 live contact center after numerous complaints began to appear in its online forum. Contact Center Statistics Reports on the real-time status of calls and electronic messages are the lifeblood of a contact center and are closely monitored by management. Management then uses these statistics to plan network design and analyze staffing requirements. Statistics are also used as an aid in improving web site design by alerting organizations to the most fre- quently asked questions. These issues can then be more fully clarified on the web site or via automated e-mail messages designed to explain common procedures for fixing or analyzing software issues. Statistics are organized into reports that provide real-time and historical data on incoming and outgoing calls and agents' usage on individual trunks SO that managers will know if they have the correct number of lines. Reports also indicate the number of calls and web hits associated with each toll-free number and web advertisement SO that response rates generated by ad campaigns can be analyzed. They additionally alert supervisors to unusually high or low call volumes SO that staffing can be adjusted accordingly. Making Information Accessible by Using Customer Relationship Management Customer relationship management (CRM) is a customer-centric strategy that aims to make information such as customers' transaction histories accessible across the entire organization. CRM can comprise many elements including sales automation with automated proposals and brochures available to representatives. CRM also includes marketing tools that track the impact of direct mail, e-mail, and Internet-based cam- paigns. In addition, customer service with links to billing, payment status, purchase histories, open issues, and universal queues are considered part of CRM. The largest providers of CRM software are Oracle, SAP, and Siebel Systems. Data Centers and IP Private Branch Exchanges Managing E-mail, Chat, and Inbound and Outbound Telephone Calls via Universal Queues Universal queues pro