A call center is a centralized department that handles inbound and outbound calls from current and potential customers. It is a managed capability that can be centralized or remote and is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of inquiries by telephone. Call centers can be operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information inquiries from consumers, which is known as an inbound call center. Outbound call centers are usually operated for sales purposes such as telemarketing, for solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection, market research, emergency notifications, and urgent/critical needs blood banks. A contact center is a further extension to call centers telephony-based capabilities, administers centralized handling of individual communications, including letters, faxes, live support software, social media, etc. .
Call centers can be located either within an organization or outsourced to another company that specializes in handling calls. They can focus on one communication channel, which is the telephone, while contact centers provide support from additional channels, such as email, chat, websites, and applications. A contact center may include one or more call centers, and they provide omnichannel support, assisting customers on whichever channel or device they use.
Call center employees perform a variety of call center operations, including providing customer care and technical support, answering customer queries, and selling products over the phone. They are a team of customer service specialists who field phone calls from customers with questions about a companys services or products.
In summary, a call center is a centralized department that handles inbound and outbound calls from current and potential customers. It can be operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information inquiries from consumers, or for sales purposes such as telemarketing. Contact centers are an extension of call centers that provide support from additional channels, such as email, chat, websites, and applications. Call center employees perform a variety of call center operations, including providing customer care and technical support, answering customer queries, and selling products over the phone.
