The Wall Street Journal - January 12, 2006 

Outsourcing Jobs to the Den: Call Centers Tap People Who Want to Work at Home

"Some calls can be stressful. Lydia Chang, 43, Pembroke Pines, Fla., an agent for Miramar, Fla.-based Willow CSN, once took a call for roadside assistance from a customer stranded in Ohio by a tire blowout. The man was livid that a previous agent had hung up on him and was unable to tell Ms. Chang where he was. Enduring a stream of cursing, she studied an Ohio map, called the man's aunt on another line, and searched landmarks online until she figured out where he was. She stayed on the phone with him 40 minutes, until a tow truck arrived.

"But the drawbacks aren't even close to quenching demand for agent positions. Willow CSN will probably accept only about one-fifth of the 34,000 applications it expects to receive this year, says CEO Angie Selden."