Call Center Handbook : The Complete Guide to Starting, Running and Improving Your Call Center

by Dawson

• ISBN13: 9781578200702
• ISBN10: 1578200709
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-15
• Publisher: Elsevier Science

Summary

Need to know how to buy a phone switch for your call center? How to measure the productivity of agents? How to choose from two cities that both want your center? No problem. 'The Call Center Handbook' is a complete guide to starting, running and improving This book covers the gamut from buying the right equipment and software to monitoring agents, measuring their productivity, enhancing customer relationships and running an innovative and efficient center. It includes use of fax-on-demand, interactive voice response, email and Web sites.

Author Biography

Keith Dawson is one of the world's foremost authorities on call centers. He is the Editor of the Call Center News Service (www.CallCenterNews.com), the industry's premier online source for information and analysis.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
Part I - The Physical Center	7	(42)
How Call Centers Evolve, Or, How To Start Putting. Your Center Into Perspective	9	(6)
Destination Call Center	15	(24)
Facilities & Design	39	(10)
Part II - Routing Calls: Switches & Hardware Systems	49	(60)
Toll Free & Lorig Distance Services	51	(8)
The ACD	59	(14)
Outdialing Systems	73	(12)
Computer Telephony	85	(16)
Voice Processing Fundamentals	101	(8)
Part III - The Front End	109	(40)
Interactive Voice Response	111	(8)
Speech Recognition	119	(8)
Speech Rec: The Gateway to CRM?	127	(4)
The Web & Call Centers	131	(10)
The Fallacy of Email	141	(4)
Giving Video a Second Look	145	(4)
Part IV - Making Sense of the Call	149	(62)
More on Computer Telephony	151	(6)
The Absolute Last Chapter on CTI	157	(10)
Telemarketing & Scripting Software	167	(4)
Skills-Based Routing	171	(6)
Customer Relationship Management	177	(10)
More On CRM: Managing The Terror	187	(7)
Choosing The Right CRM Tools	194	(5)
Order Processing	199	(6)
Interactive Fax	205	(6)
Part V - Critical Peripherals	211	(30)
Readerboards and Display Technologies	213	(6)
Headsets	219	(4)
On-Hold Messaging	223	(10)
Check & Payment Processing	233	(8)
Part VI - Management & Operations	241	(38)
Workforce Management Software	243	(8)
Monitoring Systems	251	(10)
Making Call Center Careers Meaningful	261	(6)
Surefire Ways to Motivate Your Reps	267	(6)
Realizing The Value on the Front Line	273	(6)
Part VII - Outside the Center	279	(34)
Outsourcing	281	(10)
Disaster & Contingency Planning	291	(10)
Telecommuting Agents	301	(8)
Self-Service and Self-Delusion: A Final Word	309	(4)
Appendices	313
Chapter 1: Frequently Asked Questions	313
Chapter 2: Industry Statistics	323
Chapter 3: Resources	343