A call centre allows people to phone a single location instead of being shunted around. Operators, armed with information from their computers, can answer most queries on the spot. Call centres with a facility to identify incoming calls can pop up the caller's details even before the call is answered. That way, the operator can answer the caller by name and have all their relevant details on the screen. At present, most call centres require callers to identify themselves, but once that's done a lot of the rest of the call's processing is automated.
Analysts say call centres achieve several aims.
They create goodwill among callers in that their problems tend to be solved quickly. As operators are empowered to make decisions based on the information that technology puts at their fingertips, other staff are able to make more productive use of their time at work. The paper chase within a company is kept to a minimum, too. Because the callers' details are captured electronically, they can be routed anywhere within an organisation via e-mail. If a problem can't be solved by an operator, it can be passed on to a responsible person at the touch of a button.