Onderzoeksartikel

Het Call Center: een innovatie in de externe organisatiecommunicatie

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Abstract

The use of different forms of telemarketing by call centers is on the rise. It has become a ‘booming business’ not only in the United States, the cradle of telemarketing, but in several European countries as well. Moreover, the call center is integrating new telecommunication technologies and is becoming a multimedia communication platform and evolving towards a virtual call center. The considerable turnover statistics in this business contrast with the results of several American and European surveys in which consumers communicate their irritation and distrust of specific types of telemarketing regarding their relational and informational privacy. If this attitude is generalised and would result in negative behaviour it can jeopardise the future of specific forms of call center applications. This is the reason why both the possibilities and limitations of telemarketing as a marketing instrument are stressed here. The conclusion is that the telephone and other direct marketing media can help to create an organisation’s corporate image, but can also destroy it if the telemarketing campaign lacks professionalism, ethics and respect for prospects and customers.

How to Cite:

Walrave, M., (1998) “Het Call Center: een innovatie in de externe organisatiecommunicatie”, Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap 26(4), 283–297.