There has been much literature on the importance of both the Technology and People component in a contact center. Another vital component in complementing a contact center operation is Processes. This component forms the pillar and provides a systematic structure and approach in a contact center operation.

Why are Processes important in a contact center operation? It is undeniable that the quality of service delivered by a contact center will determine the customer’s experience and impressions of an organization. Hence in order to provide excellent customer service, which is the output, contact centers must focus on what is involved in producing that output. It is the operation processes that deliver the output.

In most contact centers, there is probably no "system” but just "our way of doing things”. As such "our way" is probably not written down, but all in the operation manager’s or process owner’s mind. With Contact Center operation processes in place, the outlined policies and procedures are able to standardize work efforts. They are designed to formalize the steps to be taken to complete specific jobs or task correctly and effectively. Documented processes serve as Work Instructions for existing contact center professionals in their daily job execution.

A set of documented processes can be used as training guidelines for newcomers in the contact center operation. It is essential that a newly hired contact center professional is educated on the processes, policies and procedures in place for awareness and adherence purposes. For future and on-going reference, the documented manual should be stored in the contact center knowledgebase system or organization’s intranet.

From the quality perspective, a well designed, developed and documented set of processes forms the fundamentals of an organization’s quality management system. Policies and procedures should be written, reflect the best way of doing things, changed as required and followed within the established parameters. This is essential for a contact center in managing its operations to meet customers’ and regulatory requirements, and the organization’s goals and objectives.