Contact centre (business)
Encyclopedia
A contact centre is a facility used by companies to manage all client contact through a variety of mediums such as telephone, fax, letter, e-mail and increasingly, online live chat.
Distinct from call centres, that purely handle telephone correspondence, contact centres have a variety of roles that combine to provide an all encompassing solution to client, and customer contact. Contact centres, along with call centres and communication
centres all fall under a larger umbrella labelled as the contact centre management industry. This is becoming a rapidly growing recruitment sector in itself, as the capabilities of contact centres expand and thus require ever more complex systems and highly skilled operational and management staff.
The majority of large companies use contact centres as a means of managing their customer interaction. These centres can be operated in two major ways, the first, by having an in house department responsible for the day to day communications with customers, the second to outsource customer interaction to a third party agency.
industries.
Equally important are the customer service
contact centres that answer specific queries relating to customer issues, in the banking and utility sectors these are frequently used to answer customer questions relating to their account or payments, this type of service may even be used to respond to customer complaints and undertake retention strategies for dissatisfied customers.
Finally there are contact centres that carry out sales and marketing
activities; these can be performed through cold calling
strategies and increasingly through live chat applications on company websites.
Essentially outsourced opencontact centres can be successful if the agency is highly capable, can provide a professional service (to both the company and the customer) and is as dedicated to protecting the brand as someone in an in-house team would be.
There are a wide variety of companies that regularly utilise outsourced contact centre services. These companies are located in a range of different industry sectors and include Sky (British Sky Broadcasting
) and Orange (telecommunications) in the telecommunications industry, Adidas
in the sports and leisure sector, Audi
in car manufacturing and even charities such as the RSPCA.
Distinct from call centres, that purely handle telephone correspondence, contact centres have a variety of roles that combine to provide an all encompassing solution to client, and customer contact. Contact centres, along with call centres and communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
centres all fall under a larger umbrella labelled as the contact centre management industry. This is becoming a rapidly growing recruitment sector in itself, as the capabilities of contact centres expand and thus require ever more complex systems and highly skilled operational and management staff.
The majority of large companies use contact centres as a means of managing their customer interaction. These centres can be operated in two major ways, the first, by having an in house department responsible for the day to day communications with customers, the second to outsource customer interaction to a third party agency.
Services
Contact centres can also offer a number of different services. One of the most popular is the support or help desk, which regularly answers technical questions from customers and assists them using their equipment or software. Frequently, support desks are used by companies in the computing, telecommunications and consumer electronicsConsumer electronics
Consumer electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver...
industries.
Equally important are the customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
contact centres that answer specific queries relating to customer issues, in the banking and utility sectors these are frequently used to answer customer questions relating to their account or payments, this type of service may even be used to respond to customer complaints and undertake retention strategies for dissatisfied customers.
Finally there are contact centres that carry out sales and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
activities; these can be performed through cold calling
Cold calling
Cold calling is the marketing process of approaching prospective customers or clients, typically via telephone, who were not expecting such an interaction...
strategies and increasingly through live chat applications on company websites.
Outsourced Contact Centres
Despite the recent criticisms of outsourced contact centres they are becoming an increasingly popular option for companies due to the fact that they allow companies to reduce their overheads in comparison to creating an in-house department to manage customer interaction.Essentially outsourced opencontact centres can be successful if the agency is highly capable, can provide a professional service (to both the company and the customer) and is as dedicated to protecting the brand as someone in an in-house team would be.
There are a wide variety of companies that regularly utilise outsourced contact centre services. These companies are located in a range of different industry sectors and include Sky (British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
) and Orange (telecommunications) in the telecommunications industry, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
in the sports and leisure sector, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
in car manufacturing and even charities such as the RSPCA.