CALL CENTERS (CENTRES) - Faculty of Industrial Engineering and ...

Keywords: Teamwork, Management control, Gender, Participation, Resistance
52. Richardson, H. and K. Richardson. Customer relationship management systems (CRM) and
information ethics in call centres—‘You are the weakest link. Goodbye!’, Australian Journal of
Information Systems, 9 (2), 2002, 166–171.
Abstract. This paper catalogues the rise of call centres in the North West of England, UK
and their use of CRM systems. CRM systems often imply new technologies and new ways of
working. However, in this account, we explore the historical development of the telegraph and
work in early telephone exchanges and find the same old story. Our consideration of the ethics
of CRM system use and some inherent contradictions are in terms of privacy, communication
richness, management methods and computer ethics in an organizational context. Call centres
today are viewed by some as offering satisfying employment of intrinsic value; for others, they
are the ‘new sweatshops of the 21st century’ (Belt et al., 2000). Our interpretative field study
makes a contribution to this debate.
(Appears also in Section VIII.)
53. Smith, W.L. Customer service call centers: Managing rapid personnel changes, Human Systems
Management, 20 (2), 2002, 123–129.
Abstract. This paper examines academic and practitioner literature relative to service quality
and the changing personnel requirements for customer service call centers (CSCC). From this
review, propositions are developed which (1) may be useful to call center managers in meeting
this critical need, and (2) may be used to direct future academic research in this growth area.
This review is organized around eight key human resource management practices consisting of:
1. recruiting, 2. selection, 3. retention, 4. teamwork, 5. training and development, 6. appraisal,
7. rewarding quality, and 8. employee involvement. Propositions based on the literature review
are developed for each key practice. Conclusions are drawn and implications for managerial and
academic implications are discussed.
54. Swanson, N., P. Grubb, C. Beam, R. Dunkin, L. Schleifer and S. Sauter. The influence of job
stressors on the taking of rest breaks among call center operators. WWDE 2002—World Wide
Work. Proceedings of the 6th International Scientific Conference on Work and Display Units, H.
Luczak, A.E. Cakir and G. Cakir (Eds.). Ergonomic Institut fur Arbeits- und Sozialforschung,
Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin, 2002, 674–675.
Abstract. Nearly 5000 customer service operators in a large government agency were surveyed
about working conditions at their agency. The survey included questions about rest break
behaviours and job stressors. The results indicated that job demands were predictive of rest
break behaviours. Employees who reported low levels of job control, supervisory support, and
decision-making ability, along with greater time pressures, work backlogs, and contact with upset
customers also reported taking fewer rest breaks during the workday.
Keywords: Rest pauses and work duration, Etiology, Job characteristics
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