above that at roughly 20% within our own operations. We believe, in part, that our growth can be attributed to the fact that we have mastered the recruitment and hiring process that is particular to building a home-based agent program.

After reading this you may think to yourself, ok, it is not a myth that you can actually attract, qualify, and hire home agents without meeting them face to face, but it does require an investment in technology and process change. That is true, and that is why many companies choose to work with an outsourcer to provide them with a home agent solution.

In my next blog, I will tackle the myth that you can’t effectively train a virtual workforce.

Rick Owens is the Senior Director of Convergys’ Home Agent Solutions. In this role, Rick is responsible for establishing and implementing the product strategy for Convergys’ Home Agent Solutions as well as business development and operations.

Tags: Agent, Agent training, Customer Service, Home Agent, Outsourcing, Technology