4.8 Summary: meeting objectives

The overall goal of selecting the right individuals for the call center operation, managing the center efficiently and effectively, and establishing an extensive, well-planned training program is to meet corporate objectives for customer service and to support the organization's overall CRM strategy. To accomplish these objectives, there are two important requirements, which apply to every call center operation in every business sector. These are summarized next.

Meet customer needs

Meet the needs of the customer by following these guidelines:

Fully identify the caller's need or problem.
Take ownership of the call-if possible, resolve the caller's need during the call itself.
Complete all steps to call resolution before taking another call.
For items that take longer than five minutes but are not a high priority, handle during a lower call volume period, but before the end of the day.

Meet business requirements

Satisfy the needs of the business by adhering to these criteria:

Thorough and efficient follow-up after calls
Updating all information
Understanding the goals and mission statement and applying that understanding to every customer contact