Call Centre
A Call Centre is an customer service organization that handles a large volume of inbound and outbound telephone calls.
- Context:
- It can (typically) be supported by Call Center Agents (human call center agents).
- It can (often) utilize advanced Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems to efficiently route calls to the appropriate agents.
- It can (often) be integrated with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to track customer interactions and manage customer data.
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- It can range from being an Inbound Call Center that primarily receives incoming calls from customers to being an Outbound Call Center that focuses on making calls to customers for sales or surveys.
- It can range from being a For-Profit Call Center designed to generate revenue for a business to being a Non-Profit Call Center focused on providing services or information without a profit motive.
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- It can be structured as a centralized office or a Remote Call Center, where agents work from different locations.
- It can involve using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems to automate the handling of simple inquiries or direct calls to the right department.
- It can be subject to regulatory requirements, such as Do Not Call (DNC) List compliance, especially in outbound call centers.
- It can involve training and continuous professional development programs to improve agent performance and customer satisfaction.
- It can face challenges such as high employee turnover and the need for effective Workforce Management (WFM) strategies.
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- Example(s):
- Concentrix, Call Centre, one of their many in providing customer engagement services and call center solutions for various industries.
- Bank Call Centres that handles customer inquiries about account balances, transactions, and loan applications.
- Emergency Response Call Centres that coordinates with first responders and provides urgent assistance to callers in crisis situations.
- Telecommunications Call Centre that uses AI-driven predictive dialing to optimize outbound sales campaigns by connecting agents only when a live customer answers the phone.
- E-commerce Call Centre that employs a chatbot for initial customer inquiries, filtering routine questions before routing complex issues to human agents.
- Healthcare Call Centre that uses AI-powered voice recognition to schedule patient appointments and remind patients of upcoming visits, reducing the workload on human agents.
- Technical Support Call Centre that integrates natural language processing (NLP) to provide automated troubleshooting steps, escalating unresolved issues to a live technician.
- AI-Assisted Customer Service Centre for a major airline, where AI analyzes customer data in real-time to provide personalized support and recommendations during calls.
- Banking Call Centre that utilizes AI to detect fraud patterns during customer interactions, alerting agents to suspicious activities while providing real-time guidance on handling the situation.
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- Counter-Example(s):
- Contact Center, which handles a wider range of communication channels including email, chat, and social media, not just phone calls.
- Help Desk, which provides technical support, often through different mediums such as email or ticketing systems, rather than focusing on telephone communication.
- See: Customer Relationship Management, Telemarketing.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_centre Retrieved:2024-08-04.
- NOTES:
- Call Centres are centralized or remote facilities used for handling large volumes of inbound or outbound telephone inquiries.
- Inbound Call Centres focus on receiving incoming calls from customers, typically for product support, information inquiries, or customer service.
- Outbound Call Centres are primarily used for sales, telemarketing, debt collection, market research, and solicitation of charitable or political donations.
- NOTES:
Contact Centres extend the capabilities of call centres by managing customer interactions across multiple communication channels, including email, social media, and instant messaging. Call Centre Agents typically work in an open workspace environment with individual workstations connected to call management systems and supervised by station supervisors. Technological advancements in call centres include the use of AI-based chatbots, speech recognition software, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems to enhance customer service and improve efficiency. Virtual Call Centres allow agents to work remotely from any location, utilizing cloud-based technologies to manage calls and customer interactions without the need for on-premises infrastructure. Outsourced Call Centres are often located in developing countries where labor costs are lower, and they provide services to businesses based in higher-wage countries. Queueing theory and mathematical models are used in call centre operations to optimize service levels, reduce wait times, and improve overall efficiency. Call Centres have been criticized for low pay, high employee turnover, and restrictive working conditions, but they remain a crucial component of customer service operations for many businesses.
2023
- (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_centre Retrieved:2023-10-4.
- A call centre ([or call center) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. An inbound call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information enquiries from consumers. Outbound call centres are usually operated for sales purposes such as telemarketing, for solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection, market research, emergency notifications, and urgent/critical needs blood banks. A contact centre is a further extension to call centres telephony based capabilities, administers centralised handling of individual communications, including letters, faxes, live support software, social media, instant message, and email.
A call center was previously seen to be an open workspace for call center agents, with workstations that include a computer and display for each agent and connected to an inbound/outbound call management system, and one or more supervisor stations. It can be independently operated or networked with additional centers, often linked to a corporate computer network, including mainframes, microcomputer/servers and LANs.
The contact center is a central point from which all customer contacts are managed. Through contact centers, valuable information can be routed to the appropriate people or systems, contacts can be tracked and data may be gathered. It is generally a part of the company's customer relationship management infrastructure. The majority of large companies use contact centers as a means of managing their customer interactions. These centers can be operated by either an in-house department responsible or outsourcing customer interaction to a third-party agency (known as Outsourcing Call Centres).
- A call centre ([or call center) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. An inbound call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information enquiries from consumers. Outbound call centres are usually operated for sales purposes such as telemarketing, for solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection, market research, emergency notifications, and urgent/critical needs blood banks. A contact centre is a further extension to call centres telephony based capabilities, administers centralised handling of individual communications, including letters, faxes, live support software, social media, instant message, and email.
2023
- "ChatGPT provided better customer service than his staff. He fired them." In: Washington Post, 2023-10-03
- QUOTE: Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the world of customer service and call centers. Developing economies worry they’ll face the brunt.
2023
- GBard
- A call center is a centralized office or department that handles a large volume of inbound and outbound telephone calls. Call centers are used by businesses of all sizes to provide customer service, sales support, and technical support.
Inbound call centers receive calls from customers who have questions, problems, or complaints. Outbound call centers make calls to customers to offer products or services, conduct surveys, or collect debts.
Call centers are typically equipped with specialized software and hardware to help agents manage calls efficiently. This may include automatic call distribution (ACD) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and headsets.
- A call center is a centralized office or department that handles a large volume of inbound and outbound telephone calls. Call centers are used by businesses of all sizes to provide customer service, sales support, and technical support.