Chapter 20 Customer Support, Communication, and Professionalism 855
center cannot immediately resolve the problem, the support request is forwarded
to the next level of support, which may be a technician located at Dell. The
technician is trained to handle more difficult problems that require intervention
by a person with much more expertise.
Call center
A call center is typically a large collection of support people located in a
common facility equipped with telephones and computer network support. Many
call centers provide support for more than one company or product. The center
may be located anywhere in the world.
Call center employees do not necessarily have technical skills required
for repairing computer-related problems. They are more likely trained to read
prepared scripts correlated to the most common general problems. If they cannot
adequately fix the problem, the support request is forwarded to the next level of
repair technician. This repair technician is usually located at the company who
manufactures the equipment or writes the software.
Small business service counter
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Over half of
all American employment opportunities are in small businesses. You will very
likely start your career in a small business environment. You may even start your
own small business. In the small business environment, you will meet face to face
with customers on a regular basis. Good customer relation skills are a key factor
to your success.
The customer may be at the counter to make a purchase, request assistance
in a purchase, or solicit technical support for an item purchased at the vendor
location. In the small business environment, a service technician will most
likely fulfill multiple roles for their employer. They may be responsible for
selling computer hardware and software and related materials. They may also
be responsible for technical support and for answering customer questions in
Call
center
Business 3 Business 2
Call Center Model
B
Help Desk Model
A
Business 1
Help
desk
Figure 20-1.
Help desk model and
call center model.
A—In the help desk
model, the help
desk is part of the
company. B—In the
call center model, the
help desk is a part
of a call center. The
call center provides
support to many
different businesses.
call center
a large collection
of support people
located in a common
facility equipped
with telephones and
computer network
support. A call center
can provide support
for more than one
company or product.