Call Center Organizational Structure Outline
Call Center Organization Chart Template
Learn MoreCall Center
A Call Center (also sometimes called a Contact Center or Customer Service Center) is a central location for communication with customers (internal or external) through multiple channels (email, phone, live chat). Call Centers rely heavily on technology and automation (use of customer database and IVR/VRU) to run efficiently and to provide the highest levels of customer service. Inbound communications can include customer order processing, customer complaints, questions about accounts and technical support. Outbound Call Centers cover functions such as marketing products or services to new and existing customers, and collecting on delinquent accounts. At large companies, internal Call Centers may provide technical support, HR adminstration support and/or sales support services to employees.
Common Call Center job titles: EVP/SVP of Customer Experience, Director of Customer Service, Director of Call Center Operations
Call Processing & Issue resolution
The Call Processing (Inbound/Outbound) and Issue Resolution function handles calls received and calls made in the Call Center, routing them to the appropriate department or subject matter expert for resolution. For inbound calls, basic information about the customer is collected and the call reason is identified so that the issue can be resolved. For outbound calls, Call Centers can act as a gateway for contacting customers to collect information about their level of satisfaction, provide transaction details, connect with prospective customers (sales), or aid in fundraising. This function's main purpose is to resolve customer or client issues (technical problems, account errors or questions, complaints, disputes, etc.) efficiently while also providing top notch customer service.
Common Call Processing & Issue resolution job titles: Customer Service Representative, Call Center Agent, Call Center Representative, Customer/Client Support Representative, Technical Support Representative
Call Center Technical Support
The Call Center Technical Support Group is responsible for addressing any internal technical issues and resolving any outages related to hardware or software used in the Call Center, such as representatives' call receivers/dialers or employee activity monitoring software. They provide accurate and timely responses to technical support tickets, and process software and warranty returns. Call Centers rely heavily on technology to process incoming/outgoing calls, track agent/representative performance and resolve customer issues effectively.
Common Call Center Technical Support job titles: Call Center Technical Support Technician, Systems Analyst
Call Center Training & Coaching
The Call Center Training/Coaching function is tasked with developing and implementing programs to ensure that Call Center representatives are properly trained on relevant products/services and deliver high levels of customer service. They conduct regular representative reviews/evaluations to ensure quality service is maintained. They are also responsible for holding training and coaching sessions for new and existing employees to develop customer service and over-the-phone skills, as well as reinforce company culture.
Common Call Center Training & Coaching job titles: Call Center Trainer/Coach, Senior Call Center Representative/Agent
Ivr/Vru Development & Maintenance
The IVR/VRU Development and Management function is responsible for configuring and monitoring the usability of interactive voice response (IVR) systems and forming strategies for optimal use of the IVR system. They use programming languages and other technologies, such as Java, C++, SQL and more, to develop and implement IVR functionality. They are tasked with making sure that these systems work correctly and effectively route and resolve incoming customer calls. IVR Developers typically work with business analysts and use Call Center "button press" data to determine the most effective methods for pushing customers through the system, with the goal of resolving as many calls as possible within the IVR menu (i.e., without speaking to agents/representatives).
Common Ivr/Vru Development & Maintenance job titles: IVR Developer, IVR Analyst, Business Analyst, Systems Engineer
Workforce Management
The Workforce Management function is responsible for forecasting incoming call volumes and related workload and then staffing the group accordingly, as well as monitoring Call Center agents to ensure they are performing up to company standards. They use call volumes and related data to determine roughly how many employees might be needed for certain times of the year, days of the week and hours of the day. They are tasked with using this information to keep labor costs and overhead down, while maximizing Call Center employee utilization rate (uptime) by implementing standardized metrics (calls per day, cost per call, average handle time, etc.) to judge overall performance.
Common Workforce Management job titles: Call Center Workforce Analyst, Workforce Management Specialist