Response Design Corporation:Creating the Uncommon Call Center
 
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The Other Side of Call Centers
Categories: Strategy

Say “call center” and most people react negatively. Everyone has a horror story about trying to reach a competent company representative through the telephone and sales calls that incessantly interrupt the dinner hour. Indeed, call centers have a mixed reputation. However, the Katrina disaster has once again illuminated just how vital this communication link is.

From Bakersfield California to Utica New York, call centers are springing to life to help Katrina survivors find loved ones and vital information. Organizers rely on call centers to coordinate the thousands of volunteers from across the nation who plead for a chance to help. Even offshore call centers are donating seats to the Katrina relief effort.

Suddenly we see that even though call centers may not do everything right, they do one thing very well—they combine a human voice with a body of complex technology to serve mankind one case at a time.

When disaster survivors need help—they need human contact. Herb Morrow, VP of Spherion (an employment agency supporting the Utica effort) says: “These Red Cross call centers are being set up as a way for victims and their families to hear a human voice.” Those close to the disaster realize that no “on the ground” face-to-face effort could accomplish what a call center can.

Springing into life is only half the battle. Now it is imperative these disaster call centers do their job well. They must accomplish what all other call center managers are striving to do in this young industry—ensure survivors and volunteers can easily access the human voice. Each call center agent should be highly trained, full of empathy, and extremely competent. Disaster call centers need sufficient capacity so that those afflicted do not wait in line at phone banks only to receive a busy signal. (Such cases were reported by Katrina survivors.) And organizers must ensure that every call is resolved – attempting to meet the industry’s standard of first call resolution.

In the end, we agree with Jack Altdoerffer, who is involved in the Utica initiative, “Everybody can feel good about providing this assistance to the victims.”

Response Design – Creating the Uncommon Call Center®.
Response Design Corporation® helps professionals get more from their call center. It is the how-to source for learning how to meet customer’s expectations through expert call center management. www.ResponseDesign.com

For additional uncommon call center ideas, don't miss RDC’s blog at http://www.responsedesign.com/corner.html.

Contact: Kathryn Jackson, Associate, KJackson@ResponseDesign.com
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