Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

July 2023

10 common call center problems (plus how to fix them)

Long wait times, unhappy customers, disengaged agents, and high turnover: call center problems can have cascading effects that significantly impact your bottom line. Whether you manage a single call center or oversee several outsourced contact centers, finding the root cause or seeing the bigger picture isn’t always easy. In this article, we’ll cover 10 of the most common contact center issues and share actionable steps to resolve them.

Top 9 call center performance management software (2023)

Whether your call center’s North Star metric is its customer satisfaction score (CSAT), net promoter score (NPS), or return on investment (ROI), you need a platform that can measure and optimize your efforts. Yet choosing the right solution is more challenging than it might seem.

Top 10 quality monitoring software for customer service teams

Providing a customer experience that’s consistently superior isn’t always easy with a distributed team of call center agents. If you’ve tried introducing customer service policies without having the right tools in place, you might have found that you: With quality monitoring software, you can collect agent and call data and generate insights automatically—often in real time.

BPO industry business models - A short guide

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the great silent powerhouses behind many global business operations. This unassuming giant works tirelessly behind the scenes to spin the cogwheels of many of the largest and well-known companies all over the world. When you call your bank, insurance company, or utility provider, the chances are good you could be talking to someone who works for a BPO.

Mastering the new normal: Your comprehensive guide to managing a hybrid workforce

Hey there, welcome to the new normal! In our fast-paced, always-connected world, the traditional 9-to-5 office grind is quickly becoming a relic of the past. Enter the hybrid workforce, a dynamic blend of in-office and remote working revolutionizing how we think about work. Now, if you’re thinking, “Okay, that sounds cool… but how do I manage that?” don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

Reshaping Work Paradigms: Hybrid Models, Remote Dynamics, and the Quest for Optimal Productivity

In today’s episode, host Liam Martin engages in a comprehensive discussion with Dave Mastronardi, the visionary behind Gamestorming Group and New Rules for Work. They delve into the inherent flaws in traditional work structures, illuminating the urgent need for innovative work rules. From the benefits and setbacks of hybrid, remote, and office work models, to the charged debate surrounding the return to the office in a post-pandemic world, no topic is left unexplored.

11 best call center analytics software to assess performance

Building a successful call center requires ongoing efforts to track agent performance, improve call times, and increase customer satisfaction. If you’ve tried monitoring these metrics with spreadsheets or other manual methods, you probably found them to be inefficient at best and inaccurate at worst. With call center analytics software, you can efficiently track the metrics that matter to your team.

Remote vs. distributed work: Which one is right for your team?

Hello, savvy business leaders and ambitious team managers! Welcome to the world where modern work models have replaced the traditional office. With so many options and technical terms flying around, it’s easy to feel a little lost. Today, we will dive into the differences between two of the most popular work models today – remote and distributed work. At Time Doctor, we love keeping things real, simple, and understandable.

Top 9 virtual call center software

Managing a virtual call center with a globally distributed workforce requires the right tech stack—especially if you aim to run an efficient, ROI-positive operation. Without a reliable solution, you’re likely: In this guide to virtual call center software, we’ll go over nine of the best options for everything from agent performance management to conversational AI—so you can find the right platform to optimize your contact center operations.

Bridging distances: Effective communication strategies for remote teams

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind about remote work? Pajamas all day? Flexible hours? How about communication? Yeah, we thought so! As cool as the ‘work from home’ life sounds (and it is!), it’s not without its unique challenges – and communication is right up there at the top of the list. Don’t get us wrong, we’re all about that remote work life here at Time Doctor. But we also know that communication can make or break a remote team.

11 call center interview questions & why you should ask them

Whether you need to scale a call center team or reduce agent turnover, you want to onboard the best employees for the role. Asking the right call center interview questions is crucial for screening unqualified candidates and building capable teams. So, what questions should you ask, and what answers should you look for?

Empowering teams: How modern leadership practices are changing the game

Welcome, folks! In today’s ultra-connected and fast-paced world, the ‘boss behind the big desk’ leadership style no longer cuts it. Leadership styles have evolved, and modern leadership practices are stepping into the limelight, focusing on collaboration, flexibility, and empowerment. These aren’t just buzzwords, either. They’re the keys to driving successful teams and businesses in this day and age. But how does Time Doctor fit into this equation, you ask?

Find your Zen: How Time Doctor transforms leadership stress into serenity

Hey there, leaders! Ever feel like you’re juggling a dozen balls at once, trying to keep everything in order? We’ve all been there. Whether your team is in-office, remote, or a hybrid mix, managing productivity and efficiency can sometimes feel like a full-time job itself. Here’s some good news: you don’t have to do it alone. Enter Time Doctor, your down-to-earth, dependable partner in productivity.

Harnessing the power of data for a stronger workplace: How to create a data-driven culture

Welcome to the era of data! If you’ve been paying any attention to the business world these days, you’ve likely noticed that data is having quite the moment. And it’s not just a fleeting trend, either. With businesses growing increasingly complex and competitive, making decisions on a whim or a hunch no longer cuts it. Enter the era of data-driven work culture.

7 employee productivity tracking tools for large businesses

When you oversee large hybrid or remote teams, you need a reliable solution for monitoring and improving employee productivity. Yet you’ve likely found that most tracking tools fall short when it comes to enterprise-level needs, such as: In this guide, we’ll cover the best employee productivity tracking platforms for enterprise users so you can invest in the right software for your team and budget.

The rise of digital nomads: Opportunities and challenges for businesses

You see them on Instagram or Tik Tok, laptop perched on a table in a café overlooking the beach in some dream holiday destination. They usually caption it with something like “Today’s office” to make all their friends stuck in a dreary downtown cubicle jealous. They’re the digital nomads. Kids in their twenties living the dream, armed with just a laptop, a decent education, and a sense of adventure. Except they’re not in their 20s anymore.

Top 15 remote working software for efficient teams

To lead a remote team successfully, you need a tech stack that lets you manage projects, communicate with employees, and deliver resources efficiently. If you’re relying on a mix of email, spreadsheets, and synchronous meetings, you’re probably: With the right remote work software, you can automate most team management tasks and work on leveling up your employees instead.

Outsourcing red flags: Signs you need a productivity intervention

Productivity red flags can be hard to spot. Two forces – the transition to remote work and the rise of quiet quitting – tend to keep the source of productivity problems hidden in outsourcing firms, so only the outcomes are visible. We recently surveyed outsourcing companies of all shapes and sizes from around the world and learned that a staggering 80% of companies are facing these kinds of challenges.

Is your agency stuck in a time-wasting rut?

Processes and systems are essential for growing an agency. They’re the scaffolding holding the structure in place. But too many agencies mistake scaffolding for structure, becoming overburdened with procedure at the expense of productivity, creativity and collaboration. Process should help agencies scale, not become a straitjacket that belabours daily tasks and prevents knowledge sharing.

Navigating the challenges of managing a cross-cultural remote team

In today’s globally connected economy very few businesses of a certain size restrict themselves to just a single country. In fact, even small ‘mom-and-pop’ businesses sell their products online all over the world. Employers of all kinds are tapping into talent and expertise from all around the world, and not just those with subsidiaries in multiple countries. Almost all businesses, organizations, and even governments are under pressure to reduce costs and do more with less.

8 pro tips for effective hybrid workforce management

Whether your organization aims to add flexibility to a traditional work model or require in-office time for remote workers, managing a hybrid workforce is a balancing act. If you’ve already started testing a hybrid model, you’ve probably run into issues like these: With careful planning and proactive problem-solving, you can design a hybrid approach that works for everyone. In this guide, discover 8 tips for successful hybrid workforce management.

How to create a work from home policy (a guide)

Whether you’re building a remote-first business or you’re transitioning to a hybrid model, a work from home policy is crucial for setting expectations and establishing guidelines. Over the past decade, our fully remote team has grown to 100+ employees in 31+ countries. The Time Doctor team knows first-hand just how important it is to create a clear policy for both employees and managers.

What a hybrid work policy should include (+ free template)

If your organization plans to join the nearly 75% of businesses that offer a hybrid work model, take time to create comprehensive guidelines. With a hybrid work policy, you can avoid common issues with flexible work arrangements, including: Developing a policy that works for both management and employees doesn’t have to be difficult. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to get started, including a hybrid work policy template and suggestions for what to include.

Remote employee management: How to avoid 11 common pitfalls

Hiring a remote team has many advantages, from increased flexibility to decreased capital expenses. Yet remote work environments also have several downsides that, if left unchecked, can seriously compromise performance and even reduce retention rates. After 10+ years of working remotely—starting long before working from home became the norm—the Time Doctor team knows all the ups and downs of this work model.