Contact Centers

ALSO CALLED: CIC, eContact Centers, Customer Interaction Centers, Enterprise Contact Centers, Web-enabled Call Centers
DEFINITION: A cost center is part of an organization that does not produce direct profit and adds to thecost of running a company. Examples of cost centers include research and development departments,marketing departments, help desks and customer service/contact centers.Although not always demonstrably profitable, a cost center typically adds to revenue indirectlyor fulfills some other corporate mandate. Money  … 
Definition continues below.

CONTACT CENTERS DEFINITION (continued): …  spent on research and development, for example, mayyield innovations that will be profitable in the future. Investments in public relations andcustomer service may result in more customers and increased customer loyalty.Because the cost center has a negative impact on profit (at least on the surface) it is a likelytarget for rollbacks and layoffs when budgets are cut. Operational decisions in a contact center,for example, are typically driven by cost considerations. Financial investments in new equipment,technology and staff are often difficult to justify to management because indirect profitability …