Convergys Corp. Forwards Virtual Office Trend

In case you weren’t convinced that Corporate America is getting on the telecommuting bandwagon, consider a Fort Lauderdale relationship management company’s move to hire 118 full time workers for its contact center in Tamarac.

Convergys Corporation is only looking to put 18 of those new employees to work at its physical location. The rest will be telecommuters. That means, essentially, Convergys is hiring call center employee to work from home—from a virtual office space.

The company’s reasoning?

“We are especially pleased to offer telecommuting positions which allow us to expand our walls beyond our brick-and-mortar site, and extend employment to qualified individuals who may find a daily commute to be difficult or cost prohibitive,” says John Sargis, site leader for the Convergys contact center in Ft. Lauderdale.

Sargis clearly isn’t concerned about a loss of productivity. The company will train its telecommuting new hires for two weeks before they begin taking inbound customer calls from their home-based virtual office. Convergys offers telecommuting employees hourly wages plus incentives, and benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance, tuition reimbursement, 401(k), and paid and unpaid time off.

Clearly, the move toward telecommuting and virtual offices is gaining ground. Although virtual offices make good sense for call center employees, this isn’t the only industry that can or is benefiting from virtual office technologies. Large companies like Cisco and IBM are tapping into telecommuting, as are universities.

Likewise, virtual office space can be a professionalism-saver for entrepreneurs looking to offer a stronger business image. Davinci’s virtual office space offer prime business addresses in Ft. Lauderdale that get attention. Virtual office space also offers a physical meeting place for entrepreneurs who need to conduct client presentations, or just meet with them in a professional business setting to discuss projects.

Convergys Corporation’s move to hire 100 telecommuters and put them to work in home-based virtual offices is further confirmation of an ongoing trend. Is it time for your company to consider virtual office technologies that help your company shave costs and increase employee productivity?

About Jennifer LeClaire

Jennifer LeClaire is a veteran business journalist, editor and new media entrepreneur with a strong niche in real estate and technology.