We have 17 gifts for you today, or rather, 17 intriguing facts about call centers!
You may know a few of these already, but trust us: It never hurts to revisit some of the pivotal advancements, trends, stats, and interesting facts that have made waves in the call center industry (both past and present). With the “era of the customer” in full swing; the increase in customer expectation for omnichannel communication; and the never-ending developments in communication methods through AI-powered self-service; it is easy to overlook the importance that the call center plays in the customer experience.
Although customers begin their service journey with self-service before contacting an agent, the reality is that once self-service fails (which it does when the support issue is too complex, or when the stakes are higher for the customer), customers will take to their phones to resolve their issues. So, there is a limit to self-service, which will always lead the customer back to the loving arms of the call center.
Without further ado, here are some surprising, fundamental, and/or entertaining stats about the call center, a customer service lifesaver that is here to stay:
![[Video] 3 Takeaways from Our Google Hangout: Call Center Trends](https://fonolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Video-3-Takeaways-from-Our-Google-Hangou.jpg "[Video] 3 Takeaways from Our Google Hangout: Call Center Trends")
Last week, Fonolo hosted yet another insightful Google Hangout, discussing the top 3 call center trends for 2016. This was our first ever hangout with just the Fonolo team. This fabulous panel shared their comments on where the contact center industry is heading this year. To save you some time, we’ve extracted video snippets showcasing highlights from the discussion.![[Slideshare] Predicting the Future of the Contact Center](https://fonolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Slideshare-Predicting-the-Future-of-the-Contact-Center.png)
Many trends will dominate the call center industry in 2014, directly affecting business processes and the customer experience. However, call center leaders need to be selective about which trends to take action on. The data can be overwhelming and deciding which predictions are relevant takes a great deal of thought. 
