Call centers have been around since the early 1960’s and undoubtedly have made major strides. Offices of major telephone companies used call centers to handle various inquiries. In the 70’s and 80’s, new technologies made call centers more prominent. These call centers were used for sales where the agents would call consumers to sell a product.

As a result of the toll-free 800 number, call centers would receive inbound calls as well as continue to make outbound calls. Many consumers grew to dislike the outbound calls that agents would make. In fact, this led to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in the early 90’s. This law restricted when call center agents could make their calls to the consumer.

The Evolution

The turning point in the evolution of a call center was the internet. The internet was readily available for consumers. With the adoption of the internet, call centers started to become contact centers. In the 21st century, some companies began to operate online with no physical locations for customers. Businesses leveraged call/contact centers to provide customer service.

During the 2000’s, social media platforms allowed the customer to access other channels. Now, customer interaction is an omnichannel experience which includes websites, chatbots, e-mails, text messages, phone, and other social media sites. More recently during the Covid19 pandemic, digital communications increased tremendously making contact centers even more relevant.

With the evolution of the contact center, the customer expects a different communication experience. Companies now have to evolve the way they communicate with their client, and it starts with offering an omnichannel experience. Contact centers are now able to give consumers an improved customer service experience.