Written By: Benedict Mavodza

This presentation is centred on four key areas;

• What a Contact Centre is
• Contact Centres in light of the COVID19 pandemic,
• Key considerations when setting up a Contact Centre and
• Key performance areas of the contact centre

What is a Contact Centre?

• It is central customer service technology facility that houses and manages all inbound and outbound communication channels of an organisation (voice, voice-mail, fax, email, website, regular mail, SMS, social media).
• A contact centre is generally part of an enterprise’s overall customer relationship management (CRM) but it is not a CRM.
• In 2020, technology manufacturers are making it a point that Contact Centres come embedded with CRMs to make sure customer journeys are sufficiently mapped and the experience of the customer is enhanced.

What is the difference between Call Centre and Contact Centre?

• Call Centre – Limited to Voice only communication with the customer.
• Contact Centre – Supports customer interactions beyond voice to include e-mail, SMS, web chat, fax, social media etc. It can also integrate or come embedded with a CRM and can be the best place to consider digitizing the business from.

Do we have businesses with Contact Centres in Zimbabwe?

YES, from as early as 2010, businesses with a customer orientation focus invested in state-of-the-art contact centres with serious customer experience capabilities. These are Customer like

• Econet Wireless
• Telecel Zim
• CBZ Holdings
• Barclays Bank (FCB)
• Stanbic Bank
• Old Mutual
• Agribank
• DHL
• BancABC
• FBC Holdings
• Childline
• CIMAS and
• Nedbank

How many operational contact centres are in Zimbabwe?

• The total number does not go to beyond a figure of 22.
• Today companies like Frolgate Technology Group are working with diverse industries to set up collaboration platforms like Contact Centres