ABSTRACT

Despite all dire predictions, the reports of the death o f the call center are greatly exaggerated (to paraphrase Mark Twain). The new century brought with it a more competitive environment — new technologies, a spat o f deregulation and the precipitous rise of the Internet. With so many busi­ nesses facing stiff competition, the demand on the corporate call center (the pri­ mary touch point for the vast majority of customers) is skyrocketing. What this means is that the call center must be able to deal with this new paradigm. It must be able to handle more calls, which are often more difficult and time consuming. This requires hiring and training a call center staff that is more knowledgeable than in the past and then providing that staff with access to more information.