Call Center Automation: Introduction

A call center is a centralized office where callers handle inbound and outbound calls. A typical call center handles a considerable volume of calls, inbound and outbound, for customer service, ordering, telemarketing, help desks, or any use of the telephone for sales or service. Most major businesses have call centers: retail establishments that have a thriving mail-order business, all utility companies (phone and gas), non-profit organizations use it for fundraising, and any business that deals in products or services. Help desks and sales support are also considered call centers.

Call centers tend to be large rooms with a workstation equipped with a computer, a telephone set (or headset) for each caller. The stations are hooked into a large telecom switch and a supervisor station(s). Call centers may link with other centers and a corporate data network, such as LANs, mainframes, or microcomputers. Today, using new technology, voice and data pathways are linked through computer telephony integration (CTI).

At its most basic, a call center improves the quality of customer service by quickly providing the right information. It increases the volume of calls per day by shortening their length. It creates a culture of cross selling to increase revenues. Paperwork chores are lessened or made less onerous.

The record clearly shows that call center automation enhances productivity, revenues, access to information, and reduces costs. It also empowers organizations to achieve a higher quality of personalized customer service. As a result, businesses are investing in solutions to bring their call centers up-to-speed.