Call center

Call center is a centralized office used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of inquiries by telephone. An inbound call center is operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information inquiries from consumers. Outbound call centers are used for telemarketing, solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection, market research, emergency notifications, and urgent/critical needs blood banks.

History

The term call center was first published and recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary in 1983. The origins of call centers date back to the 1960s with the UK-based Birmingham Press and Mail, which installed Private Automated Business Exchanges (PABX) to have rows of agents handling customer contacts.

Types of Call Centers

There are two main types of call centers: Inbound and Outbound.

Inbound Call Centers receive calls from customers. These calls may involve inquiries, support, or purchases. Inbound call centers are often customer service focused, and may be used to handle customer complaints, process orders, or provide information about a company's products or services.

Outbound Call Centers make calls to customers. These calls may involve sales pitches, debt collection, or surveys. Outbound call centers are often sales focused.

Technology

Call centers use a variety of technologies to allow them to manage large volumes of calls. The technology used in call centers includes: Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Outsourcing

Many companies choose to outsource their call center functions to an external service provider. This can be due to cost savings, access to specific skills or technology, or to focus on core business functions.

See Also

• Contact center
• Help desk
• Telemarketing
• Customer service

References

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