The spelling of the term "call centre" is often a source of confusion. The word "call" is spelled with a ‘c’ and ‘a’ followed by a double ‘l’ sound, represented in IPA as /kɔːl/. Whereas, the word "centre" has a ‘c’ and ‘e’ before a ‘nt’ sound, represented in IPA as /ˈsɛntər/. Therefore, "call centre" is spelled with a double ‘l’ instead of just one ‘l’ which is commonly observed through confusion. This spelling accurately represents the phonetic sounds in the two separate words.
A call centre is a specialized business facility that provides services through telephonic communication. It serves as a centralized hub where a team of trained representatives, also known as call centre agents, handle a large volume of incoming and outgoing phone calls on behalf of a company or organization.
Primarily used for customer service purposes, call centres are responsible for addressing customer inquiries, resolving issues, providing technical support, processing orders, and handling complaints. These centres may also be utilized for telemarketing, sales, market research, or conducting surveys.
Call centres employ various technologies and software applications to manage calls efficiently. These include automatic call distribution (ACD) systems, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and call monitoring or recording software.
Call centres are typically organized into different departments or teams, each specializing in distinct areas of expertise. These may include customer service, technical support, sales, or collections. The call centre agents receive extensive training to acquire product knowledge, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities to handle customer inquiries effectively.
Although many call centres operate from a single physical location, technological advancements have made virtual call centres possible, in which agents work remotely from different locations but are still connected through telecommunication networks.
In summary, a call centre is a centralized facility that handles high volumes of incoming and outgoing phone calls, serving as a primary point of contact between customers and businesses.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "call centre" originated from the combination of the words "call" and "centre", with both words having their own etymologies.
The word "call" comes from the Old Norse word "kalla", which means "to call, summon, or name". It later evolved in Middle English to "callen", still holding the same meaning. In modern English, "call" refers to using the voice to communicate or contact someone by phone.
The term "centre" comes from the Latin word "centrum", which means "the midpoint of a circle". Over time, it was adopted into Old French as "centre" and subsequently made its way into English. In English, "centre" generally refers to a central point or location.
When combined, "call centre" refers to a centralized location or facility where telephone calls are made and received.