1st Edition

Call Center Continuity Planning

By Jim Rowan, Sharon Rowan Copyright 1998
    442 Pages
    by Auerbach Publications

    442 Pages
    by Auerbach Publications

    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.

    Introduction
    PART I: PRINCIPLES OF VOICE RECOVERY
    Planning Philosophy
    Six Principles for Developing an Effective Plan The Illusions of Recoverability
    Rationalizing Procrastination
    PART II: PLANNING
    Plan Stages
    Business Impact Analysis
    Risk Analysis
    Recovery Team Selection
    Plan Contents
    Team Responsibilities
    IS Department Recovery Planning
    Disaster Implementation Tasks
    Return to Normal Operations
    Plan Maintenance Procedures
    PART III: CALL VOLUME MANAGEMENT
    Call Volume Management Issues
    ICH and RTMO
    Other Uses for Your CVM Back-Up
    Checklists
    PART IV: TESTING
    Six Questions to Ask when Designing a Test Types of Testing
    Test Objectives
    PART V: CRISIS MANAGEMENT
    Crisis Leader, Internal Command and Control Basic Crisis Management
    Personnel Issues
    PART VI: CONCLUSION
    Continuity Planning for YOUR Call Center
    PART VII: APPENDICES

    Biography

    Jim Rowan and Sharon Rowan Voice Recoven Services