Remote Call Center Jobs Offer Flexibility, Security

When it comes to finding the right people to staff the Exchange’s 24/7 Contact Center, distance is no obstacle. While most of the Contact Center’s 200-plus associates work near the Exchange’s headquarters in Dallas, more than 30 agents serve the best customers in the world from their homes throughout the country, where they field questions about ShopMyExchange.com orders or MILITARY STAR_® card accounts.

The flexibility of the remote jobs makes them a great fit for the military community, including the ability to build long-lasting careers for military spouses. The Exchange has a goal to hire 50,000 military spouses and Veterans.

“I’ve absolutely loved this program,” says Shelly Thomas, the Exchange’s first remote call center graduate, who is married to an Army master sergeant. “In the past 22 years, I’ve moved 16 times with the Army, and before the Exchange, I had to quit my job every move. Now I pack up my equipment when I move, set it up as soon as I have internet at my new place and keep working without losing tenure.”

Shelly Thomas, who is married to an Army master sergeant, says she loves the remote call center program because it provides job stability if her family has to move.

Thomas started with the Exchange Contact Center in 2018 while she was at Fort Campbell. She has moved three times—she now lives near Fort Hood— bringing her job with her each time and has been promoted twice since joining the Exchange.

The remote agents live near CONUS military installations, so the associates are close to an Exchange if they need in-person support. In addition to Fort Campbell and Fort Hood, current installations participating in the program include Forts Polk, Gordon, Bliss, Leonard Wood, Jackson, McCoy, Benning and Bragg, and Cannon, MacDill, Wright-Patterson, Langley, Barksdale, Tinker, Peterson and Scott Air Force Bases. The Exchange plans to recruit more remote agents throughout 2021 and expand to more locations, including overseas.

The program is a win-win. The Contact Center recruits talent from around the country while the agents—65% of whom are military spouses—gain careers that provide flexibility and security.

“The Exchange can cast a wider geographical net when recruiting agents and hire more military spouses and Veterans,” said Exchange Contact Center Operations Manager Corliss Boettcher. “They get a career opportunity that’s flexible and is a natural fit for many of them—continuing to serve the military community.”

Matthew Wirtz, who served six years with the Army Military Police Corps at Schofield Barracks, says his military background helps him connect with customers. Wirtz has been a virtual agent with the Exchange since November 2019 and works from his home near Fort Campbell.

“When I’m talking with Veterans or service members, they know I understand,” Wirtz said. “Sometimes, if callers are upset, just knowing they are talking to former military makes me relatable to them.”