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.