Homeworking is still not in the top five options being used to create flexibility in contact centres, says new research, despite the widespread availability of high-speed broadband and advances in technology that make so-called 'homeshoring' (working from home as part of a distributed, virtual call centre) viable.

The 2008 Flexible Working Survey shows that improving efficiency is still the main reason for flexible working, but delivering an improved work/life balance to employees is now rated nearly as important.

The benchmark survey analysed responses from all industry sectors and was conducted earlier this year by the Professional Planning Forum, an independent industry body that supports effective resourcing, planning and information analysis in the contact centre industry.

The survey finds that over 50% of centres have not considered homeworking as a viable option, or have discounted it entirely. It also shows that part-time staff remains the principle option for many call centres to deliver staffing flexibility, with 63% of centres having between 20-40% part-time employees.

However, while part-time workers deliver flexibility they also present challenges, suggest many respondents to the survey, which includes comments such as “Spans of control for team managers are lower so cost is higher”; “Often people accept part time hours and then ask to change them in the first 6 months”; and “Requests for hours within the school run, poor evening cover delivered”.

"This research forms part of the Flexible Working stream we are developing, to support the demands of employees, businesses and government legislation on flexibility,” explained Steve Woosey, membership director of The Professional Planning Forum. The Forum, established in 2000, is an independent industry body that supports effective resourcing, planning and information analysis within the contact centre industry.

Looking at homeworking more closely, the research revealed a number of differences between expected and realised benefits. For example, those implementing homeworking expect to see most benefit in employee work/life balance and reduced absence. However, centres already using homeworkers have also seen big improvements in coverage of opening hours and improved service to customers. Enabling homeworking, therefore, has many more benefits than most centre managers might expect. IT infrastructure, however, remains the top challenge for both.

Dave Vernon from the Professional Planning Forum sums up the findings, “Homeworking is on the cusp of moving from the fringes of flexibility options to the mainstream. While the perceived main benefits of improved attrition and better work/life balance are being delivered, associated benefits such as improved coverage of hours and improved customer satisfaction are also being realised by those companies at the forefront of this working solution.

"The main blockage still remains around IT Infrastructure and is a stumbling block for many. However, with technology progressing all the time and the number of companies moving down this road, this final blockage is all but remedied."