This is the only book available today that provides a very readable, step-by-step guide for managing an incoming call center. The book combines theory with practical advice and is filled with over 100 charts and graphs, several case studies and an extensive glossary and index. Readers will learn how to: achieve service level with quality in an era of more transactions, growing complexity and heightened caller expectations; understand the "how" behind best practices; boost caller satisfaction; win top management's support; and discover what separates a good call center from a great one.

This book gives an accessible overview of the role and potential of mathematical optimization in call centers. It deals extensively with all aspects of workforce management, but also with topics such as call routing and the scheduling of multiple channels. It does so without going into the mathematics, but by focusing on understanding its consequences. This way the reader will get familiar with workload forecasting, the Erlang formulas, simulation, and so forth, and learn how to improve call center performance using it. The book is primarily meant for call center professionals involved in planning and business analytics, but also call center managers and researchers will find it useful. There is an accompanying website which contains several online calculators.

As the cost of doing business increases, call centers and help desks are frequently moving overseas. How can your center remain competitive? Is pooling the best way to slash your wait times? James Abbott concisely answers these questions as he leads you through the world of process-centered customer service. Strategic and tactical terms, how to choose metrics to measure, and the miracle of Queuing Science are covered thoroughly, using easy-to-grasp anecdotes to explain the key technical topics.

How to evaluate the efficiency of your contact center operation, including key benchmarks and metrics relevant to process improvement, customer relationship management, knowledge management, human resources, workforce management, information technology and quality assurance. "Discovery" explains the Areas of Focus (Efficiency, Effectiveness, Capability and Differentiation), Functions (Customer-facing, Support, and Analytics), and Classifications that constitute the basis of a contact centre assessment. "Efficiency" considers aspects of Operations, Workforce Management and Process Management. "Effectiveness" deals with Customer Relationship Management, Knowledge Management, and Quality Assurance. "Capability" delves into Human Resources and Information Technology. "Differentiation" looks at the elements that separate the contact centre from competitors. "Assessment Outputs" explains how to analyse and present the data gathered during the assessment.

Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In ignited a conversation about women and their careers, and resonated with millions of readers. Fast Forward, by two women leaders with experience and access throughout corporate America and around the world, takes the next step. Through interviews with a network of over fifty trailblazing women, it shows women how to accelerate their growing economic power and combine it with purpose to create success and meaning in their lives while building a better world.