Contact centers that consistently get the best results view the operation as a total process. This viewpoint takes many forms:

• Ensure that everyone in the contact center, and those with key supporting roles outside the center, have a basic understanding of how contact centers operate.
• Recognize the process to be where most quality problems occur — and also where the opportunities for improvement in services and reductions in costs reside.
• Develop an effective, collaborative planning and management 
process.
• Take the initiative in coordinating with other departments.
• Be prepared to respond to changing conditions.
• Understand how the contact center supports the organization’s direction.

The days of the contact center existing as an island unto itself — “That’s our customer contact center, and they handle sales and customer service” — are gone. The reality is that the contact center is an important part of a much bigger process.

Excerpt from Call Center Management on Fast Forward, Brad Cleveland.

This blog post is part of a series on the 12 Characteristics of the Best Managed Contact Centers. Read about:

• Characteristic #1: They Produce High Levels of Value
• Characteristic #2: They Have a Supporting Culture
• Characteristic #3: They Know that Their People Are the Key to Success
• Characteristic #4: They Build Plans and Services around Evolving Customer Expectations.
• Characteristic #5: They Have an Established, Collaborative Planning Process.
• Characteristic #6: They Leverage the Key Statistics.