 by forming separate lines for each clerk. Contact centers route incoming traffic to the agent that has been idle the longest within the appropriate agent group, based on the telephone number dialed or by the customer's account or telephone number. If all agents are busy, the contact center shunts the call to a queue, routes the call to an alternate group of agents, or gives the caller the option to leave a voicemail message. Sophisticated call centers additionally route calls to groups of multilingual staff or staff with knowledge about particular products or technologies. www.TechnicalPDF.com Callers to contact centers can recognize when they reach one if they hear a message such as the following: Please hold, and the next available agent will take your call. Virtual and Dispersed Contact Centers Agents using the same contact center software can be located in other cities or countries. The software distributes calls based on criteria such as time of day or level of traffic. In addition, agents can work from home via their broadband connection and remotely log in to the contact center system, which then routes calls and messages to them. These are called virtual call centers. Many firms establish virtual call centers to save on real estate, furniture, and utility expenses. Contact center systems are offered by almost all VoIP manufacturers as well as providers such as software developer Aspect, which offers it independently of the telephone system. Contact Center Staffing-Do-it-Yourself Transactions Contact centers are under increasing pressure to increase staff productivity, justify the number of agents hired, and improve the quality of customer service to attract and retain customers. Various companies in the United States and Europe outsource their centers to India, the Philippines, and other countries with lower labor rates, many people with multilingual abilities, and the availability of high-bandwidth networks. Alternatively, organizations may move contact centers to parts of their own country with lower s