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IRS Call Center Agents with Disabilities Deliver Quality Work, Find Quality of Life

Boston, MA — November 2, 2010

Individual agents working from home in “virtual” call centers once again prove they can compete effectively and economically with agents located in traditional corporate contact centers. Agents answering calls to the IRS Forms and Publications Toll-Free Hotline just turned in a second consecutive error-free month. This despite the fact that all of its geographically dispersed agents work remotely due to disabilities that prevent them from working outside their homes. They were also recruited, trained, and now answer calls without ever having met anyone at their employer, NTI, a nonprofit organization that finds jobs for Americans with disabilities in contact centers.

After awarding NTI an initial five-year contract to employ Americans with disabilities preventing them from taking jobs outside the home, the IRS renewed NTI’s contract in 2009. The agents, all of whom undergo screening and training from their homes before being certified to take live calls, are working NTI’s seventh tax season. They’re also preparing for the inevitable surge of calls in January 2011, and are intent on maintaining their 100% quality score. M.J. Willard, NTI’s Executive Director, enthusiastically points out the win-win outcome. “Americans answering calls in a variety of distinctly American accents help other Americans obtain the tax information they need. And without a mistake for the last two months. As NTI likes to say, ‘We manage Quality.’”

Despite the pressure to maintain their quality record while confronting the daily challenges imposed by a wide range of disabilities, NTI’s agents enjoy their jobs, and the work/life balance having a legitimate work-from-home income allows. Many find their NTI jobs through the vocational rehabilitation agencies in their states, after years of deleting suspect work-from-home spam offers arriving in email.

Americans with disabilities like Dan Stogsdill, a remote agent with five years of experience on the IRS hotline, explain: “If you want to work for an honest day’s pay, without welfare, go for it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever found. I spent years and years looking for work. When I received my first paycheck with taxes withheld I knew I had a legit job. I value my job greatly.”

For over 15 years, NTI has placed Americans with disabilities in contact center jobs for both Federal Agency and commercial clients as an employer and a contract staffing agency. It expects to employ more than 1000 agents by January 2011, providing all of them with the opportunity to enjoy a similar positive work/life balance as NTI employees in 2011.

About NTI:

NTI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit disability organization, pioneered staffing virtual call centers with Americans with disabilities who work from home. It provides highly qualified “NTI Certified TM” American-speaking agents to both commercial and government organizations, such as the IRS. For more information, visit http://www.NTIcentral.Org.

Contact:

Alan W. Hubbard, COO

National Telecommuting Institute, Inc.

Tel:    800-619-0111 X-307

http://www.NTIcentral.Org

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