Call Centers: The Nerve Centers Of Customer Service

Call centers are offices equipped to be the central component in customer service for many businesses. Call centers operate within a tier system that allows a customer to receive adequate support at the lowest possible level. Generally, the tier system has three levels.

At the first level a caller is directed where to go. Operators or automatic machines screen callers based on their needs and then direct them to someone who can satisfy their needs. In the case that a second tier employee is incapable of answering the question a third support tier will be used.

This last tier would be made up of highly skilled engineers or technical support staff able to answer and respond to the most difficult questions asked by customers. Call centers rely on available technology in order to enable the effective use of these tiered systems.

In a typical call center each employee is equipped with a computer, a headset and a telecom switch. When an employee is making a call, computers will display the proper scripts for certain situations, or allow the employee to modify customer accounts. The combination of a live conversation and the ability to immediately provide service to the customer are essential to the call center. As an employee in a call center two types of calls can be made: inbound and outbound.

An inbound call is the type of call made by the consumer to obtain information, receive help or perhaps report something that's gone wrong. Outbound calls are those made to potential customers. Telemarketing. While the two are distinct, it is possible for companies to combine both inbound and outbound calls.

One example of a combined call center can be found at the Missionary Training Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Provo, UT. Missionaries, before being sent abroad, receive calls of those interested in free Bibles or videos that have been advertised by the church. Once these inbound calls are processed the contacts are automatically put into an outbound list where missionaries call back to ensure that people have received their items.

Whether call centers are strictly inbound, outbound, or combined, all are dependent upon numerous patents that have been generated by Ronald A. Katz and others.

One of Katz' patents that is of particular use for outbound campaigns is voice recognition. With voice recognition a computer can use predictive calling. Predictive calling enables computers to automatically dial phone numbers until someone answers the phone. As soon as a voice registers on the other end the employee's line is connected.

While predictive dialing relieves the burden of dialing manually, the gap between the voice recognition and the opening of the employee's line can give away to the potential customer that they are receiving a call they likely do not want to answer. Other important patents of Katz' include toll free numbers, automated attendants, automatic call distribution and computer telephone integration.