Making room for the call center

A call center can dramatically improve an organization's ability to serve its customers. in this article, three important questions are addressed for senior managers and executives who are establishing or expanding a call-center operation. First, as employees focus on responding to customer inquiries, will their skills become narrower and ultimately less beneficial to the organization? This article argues that skills for employees in call centers can and should be upgraded. Second, will the decentralized decision-making of the call center lead to a loss of managerial control? the article suggests ways of ensuring that the ideal configuration of decentralized decision making and centralized control takes hold in the organization after the call center is established. Third, how can an organization's teamwork and corporate spirit be maintained and enhanced after the establishment of a call center? the article offers practical advice for enhancing an organization's culture even as employees begin to spend less time in face-to-face interactions.