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In reality, you wouldn't recognize today's call center from the sitcom simulation: More of the world's biggest brands are entrusting call centers to win and keep customers, save costs, and improve overall operations. And agents are performing to a much higher standard: Going beyond taking calls on simple requests that customers can readily look up on the Web. Today's call center professionals carry college degrees, a sophisticated skill set, and the training, empathy, and judgment to solve more complex inquiries.

Here's a more detailed look that unravels the most prominent misconceptions Hollywood is projecting:

The TV version: It's always India, all the time
Reality: India is a much smaller piece of the outsourcing puzzle than many are led to believe. While it still retains major operational advantages, many businesses are diversifying their customer service by leveraging emerging markets. The Philippines has evolved into a viable destination, with 20 percent of all major market business process outsourcing (BPO) offshore agent positions, according to a July 2010 OVUM report, with many labeling the nation as the "next India." Other countries, such as Bulgaria, Columbia, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, and Vietnam are gaining traction as they evolve their talent, as well as their cultural and economic attractiveness.

The TV version: Outsourced call centers means overseas
Reality: Hardly the case. According to the same OVUM report, more than 13 percent of outsourced calls centers among major markets are actually located near-shore, in Canada, Mexico, or Nicaragua. And many centers are being brought back domestically, focusing on areas like high-end customer support that didn't experience much success overseas. This is a prominent trend in the financial services industry.

The TV version: Training consists of product crash courses
Reality: Agents are equipped with more information at their fingertips than ever before, due to more engaging and frequent training structures. Whether they're new to a call center, or have been there for 10 years, agents receive dozens of hours of customized training and seminars per month, backed by experienced industry coaches. Sessions encompass all facets of the customer engagement, from product knowledge to industry best practices to skill set development.

The TV version: You're immediately connected with the next agent
Reality: Today's call centers are shattering the "you're the X caller in the queue," tradition, using the same type of artificial intelligence as the CIA to connect customers with the best-matched agents. When a call comes in, real-time customer analysis is being conducted on myriad attributes -- including gender, demographics, geographic regions, tone of voice, location, psychographic variables -- to find the pairing that adds customer value.

The TV version: Call center agents only use the phone
Reality: In today's wired world of mobile innovations and technological developments, the phone is becoming less dominant within today's call centers. Customers are pushing for more self-service and social media-driven options: Business done on their own watch, how and when they want. And call centers are fast to respond, using more advanced communications channels -- including forums, online communities, email, text messaging, remote monitoring, and interactive Web chat -- to solve the most dynamic issues. It's also making agents more active listeners into what's going on with customers, and the market, to better prepare themselves for tomorrow's customer demand.

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About the Author: Andrew Kokes is vice president of marketing for the Americas for Sitel