Have you ever tried to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without peanut butter? That is literally an impossible task to complete; however, conceptually, the integral role of IT in a call center is actually intriguingly synonymous to the significance of peanut butter in a scrumptious PBJ. Now that your taste buds may have been inadvertently slightly teased, consider the below points as a lyrical illustration arguably justifying how distinctively vital IT is to the successful operation of a professional call center.
Disaster Recovery Plan
When lightning catastrophically strikes (figuratively and/or literally), it essential for a reliable disaster recovery plan to be in place. It 8:00 am. The call center packed. Boom! The nightmarish electric power outage that every business fears; be prepared for a horrifying and costly disaster – the unexpected can happen with the flick of a switch; and it will, so always be organized and equipped to bounce back quickly and efficiently. Time is money, and upper management never loses sight of that notion.
Service Request Processing
Strategically coupled with a valuable disaster recovery plan, it absolutely crucial for IT to provide ample support to the call center when trivial issues arise that directly impact productivity levels. Therefore, it imperative to have a structured process for the inevitable broken handset and software bug requests.
Effective Software Solutions
A call center cannot be successful without a competent way to proficiently manage the information that is captured in each conversation. From the actual software that is being utilized to track the details about each call to having the ability to electronically record each call for training and quality assurance purposes, it imperative for the appropriate software solutions to be practical, functional, and operational.
Professional Data Management
Finite statistics; analytical reporting; business intelligence – what the universal thread shared between these elements? Data – and lots of it. From campaign execution and client reporting to personnel supervision and business process management, one data is the concrete foundation upon which a call center operates. After all, you’re only as good as your data.
The Collaborative Mix
While IT unquestionably works closely with administration to implement best practices and ensure cohesive harmony amongst all departments, it fundamentally necessary for the direction and overall production of the call center to be managed by operation supervisors, quality assurance specialists, program directors, and other appropriate managerial personnel. Ultimately, the guidance, support, and infrastructures that IT implements act as the peanut butter in the PBJ; however, no PBJ would be complete without two plump slices of soft bread and a solid blanket of delicious jelly.