A contact center (also referred to as a customer interaction center or e-contact center) is a central point in an enterprise from which all customer contacts are managed. The contact center typically includes one or more online call centers but may include other types of customer contact as well, including e-mail newsletters, postal mail catalogs, Web site inquiries and chats, and the collection of information from customers during in-store purchasing. A contact center is generally part of an enterprise's overall customer relationship management (CRM).

The “traditional” call center—rows and rows of agents in headsets answering calls—is becoming obsolete. In a consumer-driven, Internet-enabled world, your customers aren’t just calling you. They want to reach you via email, IM, text, and more. Simply “taking” calls isn’t enough to keep customers loyal—you need to proactively build relationships, up sell, and solve problems before they become deal-breakers.

You need a contact center. You need to reach your customers using the communications channels they want. You need to balance inbound and outbound communications so that no one is left waiting. And you have to do all of this while cutting costs, improving agent efficiency, and maximizing the value of every customer.

Standard Tel Networks can help with solutions to help make your entire contact center and business more effective.