Crisis Management in Social Service Call Centers

Call centers offering social services receive calls from a diverse range of people with varied presenting concerns. Although these centers are not typically designed to assist callers in crisis, unlike suicide prevention or crisis lines, they still encounter a small but significant number of calls from people in active crisis. This article serves as a case study to highlight the importance of crisis intervention readiness and to provide guidelines for non-crisis-oriented call centers on managing crisis calls. It features procedures used by Kick It California (KIC), a tobacco cessation quitline, as a sample blueprint. KIC's crisis management protocol is offered, including guidelines for assessing risk levels and implementing emergency procedures. Additionally, the article outlines strategies for quality assurance as well as ethical and legal considerations, as foundational elements for crisis management procedures in social service call centers.