What's the difference between a call center and a contact center?

A contact center is a central point in a company where different types of client contacts, such as telephone calls, faxes, emails and other types of correspondence are handled. A call center, on the other hand, is a centralized office that receives and transmits large volumes of telephone calls.

A call center typically handles inbound calls from customers as well as outbound calls for the purpose of debt collection, product promotion and market research. Distinct from a call center, a contact center is an important part of multichannel marketing, as it provides an all-encompassing solution to customer and client communication, according to CRM magazine.