h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Congratulations!

Yeah, what the guy with the funny slant in his name said...

I've been informed that this entry is "invaluable", which apparently means it IS valuable - whatever the case, it's valuable enough to get into the guide, though it may take a while.

Any questions, just ask. In the mean time, Congrats, and keep up the good work!

I think there is some blurring of the lines between customer services (which most people contact by phone these days) and call centres.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a way of seperating them cleanly, so I've kind of hopped in and out of both a bit to try and capture the essence of what people are likely to encounter and offer some suggestions for how to deal with the situation.

I'm glad you liked the second half, that's the bit I had the most fun writing. If fun is quite the word

call centres are wider, no? Eg, phone sex lines, tech support, directory enquiries, train timetables, NHS Direct, all use 'call centres' - big buildings full of people answering the phone.

Some companies use 'distributed call centres', which is where people do it from their own house phone. But these aren't really "centres" any more...