In 2013, I was serving as Vice President of Customer Service for Comcast Cable. At the time, I led seven call centers across several states in the Southeast, part of Comcast’s Central Division. My leader approached me to discuss a business challenge. Due to a change in business, primarily reduced contact rates and increased outsourcing, we had many contact centers in our portfolio that were less than 50% occupied. Buildings with a capacity of 400 agents with a population of 125 were the norm, with the challenge becoming greater each day.

His guidance was to explore options to reduce the number of buildings while retaining our talent. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only a few companies known for their radical approach toward contact centers working remotely. But the vast majority of business operations and contact centers were office-based. A quick Google search revealed just two experts in the United States focused on virtual, remote, and hybrid approaches to contact center operations. Today, a similar search returns 464 million results, highlighting every aspect of remote work.

Faced with this challenge, I knew we needed a bold and thoughtful approach to ensure operational efficiency and employee engagement. I led the development of a comprehensive work-from-home playbook that became a cornerstone of our strategy. This playbook covered every aspect of the transition, from selecting the right technology and communication tools to establishing clear protocols for managing outages and maintaining productivity.

We also had to address leadership development, focusing on equipping managers with the skills needed to lead remote teams effectively. This involved creating training programs emphasizing communication, accountability, and empathy—ensuring that our leaders remained connected to their teams despite physical distances.

Managing employee engagement remotely was a priority. We implemented initiatives encouraging connection and collaboration, from virtual town halls to regular team check-ins. We designed flexible schedules to support work-life balance and established clear performance metrics for transparency and consistency.

Our approach wasn't without challenges. Internet outages, technology hiccups, and the natural hurdles of remote work required adaptability. But by staying focused on our people, we maintained high engagement scores and strong operational performance.

Before COVID-19, we had already moved nearly 1,000 agents from physical buildings to working from home. When the pandemic required most businesses to transition to a remote model, Comcast was no exception. During a rapid four-week timeframe, I played an instrumental role in deploying over 6,000 additional employees to work remotely. The original "Contact Center Without Walls" (CCWoW) playbook was a foundational element of this success. Today, many of those deployed during the pandemic continue to thrive in a work-from-home model.

Looking back, it’s clear that building a work-from-home model before it became an industry norm was a defining moment in my career. Solving a real estate problem and pioneering a sustainable way of working that put employees first while driving business results is a milestone of my time with Comcast. The lessons learned through this experience continue to influence how I approach challenges today, always focusing on balancing operational impact with employee and customer experience.

Pioneering Remote Work:

How We Built a Scalable Work-From-Home Strategy

By Doug Ward | Customer & Employee Experience Strategist | Founder, Elevating Everyone