This book gives an accessible overview of the role and potential of mathematical optimization in call centers. It deals extensively with all aspects of workforce management, but also with topics such as call routing and the scheduling of multiple channels. It does so without going into the mathematics, but by focusing on understanding its consequences. This way the reader will get familiar with workload forecasting, the Erlang formulas, simulation, and so forth, and learn how to improve call center performance using it. The book is primarily meant for call center professionals involved in planning and business analytics, but also call center managers and researchers will find it useful. There is an accompanying website which contains several online calculators.

This is the only book available today that provides a very readable, step-by-step guide for managing an incoming call center. The book combines theory with practical advice and is filled with over 100 charts and graphs, several case studies and an extensive glossary and index. Readers will learn how to: achieve service level with quality in an era of more transactions, growing complexity and heightened caller expectations; understand the "how" behind best practices; boost caller satisfaction; win top management's support; and discover what separates a good call center from a great one.

Every customer-facing corporation has at least one call center. In the United States, call centers handle a billion calls per year. Call Center Operation gives you complete coverage of the critical issues involved in the design, implementation, organization, and management of a customer call center. Sharp provides information on advanced technology tools for workforce management, workshop examples for training call center staff, and an analysis of the significance of the call center to overall corporate customer relationship strategies. A special feature of the book is its focus on call center case studies, describing a number of successful call center strategies and best practices, selected from various business sectors - financial, retail, healthcare, travel, technology, and others. These case studies provide useful guidelines based on successful corporate call centers that will guide you in establishing and maintaining the most effective call center operation for your enterprise.·Presents key concepts and techniques, including a formal development process, in a real-world context·Provides extensive management guidelines·Stresses the importance of staff selection and training

Press 1 for technical support. Press 2 for broken hearts. Press 3 if your life has totally crashed. . . . Six friends work nights at a call center in India, providing technical support for a major U.S. appliance corporation. Skilled in patience–and accent management–they help American consumers keep their lives running. Yet behind the headsets, everybody’s heart is on the line. Shyam (Sam to his callers) has lost his self-confidence after being dumped by the girl who just so happens to be sitting next to him. Priyanka’s domineering mother has arranged for her daughter’s upscale marriage to an Indian man in Seattle. Esha longs to be a model but discovers it’s a horizontal romp to the runway. Lost, dissatisfied Vroom has high ideals, but compromises them by talking on the phone to idiots each night. Traditional Radhika has just found out that her husband is sleeping with his secretary. And Military Uncle (nobody knows his real name) sits alone working the online chat. They all try to make it through their shifts–and maintain their sanity–under the eagle eye of a boss whose ego rivals his incompetence. But tonight is no ordinary night. Tonight is Thanksgiving in America: Appliances are going haywire, and the phones are ringing off their hooks. Then one call, from one very special caller, changes everything. Chetan Bhagat’s delicious romantic comedy takes us inside the world of the international call center, where cultural cross-wires come together with perfect pathos, hilarity, and spice.

As the cost of doing business increases, call centers and help desks are frequently moving overseas. How can your center remain competitive? Is pooling the best way to slash your wait times? James Abbott concisely answers these questions as he leads you through the world of process-centered customer service. Strategic and tactical terms, how to choose metrics to measure, and the miracle of Queuing Science are covered thoroughly, using easy-to-grasp anecdotes to explain the key technical topics.

"Advice from a Call Center Geek: Rethinking Call Center Operations is a field manual for the 21st century contact center. Practical, poignant, and funny, Tom dishes out amazing real-world advice that has made his organization successful. From culture to education to incentives, Tom addresses the key areas to make your contact center world-class!"Paul HerdmanHead of Customer ExperienceNICE inContactAdvice From a Call Center Geek takes a look at a new way of running today's high end contact center. Tom Laird, the CEO of award winning Expivia Interaction Marketing, 600 seat BPO call center guides you through the process of developing a world class operation.This book will take you through the process of evaluating and changing your call center's culture, how to look beyond a resume to hire the "right" associates and show you how to educate for quality while maintaining high level management. Advice from a Call Center Geek will make you rethink how the call center manager of today should be looking at running their call center.

Annotation Fourth edition includes the Training Imperative, Self Service, Updated Statistics, and Expanded References.

A customer service expert offers practical strategies for call center managers who want to inspire their employees to be there best. Gwendolyn Oglesby has built her entire career working in customer service, creating environments and experiences that are as positive for employees as they are for customers. Now Oglesby shares the tools and strategies she has developed for improving customer service skills, managing employees, and building a successful team culture. In Call Center, Oglesby teaches managers how to train, motivate, and encourage employees to reach their full potential. Each chapter features insightful personality profiles and thought-provoking questions about call center dynamics. At the end of the day, customer service is not just about serving the customer; it’s about serving your team as well.

Call Center Technology Demystified clarifies the sometimes complex and often confusing array of technologies that enable call center success. This book will lead you through the labyrinth of customer contact technology jargon, common misperceptions and marketing hype to help you align technology with business needs and optimize your technology investments