Contact Center has become a crucial part of every business which contribute in connecting customer and representative of the business. Let’s take a glimpse to call center’s history and see its affection to any company’s
Although the first occurrence of using the telephone as a marketing tool dates back to the early 1900s when companies started using phone directories to arrange and sell client lists, the first call center agents were housewives in the 1950s. These ladies used to work from home, dialing friends and neighbors in an attempt to sell baked goods to gain extra money into the household. This situation evolved by the 1960s, with the advent of more sophisticated dialing technology and training.
Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, call centers were set up to support tasks such as receiving product orders, confirming airline reservations, and providing sales support. Large companies soon noticed the success of call centers and their impact on business. Call centers specific to these companies quickly began to be established. They provided agents providing both information and support to customers, as well as telemarketing activities. In 1985, Direct Line, an insurance company, was the first company to start selling insurance policies entirely by telephone.
As the phenomenon has spread, many companies have quickly followed this business model. They saved time and money because they no longer needed many local representatives and offices to engage with their clients. Thanks to the constant progress of technology, the emergence of the Internet, e-mail and cable television, new communication channels, and call center opportunities have continued to open up to businesses and retailers. And that’s what we’re going to see right below.
“Call” or “Contact” ?
It is companies that have begun to change the subtle designation: instead of “call centers,” they describe customer care points as “contact centers“. Customers could now contact organizations through various means such as e-mail, forms on the company’s website, and by phone. The growing number of contact centers indicates not only the use of more channels to communicate with end-users but also the increasing expectations of companies in this area, including the need to assess the effectiveness of agents’ work.
Over the years, new challenges have emerged. People were beginning to find it increasingly unacceptable to tell how to contact their service providers and retailers. Consumer preferences to communicate with such organizations quickly began to shift to new instant messaging, chat, social media, and also web channels. They forced contact centers to have, therefore, to evolve and adapt to these new communication requirements, and the years 2010 are characterized by an era of multi-channel communications. Cloud technology provided flexibility and security for users, allowing them integrated multiple communication channels into a single platform. End users can now place an order online, simply pay for a service on a phone call. They can track the status of their order through SMS, and express their opinions on social media.
Think about different channels
Habits and social models change a little more each year. Thus, companies must evolve and comply with the new requirements of the general public. There is involvment of contact center industry in every way, as the core of these activities is to respond to people’s questions and needs. Contact centers face several significant challenges. They must support companies and organizations by helping them achieve their ambitions. At the same time, they have the task of responding to communication trends. And still, they need to exceed the expectations of end-users and customers. Fifty years ago, making a phone call was enough for people. However, it is not sufficient for contact centers to pick up the phone simply in the digitalization era like now
Today, many customers expect communication flexibility from contact centers. As the motto says, a happy customer makes a company happy. Technology and the human being will continue to push the boundaries of the possible. Thus, this will benefit many people, including the contact center itself.
At Katrium, we are providing business support services and especially, contact center service. Our 24/7 customer contact center is multilingual and multichannel which can serve you – our customer the best, the way you want. Check out our contact center service, be our client, and receive the high-quality from us. https://katrium.eu/services/contact-center-call-center/