Call Centers For Dummies

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Primary Components of the Call Center Business Model

Thinking about creating a business model? Such a model gives you a great place to start because it’s critical for the successful operation of your call center, helping you clearly identify your mission, your business goals, and the performance drivers you need to focus on to achieve these goals.

Here are the primary components of the call center business model:

• Mission:

  
  
  
  

  • Identifies how the call center supports the company’s goals and strategy

    
    
  
  

  • Determines what the company needs from the call center in the long term

    
    
  
  
  
  



• Business goals:

  
  
  
  

  • Represent short-term to midterm goals — perhaps one year in duration

    
    
  
  

  • Define what the company needs from the call center right now

    
    
  
  

  • Outline specific outputs that the call center needs to produce

    
    
  
  
  
  



• Performance drivers:

  
  
  
  

  • Represent processes and behaviors that help the call center achieve the company’s business goals

    
    
  
  

  • Are measurable (usually)

    
    
  
  

  • Can model the call center goals

    
    
  
  
  
  



• Represent the controllable measures that actions in the call center affect

  
  

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Tech Tools Your Call Center Needs

Are you thinking about what technology you need for your call center? Or do the terms VoIP, ACD, IVR, and CRM intrigue you, and you want to find out more? Here are some of the top tech tools that your call center can benefit from:

• Telephone network

  
  



• Data network/Internet

  
  



• Automatic call distributor (ACD) system

  
  



• Interactive voice response (IVR) system

  
  



• Predictive dialer

  
  



• Web applications (such as e-mail, online chat, and online collaboration)

  
  



• Local area network (LAN)

  
  



• Computer workstations

  
  



• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools, such as a billing system, scripting, and customer analytics

  
  



• Knowledge base

  
  



• Computer–telephony integration (CTI) software and hardware

  
  



• Agent performance dashboard

  
  



• Workforce management software

  
  



• Call-recording equipment

  
  



• Data warehouse for data collection, reporting, and analysis

  
  



• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications technology

  
  

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Members of the Call Center Team and What They Do

No matter how sophisticated or high-tech a call center is, for any call center operation to be successful, it needs the right players in place to bring it all to life. Here’s a list of the key call center roles and call center jobs, from call center agents to business analysts and call center managers, to name a few.

Roles and Responsibilities in a Successful Call Center

Role	Core Responsibilities
Senior manager	Establish the mission and vision for the call center. Establish the annual business goals for the call center.
Call center manager	Work with the senior manager to establish business goals that support the mission. Identify the key performance drivers that affect and control the business goals. Identify and assign the key roles and responsibilities required to achieve the call center goals. Create a culture that supports the mission of the call center. Ensure that all policies and procedures support the mission, business objectives, and performance drivers.
Resource analyst	Forecast customer demand, including call volumes. Determine the resources required to meet customer demand within department goals. Determine when the call center needs those resources. Ensure that sufficient resources are available when the call center needs them.
Reporting analyst	Provide statistical feedback on business goals and key performance drivers. Conduct analysis to identify opportunities to improve call center results.
Computer and network analyst	Recommend the appropriate tools to meet the business goals and improve performance. Configure the tools to work properly and reliably. Provide the appropriate maintenance and troubleshooting support.
Agent performance team (recruiter, trainer, team leader, and quality analyst)	Recruiter: Hire the right people to do the job of call center agent. Trainer: Tell them what to do and why. Team leader: Show them how to do it. Quality analyst: Support them and give them feedback on performance.
Call center agents	Handle customer contacts in a manner that supports the call center’s objectives and their own performance goals, as outlined by their team leaders.

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