ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1990s, call centres have mushroomed, following the shift from a manufacturing-driven to a service-driven economy, first in developed countries such as the USA and the UK, and then in the form of outsourcing to developing countries such as India and the Philippines. New ways of communicating have emerged from this technologically enabled workplace. This chapter offers an overview of the language issues in call centres. Areas reviewed include communication strategies, training and assessment of customer service representatives, and the interacting forces of language and power. Research methods and future directions are briefly discussed at the end.
