Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

April 2021

Returning to the Office: Many Employees are Dreading a Return to On-Premise Work

How would you feel if your boss asked you to come back to the office next week? Let’s say, for example, that you’ve been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. You had never considered remote work as a viable option before, but now that you’ve been working from home for over a year, you love it. Your long and stressful commute is gone, you’ve been taking better care of yourself, and you have more time to spend with your family and friends.

10 Best Attendance Apps For Employees In 2021

Consider this scenario — you have a team that works onsite or visits the client’s office for a meeting. But since they’re away from the office, they can’t check in when they arrive. You either have to call them to confirm their attendance or hope that they report their arrival time honestly. Do you imagine yourself wishing for a better way to track attendance? Fortunately, you can use an attendance app for employees.

How To Create An Hourly Employee Attendance Policy (With Sample Template)

Employees are every company’s greatest resource, and it’s essential to manage your staff members efficiently. You’ll have to be wary of early departures, tardiness, and excessive absenteeism as it can affect your bottom line. And when some employees don’t do their daily tasks, it can add to your team member’s workload – leading to burnout, dampened team spirit, and lowered productivity. That’s a no-go for everyone, right?

7 Effective Ways for Building Trust in Virtual Teams

With remote working as the present and the future, the workplace will never be the same again. And despite the challenges that come with managing a virtual team, the positive change it’s had with many teams and companies cannot be denied. One thing that seems to be both a challenge and an opportunity? Building trust in your virtual team. On the one hand, remote work can be an inherent sign of trust between employer and employee.

Call Center Attendance Tracker: Excel Templates & Alternatives

Tracking attendance is a vital part of call center management. Having an adequate number of agents present for every shift is crucial to your call center’s success. And it’s the only way to ensure you meet service-level goals. That’s why call center businesses need an effective way to track attendance. In this article, we’ll explain what an attendance tracker is and why call centers need it.

What Is The 9/80 Schedule? (Pros, Cons, How To Implement)

Today, most businesses run the tried and tested standard workweek of 9 am to 5 pm, scheduled five days a week. And this usually results in a 40-hour workweek. But over the years, many alternative work schedules have evolved to replace the traditional 8-hour workday. One such popular alternative workweek schedule is the 9/80 work schedule. In this article, we’ll discuss what a 9/80 work schedule is and how it works.

Top 10 Absence Tracking Software For Your Team In 2021

With several companies allowing employees to work remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to see if employees log in during work hours. Thankfully, with the right absence tracking software, you won’t have to worry about this. These tools help you track employee attendance, analyze absenteeism patterns, and even improve workforce management. In this article, we’ll explain what absence tracking software is and its benefits for your business.

What Is A 2-2-3 Work Schedule And How To Implement It?

Working in shifts is necessary for industries where you need to provide 24/7 to meet customer demands. And as a team manager, you may face difficulties in guiding and managing team productivity. Fortunately, a 2-2-3 work schedule can help you and your team work smoothly and manage their work-life balance. In this article, we’ll discuss the 2-2-3 work schedule and its variations. We’ll also share a few tips that’ll help you manage your team while following the 2-2-3 work schedule.

What Is A Time And Attendance Report? (Key Benefits, Tools)

As a business owner or manager, you must keep track of your employees’ attendance, including their check-in, check-out, and overtime hours, to ensure smooth workflows and accurate payroll management. Fortunately, you can use employee attendance software to record all these data and visualize them as detailed reports. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of a time and attendance report and highlight four useful tools that record and analyze the time and attendance data.

Top 10 Employee Scheduling Apps For 2021

Looking for an effective employee scheduling app? Creating and maintaining staff schedules is critical to boosting the overall performance of your organization. On the other hand, manual scheduling with Excel or using a clunky staff scheduling app can be time-consuming, which affects your productivity. So choosing the right software can make all the difference in making the process simpler.

What is a Split Shift and How Can You Implement It?

Being understaffed during rush hour and overstaffed during slower periods may be one of the biggest challenges a business faces. You must ensure that you schedule your employees so that there’s adequate staff during peak periods and that it doesn’t exceed your labor budget. So how do you reach this sweet spot? You can easily achieve this by having your employees work in a split shift.

8 Proven Tips to Create an Effective Remote Work Plan

With nearly all businesses going remote, it’s essential to have a remote work plan in place. An effective plan helps you deal with various aspects of remote work like managing work schedules, communication, and employee engagement. So with several things to cover, how do you create a plan that best suits your organization? In this article, we’ll explore what a remote work plan is and why you need it.

The Best Virtual Office Software Your Team Needs for 2021

Interested in virtual office software? Remote work is a whole different ball game compared to regular office work. When you switch to virtual office space, you can’t just use the same tools as you did in the office. And, like any new team, your remote team is bound to face some challenges. That’s exactly why you need virtual office software. With a virtual office tool, you can ensure your team is working productively and creating the right virtual office environment.

7 Strategies and Tactics for Remote Call Center Scheduling

Attendance and schedule adherence has always been an essential part of any high-functioning call center. In order to successfully handle incoming call volume and cater to client needs, agents must be present and ready to answer the phone. But that’s easier said than done. Managing attendance in a call center comes with some inherent challenges.

Critical Considerations with Regards to Cybersecurity for Remote Workers

For a long time, only a few people work from home was rare and was a luxury. But, after the pandemic organizations had to adjust accordingly to working remotely. Companies have encountered numerous challenges setting up remote workers since this situation brings with it a variety of complexities and risks. And one of those challenges is cybersecurity for remote workers. As technology advances, so too do cybersecurity threats.

Business Timesheet For Call Center: 2021 Template, Tools

Want a business timesheet for call center? Business timesheets help with call center employee scheduling, productivity tracking, payroll processing, and more. However, using manual timesheets can be tedious and error-prone. That’s why using an accurate timesheet tool is a better option. But with hundreds of tools available, which one should you choose?

100 Tasks You Can Outsource to Virtual Assistant Services

Virtual assistant services are a key ingredient to helping startups and early-stage companies get off the ground. Sure, entrepreneurs are superheroes, or at least they like to think they are. And being a micromanager may be necessary at first. But as time goes by, it’s important to start letting go of the steering wheel just a little bit. Outsourcing some of your time-consuming responsibilities to a virtual assistant will help you focus on core business activities and scaling your business.

What Is Time Blocking And How Does It Work? (2021 Guide)

Wondering how time blocking can make you more productive? Many of us are constantly stuck trying to achieve an excellent work-life balance. So you might already know being productive isn’t easy with tons of commitments. Fortunately, that’s where time blocking can help. It’s a simple time management method that allows you to gain more control over your workday. In this guide, we’ll cover what time blocking is and how it works.

8 Common Employee Scheduling Issues (And How To Tackle Them)

A long line of customers, last-minute cancellations, and employee no-shows can affect any business. It impacts morale and productivity as your team would be overloaded with work. So how do you fix these problems? By adopting rock-solid employee scheduling practices. You need to chalk out a powerful scheduling process that protects your bottom-line. In this article, we’ll cover eight scheduling challenges and highlight a few tips to overcome them so you can create great work schedules.

4 Useful Employee Accountability Templates for Busy Managers

Looking for an employee accountability template? Holding employees accountable for their actions may seem daunting, especially if you’ve just been promoted to a managerial position or are a new business owner. But how do you hold an employee accountable? In this article, we’ll share smart strategies for increasing employee accountability. We’ll also provide four employee accountability templates that you can customize for your needs.

How To Maintain Accurate Employee Attendance Records In 2021

Want to learn how to keep accurate employee attendance records? Having precise and up-to-date employee attendance records makes good business sense. And in most countries, including the USA, it’s also a requirement under the law. Unfortunately, many employers see attendance recording as an unnecessary hassle. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll explain what employee attendance records are and why you need them.

How To Create An Effective Call Center Attendance Policy (Plus Free Template)

Looking for an effective call center attendance policy? Excessive absenteeism, tardiness, and other attendance issues are difficult to manage in a call center. These problems negatively impact agent productivity, team output, customer experience, and business growth. Fortunately, you can bring these problems under control by setting up an excellent attendance policy. In this article, we’ll discuss how to create a call center attendance policy to prevent absenteeism and tardiness.

3 Different Work Models To Consider In 2021

Looking for the right work models to maximize employee efficiency? The COVID 19 pandemic caused a strategic shift in business operations across the globe. And from bidding goodbye to office cubicles to creating a personalized home office, employees and organizations are now adapting to new work models. In this article, we’ll explore the various work models. We’ll then help you determine which work model aligns perfectly with your business goals and objectives.

8 Types Of Flexible Work Schedules For The Modern Workforce

Curious about the different types of flexible work schedules? Following a global pandemic, businesses are looking to enhance employee productivity despite limited physical interaction. They have adopted strategies to ensure unobstructed workflow, flexible work schedules being the most popular ones. So how do you incorporate this evolving schedule system into your company?

Timeboxing: The Ultimate Strategy to Skyrocket Productivity

Want to learn the art of effective timeboxing? We’d all love to master time management and improve our productivity. And there are many techniques out there to help us do this. One popular method is timeboxing. Timeboxing helps you accomplish your productivity goals by adding time limits to your tasks. In this article, we’ll explain what timeboxing is and its key benefits.

What is a Hybrid Office and How Does it Work?

Want to set up a hybrid office? The pandemic has resulted in drastic changes in how and where we work. While the office workplace keeps evolving continuously, this sudden need for evolution in the post-COVID world can be challenging for many companies. Various companies are now adopting either a remote or hybrid work model. So how do you modify your workspace without reducing employee productivity?

6 Steps for Effective Call Center Monitoring (2021 Guide)

Curious about call center monitoring? Call centers are the focus of global, on-call customer service. And ensuring excellent customer service via call centers is crucial to every type of business. This is why call center monitoring is becoming increasingly important. But how do you start the call center monitoring process? This article will explore call center monitoring, the six steps for effective call center monitoring, and its key benefits.

10 Best Practices To Manage Call Center Operations

Interested in call centers operations? Efficient call center services are vital for building a loyal and satisfied customer base. This is important because happy customers lead to an enhanced company image and brand loyalty. However, call center operations are complex and time-sensitive. It requires strategic planning to keep your contact center running smoothly and profitably. In this article, we explain what call centers are.

Top 10 Call Center Screen Monitoring Tools In 2021

Want to know about call center screen monitoring? Call centers play an essential role in customer service. They not only help you manage customer call volume but simplify various business processes. However, with customer demands constantly changing, it’s important to be prepared. And including screen monitoring into your call center workflows help you do just that. In this article, we’ll cover what is call center screen monitoring and the benefits they provide.

14 Simple Productivity Tips to Help You Stay Focused

We live in hectic times. While it seemed that technology will make our life easier and allow us to have more time for ourselves, the reality is completely different. Through all the technological advancements that we made in the last 20 years, we are now as busy as ever. But at the same time, only 60% of the work time is spent on actual work. With all the distractions, emails, calls, and notifications we can not be surprised.

What Is A Hybrid Workforce? (Benefits, Challenges, And Strategies)

Want to know how to build a successful hybrid workforce? Hybrid work has become a buzzword ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many large organizations like Google and Twitter have recognized its benefits and adopted these flexible work models. But what is a hybrid workforce, and how can you make it work for you? In this article, we’ll explain what a hybrid workforce is, along with its benefits and challenges. We’ll also share a few strategies for a successful hybrid workforce.

How To Hire And Manage A Virtual Receptionist In 2021

Want to hire a virtual receptionist for your business? Most business owners find it difficult to juggle the demands of running a company while interacting with clients and responding to inquiries. So if you’re one of these individuals who don’t seem to have enough hours in the day, a virtual receptionist can help you out. In this article, we’ll explain what a virtual receptionist is and how to manage them.

3 Smart Call Center Optimization Strategies (Plus 3 Tools)

Looking for a detailed guide to call center optimization? Call centers are an inseparable part of a customer-centric business. They are a great asset to the organization to improve customer interaction, resolve their issues, and enhance the brand value. The customer service industry has grown by leaps and bounds, and most call centers now use advanced technology to enhance their performance. To stay in the race, your organization needs to focus on improving the quality of the call center.

Call Center Supervision: Essential Skills & Tips For Success

Interested in call center supervision? Maintaining high standards in customer care service is not an easy task. That’s why customer service representatives (CSR) should receive thorough training and guidance to excel at their job. This is where call center supervision plays a crucial role. A frontline supervisor sets the call center up for success by building, nurturing, and managing a winning team of customer reps.

10 Smart Tips for Effective Contact Center Management

Looking for tips on effective contact center management? From scheduling customer support agents to monitoring their interactions, contact center management involves managing a contact center’s daily activities. And while life as a contact center manager can be hectic, you can ease the workload with the right techniques and tools. In this article, we’ll cover ten tips that’ll help you with contact center management and agent training.

How To Measure Employee Accountability (2021 Guide)

Want to know how to measure employee accountability? If your team’s workload is piling with unfinished tasks, you’re receiving several calls from frustrated customers, or your meetings are transforming into frequent arguments — your organization could be struggling with poor accountability. So how do you diagnose and fix these problems? By measuring employee accountability. In this article, we’ll define employee accountability and highlight how you can measure it.

The 2021 Guide To Effective Call Center Management

Looking for effective call center management tips? Managing a call center requires strategic planning, continuous learning, and hard work. A supervisor usually coaches their team to improve agent performance and grow the business. However, it may be difficult for you to manage your call center due to factors such as an overwhelming workload, inexperienced customer service representatives, etc. In this article, we’ll cover seven effective tips that’ll help you with call center management.

How to Create Meaningful Productivity KPIs (Plus Free Template)

Curious about productivity KPIs? Productivity KPIs (key performance indicators) help measure how effectively your company achieves its core business objectives. And while the term may seem complex, using KPIs to measure your company’s success is pretty easy! In this article, we’ll discuss productivity KPIs, why they matter, and how to use them to improve employee performance.