55. Call Center

A Call center facilitates the flow of information from customer database to the telecommunication network operated by call center agents. Some of the technologies used to enable these processes are discussed below. Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system is the basic technology of a call center. ACD routes calls from customers to the most appropriate telephone operator according to to a pre-selected criteria.

The ACD may be connected to the company's MIS allowing continous monitoring to the number of calls entering the system and the way they are handled by individual agents. Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). It is a process whereby a telephone switch passes certain call information to a computer to manage the call, based on commands from software application. In its simplest form, CTI allows 'screen popping' whereby the database records of the caller appear on the screen.

Caller Line Identification (CLI) CLI identifies the number from which the caller is calling. This allows CC operators to monitor problems (e.g. one customer making repeated calls due to difficulty of connection etc. ) The integration of CLI and CTI allows a computer to call up on screen the file of the customer calling, as soon as the call is made. This allows the operator to have specific customer information immediately available allowing for better service levels.

Scripting. A script for the telephone conversation is automatically called up on the screen of the agent. When combined with CLI and CTI, there is also the facility to add the customer name at certain points in the conversation. Scripting tends to be used only for outgoing calls such as those for marketing campaigns.