The Evolution of Call Centers

Contact centers (traditionally called call centers) have come a long way. These days, call centers are perceived more positively than before, and agents are often considered as partners by businesses as they help in improving their efficiency and productivity.

To better appreciate the evolution of contact centers, let’s do a brief recap of its history.

1840s-1960s

Also considered as the stage of early communication, it is during this period when the first phone call was made (thanks to the invention of Alexander Graham Bell) and the first concept of call center was created (the invention of Automatic Call Distribution technology allowed companies to filter calls and assign them to agents).

 

1960s-1980s

This era is considered as the start of the technological evolution. It is when the Interactive Voice Response technology was introduced and the term “call center” was coined.

 

1980s-mid 1990s

The birth of the Internet during this period paved the way for advancements for different businesses including the call centers.

The term call center was changed to contact center as this specialized service started making use of different channels of communication including chat.

 

1990s-early 2000s

More technological advancements happened during this stage. Businesses are starting to use new tools for measuring metrics while multiple channels enable customers to contact companies with more ease.

The rise of social media and use of mobile phones have dramatically increased the call volume as these enable customers to contact companies quickly and more conveniently.

 

Mid 2000s-present

At this stage, modern solutions are created to help manage multiple channels of communication. These tools have improved the customer agents’ efficiency, allowing them to create a structure for managing high call volume.

 

The Future

Technology will continue to improve and soon enough, new solutions will be created that will minimize customer effort in reaching out to companies. We’re eager to see what’s to come in the future of call centers!