Call Center Consultants Key Terms

Understand the terms you need to know while working with a call center

Many companies either have their own call center for taking customer service and support calls or employ an outside service for handling customer communication. Like many other industries, call centers increasingly rely on advanced technology for effective operations. Knowing the terms associated with call center technology is important when working with call center consultants so you can gain an understanding of the services they offer.

Call center

A call center, also referred to as a contact center, is a location where a company receives inbound calls for customer service or support or makes outgoing calls. Outgoing calls may serve several purposes, including advertising, service announcements or market research surveys. Call center consultants may help companies organize their own call center or find call center services outside of the company.

Interactive voice response (IVR)

Interactive voice response (IVR) or speech recognition programs are used to answer calls and prompt callers to choose a variety of options, allowing call centers to streamline service calls before they are received by employees. Most call centers use some form of IVR to direct calls within their interface, and call center consultants often specialize in helping call centers choose the most effective software programs for their purpose.

Expert witness

In cases of litigation against call centers regarding recording and monitoring, support or non-performance disputes and outsourcing, expert witness services are often needed. Expert witness accounts involve the use of an industry professional's testimony and are usually organized through a call center consultant service.

Computer telephony integration (CTI)

Computer telephony integration is commonly referred to as computer telephone integration, or CTI. CTI is commonly employed by call centers to monitor and track calls by computer, as well as to work simultaneously over the phone and the Internet to help troubleshoot customer issues and direct customer action remotely. Consultants often assist with CTI development and training.

Predictive dialing

Predictive dialing can be done in call centers that use a computerized system to automatically dial a batch of numbers. Predictive dialers automatically match answered calls with available call center agents, and discard calls that are unanswered or that go to disconnected or invalid numbers.

Outsourcing

Call center outsourcing involves the redirection of contact center services from providers within the corporate structure to an outside provider. Outsourcing often has been touted by consultants as a cost-cutting measure for businesses that send their call center services abroad or have calls answered by individuals from their homes, although in some cases consultants may advise against outsourcing where more specific company expertise or central operation is needed.

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