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The industry initiative that evolved to become the Call Center Industry Advisory Council (CIAC) began in 1998 as a volunteer-based coalition of call center practitioners, training professionals, educators, consultants, and industry representatives who came together around the cause of ensuring the long-term viability of call centers. The primary concerns of the group were:
§ The increasingly mediocre performance of call centers (and concern this would become accepted as the norm). Although the call center's role in the organization was growing in importance, few centers were meeting business goals;
§ A growing shortage of, yet increasing need for, qualified call center management professionals Given the rapid growth of call centers, the lack of professionals with call center management talent put the future of call centers at risk.
The correlation between call center performance and competent leadership and management was strikingly apparent. It was further realized that 'people' - specifically the lack of a skilled, readily-available workforce - was at the core of most call center issues.
Because the concept of a career in call centers did not exist , there was no means of attracting people to call center job opportunities, particularly to fill the fast growing number of new managment jobs. The reality began to emerge that few people set-out to work in call centers, rather most somehow ended up in these jobs while looking for their ideal job. Considering the general lack of knowledge about call centers (what they were; what they did) it was an understandable, although unfortunate, predicament that put the business viability of call centers at great risk.
In year 2000 CIAC was incorporated as a non-profit, industry organization to promote and enable outstanding performance in call center people and operations. Its industry role is dedicated to empowering call center professionals to excel in the delivery of customer care and service.
CIAC’s first initiative was to legitimize the call center management profession in order to bring visibility to the career opportunity, and thereby, attract motivated and capable professionals. For the following 2.5 years CIAC worked with a broadly representative group of call center executives, practitioners, training providers and subject matter experts to develop industry competency standards and certification criteria for call center management professionals.
In 2003, CIAC introduced the first industry-sanctioned professional certification for call center leaders and managers. Under CIAC's non-partisan guidance and governance, CIAC Certification is today recognized worldwide as the call center management 'credential of excellence'.
CIAC is presently working on the development of industry certification for other call center job roles in addition to ongoing workforce development initiatives.
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