Contrary to popular belief, effective call center operations begin long before the first “hello” is even uttered. When does it begin? When a customer peruses your company website a week prior and finds that your FAQ section is outdated, or when a client downloads your company’s mobile app. I could begin moment a customer decides to follow you on Twitter (News - Alert) or “like” your corporate Facebook page. Let’s explore one of the many ways in which customers initiate call center interactions well before the first “hello” is spoken: the mobile phone. According to a 2012 smartphone usage statistics infographic from Go-Globe.com, 91.4 million smartphones are being utilized, and that’s just in the United States alone. Research from ABI further shows that global smartphone usage is slated to reach 1.4 billion by the end of this year.