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.