Find someone who wants to do it instead of someone who has to do it. Once you do that, everything else will work out and you will actually be saving time and money. If you hire someone who just has to do it, you will spend a big chunk of your time making sure they do it and do it right. If that means hiring someone who has less experience than the average, it's worth it because that person will improve dramatically at their job in a short span. Frankly, no one in customer service is going to stick with you long term unless they suck at it. If they are good at it, they will move to bigger better things in 2 years max. So be realistic about the fact that you need someone who learns fast and has to the attitude of leaving things in tip top shape for the next person. Also, taking regular screenshots is a really terrible idea. You shouldn't have time to check those, and if the person is competent and wants to screw you, they will just use another computer and periodically change the screen on their work computer. All this thing does is let your employee know you have 0 trust for them, so you're better off verbally telling them that at the start if that's how you want to operate. Have faith in your ability to pick someone who wants to do the job well and also your ability to keep that person motivated. Check the quality of their work, that's what you ultimately care about and what makes you money. There's a difference between a manager and a leader. Spending too much time managing little things is a great way to lose time and hence money. Finally, good people cost more. The cheapest option you find is cheap for a reason, and you don't want to waste a year finding out what the reason is.
I second the advice against the screenshots. Shows 0 trust and it's easy to get around. The better way to track is to set up quick daily review meetings to review their tasks, what the finished, give feedback, and chat about tomorrow's tasks. As trust builds you can reduce these catch up meetings. You can use these to check their work, give feedback, but also request feedback on how to improve your processes or what tasks may be inefficient or just not needed. This will also allow you to gauge how quickly they learn, how productive they are, and quickly establish I feel they are a good fit. They key is to manage the deliverables. Don't think of it as buying their time. Think of it as buying their productivity. If they accomplish all their goals for the day and you are both happy with the pace, who cares if they surfed clutchfans? Just remember to push up expectations a little bit over time to keep the them engaged and learning.
It is how I was managed, and how I was taught to manage over my career. I have always had employees and contractors that have worked remotely, so you can't peer over their shoulder. My expectations are clear, and the communications are constant.
I've found, as I've gained more comfort and confidence in running my business, that I care very little about how my employees spend every minute of the working day. Good, happy employees are cultivated.....not given. If you want your employees to care about your business as if it was their own, show them that their opinions matter, show them that you trust them, and show them that what they do for you is appreciated. Good luck in your search!
