This is the only book available today that provides a very readable, step-by-step guide for managing an incoming call center. The book combines theory with practical advice and is filled with over 100 charts and graphs, several case studies and an extensive glossary and index. Readers will learn how to: achieve service level with quality in an era of more transactions, growing complexity and heightened caller expectations; understand the "how" behind best practices; boost caller satisfaction; win top management's support; and discover what separates a good call center from a great one.

This book gives an accessible overview of the role and potential of mathematical optimization in call centers. It deals extensively with all aspects of workforce management, but also with topics such as call routing and the scheduling of multiple channels. It does so without going into the mathematics, but by focusing on understanding its consequences. This way the reader will get familiar with workload forecasting, the Erlang formulas, simulation, and so forth, and learn how to improve call center performance using it. The book is primarily meant for call center professionals involved in planning and business analytics, but also call center managers and researchers will find it useful. There is an accompanying website which contains several online calculators.

"I once heard it said that running a call center is not rocket science. While you may not need the skills and education of an aerospace engineer, successful call center management does require certain skills and insight."-RANDY RUBINGH Call Center Rocket Science gives practical, hands on advice for today's customer service professionals. Here you will find real world advice on a wide variety of topics essential to effective call center management including: Recruiting and Hiring: How to find great agents, what to look for in a candidate, how to weed out applicants that may not be a good fit, closing the best candidates. Training: How to develop an effective new hire training course that prepares reps to take successfully take calls starting their first day on the floor. Effective Role playing strategies to increase effectiveness of training. Management: Creating a world class culture to motivate and retain your staff. How to look at and understand call center statistics. Call Center Operations: How to handle the day to day activity of a call center, and manage the business without constantly fighting fires. Outsourcing: For outsourcers- tips on how to make your client satisfied and give you more business. For those who outsource there are tips on how to get below the surface to truly understanding the level of service being provided by your service provider. Overall 110 tips that most centers can implement right away and receive immediate benefit of improved operations, and higher levels of employee and customer satisfaction.

Called "the most unusually voyeuristic anthropology study ever conducted" by the New York Times, this groundbreaking book provides an unprecedented glimpse into modern-day American families. In a study by the UCLA Sloan Center on Everyday Lives and Families, researchers tracked the daily lives of 32 dualworker middle class Los Angeles families between 2001 and 2004. The results are startling, and enlightening. Fast-Forward Family shines light on a variety of issues that face American families: the differing stress levels among parents; the problem of excessive clutter in the American home; the importance (and decline) of the family meal; the vanishing boundaries that once separated work and home life; and the challenges for parents as they try to reconcile ideals regarding what it means to be a good parent, a good worker, and a good spouse. Though there are also moments of connection, affection, and care, it’s evident that life for 21st century working parents is frenetic, with extended work hours, children’s activities, chores, meals to prepare, errands to run, and bills to pay.

This handbook is part four of ICMI's comprehensive, four-part series on call center management, which includes people management, operations management, customer relationship management, and leadership and business management. The Call Center Leadership and Business Management Handbook and Study Guide applies proven leadership and business practices to the call center environment. The study guide opens with guidance on developing an effective vision, mission, strategy and valuation model. Next, it explores leadership and communication best practices and highlights those skills and aptitudes that are most important in the call center. The unique environment of the call center is discussed next, with a focus on navigating future trends and requirements. The fourth section of the guide provides professionals with solid principles on developing business plans, improving operations and managing contracts. The study guide comes to a close with an overview of financial principles that call center professionals should understand.