I receive calls and emails from people who want to start a call center or contact center. I used to spend quite a bit of time with them discussing the nuances, ramifications, and challenges of starting a contact center or starting a telephone answering service. (They would already be optimistically filled with the upside, so […]
Late last year the U.S. Call Center and Consumer Protection Act (H.R.3596) was introduced as the US Congress’ latest foray against our industry. Although it carries a benign, even possibly positive, title, it is neither. The bill’s Introduction (with typo) states its purpose as: “To require a publicly available a list of all employers that […]
I recently stumbled onto a TV program entitled Bombay Calling. It was about an offshore call center, providing a compelling exposé of an India-based outsourcing call center and the people who worked there. In a gripping documentary style, it showed both the good and the bad in offshore call centers. Just as proponents of offshoring […]
In this column in the March issue, “Perceptions of Call Center Outsources,” I shared from a recent study conducted by ContactBabel, called The US Contact Center Operational Review. Billed as “the largest and most comprehensive study of all aspects of the US contact center industry,” this was their second edition of the survey. From that […]
There are many good things happening in the call center industry. Millions of people are employed in productive positions that benefit both commerce and the economy. These jobs are desirable nonmanufacturing positions and essentially nonpolluting, making them highly attractive to state and local governments’ job-creation efforts. Call center agents receive extensive training on customer service […]
With the United States’ fall elections behind us, I am now recovering from the inundation of all messages political. From these saner confines of a post-election U.S., I can address the “serious” problem of outsourcing. Succinctly put, outsourcing, an often prudent, wise, and cost-effective practice, has been politicized. Once a word becomes politicized, as outsourcing […]
Since you are reading this column, it is highly likely that in some way or manner, you are in the call center industry. However, the question, “Are you in or out?” does not query your connection to the industry, but rather your participation within it. Those who operate call centers, classify their activity in two […]