History and evolution of the call center. That call centers have transformed the way of doing business and communication between a company and its customers is more than evident. However, despite the transformation (digital in its most recent stage), it is possible that many are unaware of its origin and how it has evolved over the years. In this post we want, as a small “tribute”, to explain when and how the call center was born and how it has evolved to become what it is today: an essential communication channel for the vast majority of companies worldwide. Keep reading!
Call center: a german pastry chef, forerunner of the call center
Yes, you are reading correctly and surely you are wondering what a German pastry chef has to do with the history of the call center. Although contact centers as we know now were born at the beginning of the 1960s (as we will tell you a few lines further down), a German pastry chef had the brilliant idea, at the beginning of the 20th century, of selling his cakes by calling by phone. The result? He doubled his sales and, in addition, managed to retain his clients. Although he did not know it, his action today is considered the first telemarketing campaign in history.
Call center: Ford “drives” us towards the best customer satisfaction
To know the birth of the call centers we have to travel a little further in time, specifically to the year 1962. That year, in which Brazil wins the World Cup in Sweden, Ringo Starr picks up the drumsticks of the Beatles or the chimes of New Year’s Eve are broadcast for the first time in Sol, the Ford company does something that no one had done so far:
In full expansion, the multinational decides to create a department exclusively to contact 20,000 people. The result was so spectacular that they eventually reached twenty million customers. This fact meant a notable improvement in the customer experience and was an example of the first call center in the world.
Call center: evolution to the present day
A few years later, call centers continue to maintain the same goal: to offer an agile, direct customer service and with which they manage to retain their loyalty. In Spain it was not until the end of the 90s, with the rise of mobile telephony. Maybe Airtel, Amena or —I’m sure they do— Movistar sound familiar to you, right? At this time, already touching the new century with the tips of the fingers, the call centers of our country had more than 10,000 people.
Currently, with the continuous technological changes and the rapid digitalization in which we find ourselves immersed, call centers have evolved towards an omnichannel approach that opens up a wide range of possibilities: now, the interaction between agents and users can be carried out through many more channels , such as social media, email, chats or web pages.
Software omnichannel for call center: trust in ICR Evolution
Digitization and the technological revolution means that call centers have evolved to what they are today: spaces in which users are supported through different communication channels seeking to obtain the perfect customer experience.
Therefore, having a good omnichannel software for call centers is the cornerstone to achieve this goal. Find out how our omnichannel software EVOLUTION can help you. Request a demo here!
