How 911 Dispatchers Can Lessen Victim Trauma

It’s a fact that’s often overlooked, but it’s true nonetheless. A victim’s very first point of contact in an emergency is not the policeman, not the EMT in the ambulance, and not the firefighter. The first person they tell about their emergency, and the first person they receive help from is the 911 dispatcher. Any […]

Social Media and Public Safety

Could the public ever contact 911 for help via Twitter or Facebook? Though public safety answering points are far from implementing that service now, it’s actually something that’s being mulled over by key figures in the industry. Social media is already being tapped for a variety of public safety uses but there are major challenges […]

How To Prepare For An Escalated Call

It’s probably every contact center supervisor’s least favorite thing about their job: handling escalated calls. By their very nature, these calls are unpleasant at best, and day ruining at worst. Whether it’s the customer who’s demanding to speak to a supervisor, or the call center agent who has given up trying to solve the problem […]

5 Steps that Will Save you from Holiday Emergencies

As anyone who works at a public safety answering point knows, holidays are always a time of increased emergencies. Emergency call centers are on high alert when the weather takes a turn for the worst, people are traveling, alcohol is being served at parties, heaters are in use 24/7, and holiday decorations are up. Put […]

Tips for Providing Distinctive Social Media Customer Service

These days, it’s not enough to simply provide good customer service – you want to ensure that your contact center’s customer service is distinctive. It’s one thing to build rapport with customers on the phone, where you are able to listen empathetically and speak reassuringly. When providing customer service via social media, however, the situation […]

The 5 Stages of Effective Listening For Any PSAP or Call Center

Whether your call center is a customer service desk, a tech support center, a public safety answering point, a sales division, or anything in between, the most important aspect of each agent’s job is listening. Think about it. Yes, they’re there to fix problems, make sales, or help people. But all of those things are […]

Proactive Contact Center Customer Service Saves Money

Contact center workforce management is a true balancing act. What with all the intricacies of scheduling, the heavy workload of call monitoring and training, the high standards of customer service, and the expectation of short call times, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to take control of […]

Legislation to Promotes U.S. Contact Centers

A bipartisan team of Washington lawmakers recently unveiled a bill meant to penalize organizations that outsource U.S. contact center jobs to other countries, called the “U.S. Call Center and Worker Protection Act of 2013” (S. 1565/H.R. 2909). Supported by Senators Robert Casey (D-PA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD), and House of Representatives Democrats Tim Bishop (NY-1), […]

Managing An Underperforming Contact Center Team

Teamwork is an important part of the workings of any contact center. The individual performance of each agent is, of course, vital to an organization’s success, but each individual should never lose sight of the fact that they are a member of a larger unit and that their interactions within that team have a very […]

Improving Your Contact Center Team Managers’ Leadership Skills

Ensuring that the team managers in your contact center are performing at high levels is essential to the success of your entire operation. Team managers work in close contact with your agents, so strong leadership skills are vital in inspiring them to do their best as well. Unfortunately, agents often cite incompatibility with team managers […]