callcentre

Call centre is a centralized facility used primarily to manage a high volume of telephone-based customer interactions for an organization. The term is often broadened to include contact centres, which handle multiple communication channels in addition to voice. Call centres may be dedicated to customer service, technical support, sales, or collections, and can be on-site, outsourced, or operated as a hybrid.

Most centres split activities into inbound and outbound operations. Inbound call centres handle customer inquiries, orders, complaints, and support requests, while outbound centres perform telemarketing, collections, or proactive follow-ups. Blended centres mix both functions. Operations rely on call routing technology such as automatic call distribution and interactive voice response to direct calls, and on computer-telephony integration and workforce-management tools to manage staffing and performance.

Technologies include cloud-based platforms, multichannel routing, and analytics. Increasingly, chat, email, and social channels are integrated with voice. Key performance indicators commonly tracked include service level (percentage of calls answered within a target time), average speed of answer, average handling time, first contact resolution, abandonment rate, and customer satisfaction.

Centre work requires training and quality assurance, with agents facing performance and ergonomic considerations. Many call centres are operated as business-process outsourcing, often offshore or nearshore. Privacy and regulatory requirements govern call recording, data handling, and payment-card information, and industry standards influence compliance programs. Trends include AI-assisted agents, speech analytics, automation, and remote or home-based agents.