A call centre is common name for a department or a company who is dealing with incoming or outgoing call traffic. In the past 5 years other channels of contact have entered the call centre’s like email, postal services, chat, and lately, Voice over IP.
The contacts are used for different kind of business, like sales, customer service, information/other services, but also coordination of inbound traffic (911)public services.
I don’t have specific articles which I can refer to you, but if you’r interestd you can mail me, at rhuizer@qicon.nl.
Good luck.