Алло, это контактный центр?

In this sentence, это works like this / that / it is in English, depending on context.

In Алло, это контактный центр?, это introduces identification:

• Это контактный центр? = Is this the contact center? / Is this the contact center speaking?

Russian often uses это in sentences where English uses to be:

• Это мой брат. = This is my brother.
• Это банк? = Is this the bank?

So here, это does not just literally mean this in a physical sense. It helps form an identification question.

Russian usually omits the verb to be in the present tense.

So:

• Это контактный центр. literally looks like This contact center
• but it means This is the contact center.

The same happens in questions:

• Это контактный центр? = Is this the contact center?

In the past and future, forms of to be do appear:

• Это был контактный центр. = This was the contact center.
• Это будет контактный центр. = This will be the contact center.

But in the present tense, Russian normally leaves is / am / are out.

Yes, Алло is the normal Russian word for answering or starting a phone conversation, much like Hello? on the phone in English.

A few notes:

• It is mainly for phone calls, not general greetings in person.
• It is often said with questioning intonation, especially when answering the phone: Алло?
• Spelling: Алло with double л.

So in this sentence, Алло, это контактный центр? sounds natural as a phone opening:

• Hello, is this the contact center?

Here контактный центр is in the nominative case because it is the thing being identified.

Structure:

• это
  • noun phrase in nominative
• контактный центр = contact center

Forms:

• контактный = adjective, masculine singular nominative
• центр = noun, masculine singular nominative

Because the sentence means Is this a/the contact center?, the basic dictionary form is used.

You would see other cases in other structures, for example:

• У контактного центра есть номер? = Does the contact center have a number?
• Я звоню в контактный центр. = I’m calling the contact center.

But after это in this kind of identifying sentence, nominative is normal.

It most naturally means Is this the contact center?, especially on the phone.

Russian does not have articles like a and the, so контактный центр can theoretically mean either:

• a contact center
• the contact center

Context decides.

Because someone is calling a specific place, English usually translates it as:

• Hello, is this the contact center?

If the context were more general, a contact center could also be possible, but that is less likely here.

In Russian, yes/no questions are often shown by intonation rather than a special word order.

So:

• Это контактный центр. = statement
• Это контактный центр? = question

In writing, the question mark shows it clearly. In speech, the voice usually rises toward the end.

Russian does not need to rearrange the sentence the way English often does:

• English: This is the contact center. → Is this the contact center?
• Russian: Это контактный центр. → Это контактный центр?

Yes. Both контактный центр and контакт-центр are used.

A few style notes:

• контакт-центр is common in business and modern written usage.
• контактный центр is also understandable and natural.
• In real life, many companies may prefer колл-центр as well, especially in informal or business contexts.

So the sentence is fine as written, but you may also encounter:

• Алло, это контакт-центр?
• Алло, это колл-центр?

All are understandable, though the preferred term may depend on the company or context.

Yes. Russian uses это very commonly on the phone to identify the person or place you have reached.

For example:

• Алло, это Анна? = Hello, is this Anna?
• Это Иван Петрович? = Is this Ivan Petrovich?
• Это банк? = Is this the bank?

So это is very flexible in phone identification questions. It can point to:

• a person
• a company
• a department
• a place

Yes. The sentence is understandable on its own, but in real phone conversations Russian speakers often add polite words.

For example:

• Алло, это контактный центр? = simple and direct
• Здравствуйте, это контактный центр? = more polite
• Алло, скажите, пожалуйста, это контактный центр? = very polite
• Здравствуйте, это контактный центр компании N? = more specific

So the given sentence is correct, but if you want to sound more polite or formal, adding здравствуйте, скажите, or пожалуйста is common.

The stress is:

• контАктный центр
• контАктный цЕнтр

A rough English-style approximation would be:

• kan-TAKT-ny tsentr

A few pronunciation notes:

• к is like k
• т is like t
• ц sounds like ts
• р is rolled or tapped
• unstressed vowels are reduced, so they may sound less clear than in spelling

And the full sentence is pronounced roughly as:

• Алло, это контАктный цЕнтр?

Yes, but Это контактный центр? is the most neutral and natural order here.

Possible variations exist, but they may sound marked, less neutral, or depend on context:

• Это центр контактный? — unnatural in most normal situations
• Контактный центр, это? — possible only in very special speech situations, but not standard here

For a simple phone question, the normal order is:

• Это контактный центр?

So as a learner, this is the pattern you should remember.