There’s no doubting that the relationship between a brand and its consumer is more complicated than ever before. The confluence of increased competition in the marketplace and the permanency of the online review has thrust the power firmly into the hands of the consumer. And while businesses of all shapes and sizes navigate those landmines, consumer expectations continue to climb.

It’s for those reasons and more that smart and savvy businesses are doubling down on their contact centers, ramping up efforts to ensure those heightened customer needs are met. But I’m here to tell you that you can do that without spending significantly more money or adding a ton of full-time workers. How? It’s called GigCX, and it’s a way to deploy gig-based agents working in short shifts to provide customer service.

Here are three reasons why the GigCX model is right for your contact center

‍It facilitates flexibility

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard of “The Great Resignation.” But contrary to what some believe, people aren’t quitting their jobs in droves because they don’t want to work. They’re leaving en masse because they want more meaningful work and improved flexibility for a better work-life balance—and GigCX aligns with that perfectly. In a GigCX model like what ShyftOff utilizes, contact center reps are subcontractors free to work as little or whenever they like.

We have more than 1,000 applicants each week with many of those electing to fill 30-minute shifts for our customers’ contact centers. And while we always ensure that these centers are adequately staffed, the gig workers in our agent base complete the actual schedules. That means that these workers have the freedom to both make money and devote time to other interests and passions, whether that’s more time with family, advancing their education or working a full-time job that they enjoy too much to leave.

It improves the quality of your workforce

When you’re talking about something as critical as customer contact, it only makes sense that your best and brightest would be the first line of defense. Just how essential is this to the success of a business? One recent Microsoft customer service study found that 95% of respondents cited it as important to their choice of and loyalty to a brand.

While a college education doesn’t guarantee that the person answering calls for your brand will represent you in the best possible light, it does historically stack the odds in your favor. At ShyftOff, roughly 80% of our agents are college-educated—compared to a traditional call center, which hovers around 20%. Further, 40% of our reps are manager level or above in a full-time job and are logging-in to our service simply for a little extra income. GigCX opens up an entirely new applicant pool of highly qualified, professional candidates to businesses for the staffing of contact centers.

It’s more cost-effective

While the traditional full-time standard is 40 hours per week, it’s been my experience that most call center reps are actually only productive for just over half of that. And even though the rest of that time is spent taking breaks or talking with colleagues, companies are on the hook for the full 40. Not so with the GigCX model in which you’re only paying for the time an agent is actually working.

Booking reps in 30-minute intervals also allows businesses to scale up or down to accommodate peak or slow periods as necessary without the operational costs of a full- or even part-time employee. Additionally, GigCX agents utilize personally owned devices (phone, headset, computer, internet), which equates to CAPEX savings for the business.

Interested in learning how ShyftOff’s proficiency in managing a GigCX model for contact centers can benefit your business? Don’t hesitate to reach out at trevorclark@shyftoff.com