As the novel coronavirus continues to make headlines, many can’t help but think of the 1995 thriller Outbreak. Starring well-recognized actors Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Morgan Freeman, the film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus in Zaire, and later in a small town in the United States. The plot speculates how far military and civilian agencies might go to contain the spread of a deadly, contagious disease. However, it is not the incredible acting that stands out most with this film, it’s the incredible reality that it is based on Richard Preston’s nonfiction book The Hot Zone and the real-life spread of incurable disease between Central Africa and the United States.
Rapid Spread, Major Impact
The rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has sparked worldwide alarm. Since the virus was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, it has spread from Wuhan, China to 46 countries with nearly 122,000 cases and 4,400 deaths; it is being compared to SARS, swine flu, Zika, and other epidemics. Some scientists have estimated that the number of cases doubles about every seven days[1].
The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably, promoting swift and significant actions. All of Italy has been put on lockdown, as the government ferociously tries to gain control of the virus spread. Large event gatherings are being cancelled or postponed and universities across the globe are extending spring break to give professors time to move curriculum to an online format. Vietnam has temporarily suspended entry for eight European countries as India suspends all tourist visas until April 15.
Impact on Bricks and Mortar Contact Centers
Second to frequent hand washing, social distancing has become WHO’s strongest recommendation to stop the spread and the world is complying. Unfortunately, with brick and mortar contact centers, such distance is nearly impossible as people work in close proximity, often sharing phones, cubicles spaces, desks, computers, and more, making agents more susceptible to communicable diseases.
Business Continuity
As the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issued interim guidance for businesses and employers to plan and respond to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), encouraging organizations to review their current pandemic flu plan or develop a new plan, particularly one that incorporates work-from-home policies. Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have already asked staff to work from home because of coronavirus.
With that, many organizations remain overworked and overwhelmed as they find alternative solutions to ensure contact centers remain open and operational for all customers. Many are considering moving their brick and mortar contact center operations to a virtual environment; however, the need to address proper time management, quality assurance and suitable oversight of agents, continuous learning and upskills, technology implementation, and proper communications are driving even greater concern for business leaders. Those who focus on customer experience are faced with numerous challenges as they scramble to ensure customer trust and loyalty.
In addition, Arise has taken additional precautionary measures as it applies to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Practiced procedures and team assignments for emergency operations
- Procedures to monitor the status of affected service partners using the arise platform so appropriate adjustments to service time and fulfillment can be made
- Multiple channels to communicate updates and warnings to all service partners and continuously update as the situation changes
- Coordination and planning with third-party suppliers to recognize and mitigate risk posed by any loss of their service during the emergency
- Updated hiring policies to ensure key staff are not clustered in a single area
- Significant investment in cross-training to develop and maintain “depth on the bench” if the primary and even secondary subject matter expert is impacted
Well-developed standard operating procedures and automation to ensure key processes are not dependent on any single person
Summary
The novel coronavirus is having dramatic impact on businesses all around the globe and those with physical contact centers or BPO partners in brick and mortar facilities are especially at risk. Forced to reevaluate their business continuity plans, organizations are not just changing their day to day processes and operations, they’re changing the way people work.
Following the recommendations of the WHO, CDC, and other government organizations, many organizations are instituting well-constructed, remote work policies as they transition their contact centers to a carefully planned virtual environment. Many others seek expertise and support from experienced, cloud-based outsourcers that can quickly and effectively ramp to support unprecedented volume.
When contact volume surges, and organizations risk slow response to their customers, that’s when the most help is needed – and quickly. The Arise Platform is here for companies and brands regardless of fluctuating demand. Organizations using the Arise Platform can ramp up to provide as much as a 400% increase in support as they connect to a network of remote Service Partners who are ready to jump into action. Even when volume increases come as a surprise, companies using the platform can scale up to 70% and handle it quickly. Whether support is needed for a couple of hours, a day, a week, or a whole season, the Arise Platform strives to make every contact an authentic customer experience.
Blog Sources:
[1] Cohen, Tyler, Bill Gates Is Really Worried About the Coronavirus. Here’s Why., Bloomberg.com, March 3, 2020.
[2] Jiwa, Nick, Market Size: Just How Big Is the Call Center Industry?,CustomerServ.com, October 25, 2017.
[3] Mazareanu, E., Largest U.S. call centers by number of employees 2018, Statista, October 16, 2019.
[4] Raja, Jeyapal Dinesh and Bhasin, Sanjiv Kumar, Health Issues Amongst Call Center Employees, An Emerging Occupational Group in India, Indian Journal of Community Medicine, July-September, 2014.
