A disruption in your call center operation can conceivably cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. And multiple disruptions can cost in the millions. Call Center Continuity Planning shows you how to plan for - and avoid - service interruptions through disasters large and small. This book will show you how to deal with everything from power outages to major hurricanes. Should you use external Call Volume Management (CVM) solutions such as pre-established procedures for disaster call routing? Or, should you use internal solutions such as planning for a company cold site, virtual call center, or use of the excess capacity of your other call center during emergency? What about managing call volumes to cope with non-emergency seasonal or time of day peaks? Can you use your call centers minimum daily overflow of calls as a benefit rather than a problem? What is involved in contracting to outsource call handling to another call center in terms of effectiveness, expertise, technology, and human resources - and what advanced call processing techniques are available? Call Center Continuity Planning answers all these questions and more. It also provides detailed information on the concept of CVM, that treats the volume of calls as a fluid, that can be channeled from one place to another via computer-managed switching. Your Call Volume Management system acts like a series of aqueducts to manage the floodwaters of incoming calls before your call-takers are swept away.

What's so funny about call centers? Well, when you work in a fast-paced constantly changing industry, you need to be able to see the lighter side of things. Greg Levin is the self-proclaimed - and self medicated - "King of Call Center Satire." For years his Call Center Management Review humor column, "In Your Ear," has raised eyebrows and induced belly laughs with outlandish articles on everything from call center "personals" to Nostradamus' own form of forecasting. Despite the irreverent and sometimes absurd nature of Greg's articles, they often contain surprising nuggets of truth and insight that cause readers to say, "While the author was obviously never hugged as a child, the punk has a point." However, it should be noted that Greg's articles are intended for entertainment purposes only. Using them to guide the management of your call center can cause severe damage to your health and reputation as a competent professional. Recommended Usage: Read one or two articles per day for the temporary relief of call center discomfort. Paperback, 79 pages, 24 articles, 24 cartoons.