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AI Sales
The Best 10 Call Center Software in 2024
Liucija Adomaite
July 25, 2024
|
7 min. read
Liucija Adomaite
LAST UPDATED
May 15, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.
Despite the rise of AI sales tactics, call centers are still notoriously popular. The global market for contact center systems will reach $496 billion by 2027.
Research shows that the average call center picks up 200 calls per day, 1,000 per week, and 4,000 per month. A team of skilled call agents is a must to handle these calls, and call center software is critical in boosting their performance.
In this article, you learn 10 best call center software to use in 2024 to create a seamless customer experience and make more sales.
What is Call Center Software?
Call center software is the technology that helps businesses manage and optimize customer communications across various channels, such as phone, email, live chat, instant messaging, SMS text, and social media.
The goal of call center software is to simplify the process of handling customer inquiries by providing call solutions for inbound and outbound sales and customer support.
Inbound call centers focus on receiving customer calls for services like technical support or order assistance, necessitating efficient problem-solving by agents.
Outbound call centers involve agents reaching out to potential or existing customers, often facilitated by CRM software, to manage these interactions effectively.
The key features of call center software are:
Call routing to assign customers to the most appropriate agents
Multilevel IVR (Interactive Voice Response automates responses over the phone based on what a customer says) systems for self-service options
Comprehensive analytics
CRM integrations to provide real-time information about callers
Call recording, queuing, and transferring
Team collaboration tools
Call center systems enable personalized, efficient customer service and supports meaningful relationship building.
In the past, only large corporations had the resources and space to establish physical hardware for a call center. Nowadays, software-based solutions enable small businesses, even those without on-site offices, to operate virtual call centers.
10 Best Call Center Software to use in 2024
Here's the ultimate list of the top nine call center software broken down according to their main features, pros and cons, key benefits, and final verdicts. This list will help you to pick the best overall call system for your business.
1. Zendesk Talk: best call center software for omnichannel customer service
Zendesk Talk is a cloud-based call center software integrated directly into the Zendesk customer service platform.
This means that customer support agents can use the same interface to handle phone calls, emails, chats, and social media inquiries, offering a more streamlined experience.
Zendesk Talk enables businesses to make and receive calls through the web or phone, seamlessly integrating with the online customer experience and offering analytics to evaluate phone support performance.
What's unique about Zendesk Talk is the fact that it started as a CRM and now has a call center solution.
Rating:
Capterra - 4.7/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
TrustRadius - 8.0/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Key features of Zendesk Talk:
Phone Support: Zendesk Talk allows businesses to provide phone support to customers. Agents can receive calls directly in their web browser or forward them to their phones.
Call Routing and Management: Zendesk Talk offers features like call routing (directing calls to the most appropriate agent) and queue management (handling call wait times).
Automatic Ticketing: Zendesk Talk can automatically create support tickets for each call, allowing agents to easily track customer interactions and resolve issues efficiently.
Call Recording and Analytics: Zendesk Talk provides call recording and analytics functionalities. Businesses can use recordings for training purposes or to analyze call quality and agent performance. It also stores call metadata. This includes information about each call, such as call logs (date, time, duration, caller ID), phone numbers involved, and potentially voicemail recordings.
Data storage available across all plans.
Integration with Zendesk Support: A core advantage of Zendesk Talk is its tight integration with Zendesk Support. Agents can access customer information and past interactions from the same platform, providing a more personalized and efficient service.
Zendesk Talk is best suited for:
Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs): Zendesk Talk's user-friendly interface, ease of setup, and potentially cost-effective pricing for smaller teams make it a good option for SMBs looking to improve their phone support operations.
Businesses Already Using Zendesk: Since Zendesk Talk integrates seamlessly with Zendesk Support, it offers a streamlined experience for businesses already invested in the Zendesk ecosystem. Agents can manage all customer interactions (calls, emails, chats) from a single platform, improving efficiency and data accessibility.
Businesses with Moderate Call Volume: Zendesk Talk's pricing structure might become expensive for companies with a very high number of agents or call volume. However, it can be a good solution for businesses with moderate call volume seeking to improve their phone support capabilities.
Monthly pricing:
Zendesk Talk costs from $55 to $115 per agent.
It also has additional costs for inbound and outbound calls, phone numbers, recording, voicemail and voice mail transcription that include:
Phone numbers: $2 per month
Inbound calls: 3.7 cents per minute
Outbound calls (U.S. and Canada): 2.2 cents per minute
Recording: 3/100ths of a cent per minute
Voice mail: 3.7 cents per minute
Voice mail transcription: 5 cents per minute
Zendesk Talk Pros:
Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months for free for up to 50 agents
IVR call routing
Branding for web conversations in higher subscription tiers
Ticketing systems and data storage
HIPAA-enabled service plans that meet the HIPAA security requirements for Business Associates
Integrations with 1,000+ apps
User-friendly interface
Built-in chatbots that are customizable and automated
Zendesk Talk Cons:
No international numbers
Frequent reports of poor call quality
High cost per agent
Users say that Zendesk customer support is not helpful enough
Advanced routing functions on top-tier plans only
The Verdict:
Zendesk Talk is an excellent choice if you’re looking for call center software that seamlessly integrates customer communications on a wide range of channels, including phone, email, chat, text, and social media. However, you must be careful when choosing the plan because functions are limited depending on the subscription tier you have.
2. RingCentral Contact Center: best call center software for small-medium businesses
RingCentral is a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) service provider which streamlines it calls, messages and collaborations with customers and employees. It offers multiple functions including inbound and outbound call handling, omnichannel support, and ticket management.
RingCentral Contact Center is a robust call center solution tailored for growing businesses. It streamlines communication from multiple devices via a cloud-based phone system, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered contact center, video conferencing features and team messaging capabilities.
It offers four plans with various features that suit the specific needs of small businesses across various sectors like software, retail, and services.
Rating:
Capterra - 4.3/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
TrustRadius - 7.9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Key features of RingCentral Contact Center:
Skills-based routing and click-to-call functionality available across plans, facilitating efficient call handling.
Advanced functionalities like voice recording, workforce, and performance management in higher-tier plans to enhance customer experience.
Real-time reporting and over 300 integrations with apps for comprehensive operational insights and extended capabilities.
Businesses willing to invest in a high-quality call center platform offering extensive integrations with CRM, help desk software, and the capability for custom software integrations through open APIs.
Larger companies seeking a powerful toolset for improving customer service and operational efficiencies, despite the additional costs for premium features and lack of transparent pricing.
Monthly pricing:
RingCentral has four plans including Essentials, Standard, Premium and Ultimate. The pricing may range from $150 to $170 per seat for a business with up to 19 support agents, but pricing may vary based on your number of users.
However, the information isn't publicly available on their website, so you’ll have to get in touch with their sales representatives to get a quote.
Only the Ultimate plan offers all the unlimited functions including workforce and performance management. Meanwhile, Essentials plan only gets you four basic functions like click-to-call, third-party integrations, global telephony.
RingCentral Contact Center Pros:
Over 300 integrations including with RingEX, Salesforce, Dynamics, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Oracle, Kustomer, SAP, Spice CRM, and so on.
Social media, chat, email interactions
Powerful outbound dialler capabilities including predictive diallers
IVR feature
Historical and real-time dashboard, reporting and analytics
Automatic calls and ticket management
Voice recording
Workforce and performance capabilities
RingCentral Contact Center Cons:
Advanced functions cost extra
Pricing is not transparent
No direct Linux support (though you can use the web dashboard just fine)
You can't customize the conference call greeting message
Not robust enough to handle multiple calls at once
The Verdict:
RingCentral is excellent call center software for small-medium businesses that want an omnichannel solution to support their agents with call routing and transcription, as well as multiple channels like email, messenger, and social media. However, since their pricing isn't transparent, we can't exactly conclude how much value you get for each subscription tier. It's important to note that to use advanced functions, you have to pay more.
3. Freshdesk Contact Center: best affordable call center software
Freshdesk Contact Center is a versatile VoIP service perfect for businesses seeking efficient call monitoring and management software. It stands out for its affordability and a free forever plan, making it accessible without initial investment or commitment.
While it offers limited third-party app integrations, Freshdesk provides a comprehensive solution for small to midsize businesses (SMBs) across various industries. The best part about Freshdesk call center solution is how affordable it actually is compare to other call center systems.
Rating:
Capterra - 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Small-medium size businesses and startups across various industries who look for a flexible and scalable call center solution at low cost.
Key features of Freshdesk Contact Center:
Multiple Channels: Freshdesk allows agents to manage customer inquiries from various channels, including email, chat, social media platforms (like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp), and even SMS (depending on the plan). This provides customers with a convenient way to reach support through their preferred channel.
Automated Workflows: The software offers features to automate repetitive tasks, such as sending auto-responders for common inquiries or routing tickets to the most appropriate agent based on skills or workload.
Internal Collaboration: Freshdesk Contact Center facilitates internal communication between agents through features like private notes and mentions within tickets.
Self-Service Portal: Freshdesk offers a self-service portal that allows customers to access knowledge base articles, FAQs, and other resources to find solutions to common problems without needing to contact support directly.
Reporting and Analytics: The software provides reports and analytics on various metrics, such as agent performance, customer satisfaction, and resolution times.
Collision Detection: This feature helps prevent multiple agents from working on the same ticket simultaneously, avoiding confusion and improving overall efficiency.
Monthly pricing:
Freshdesk Contact Center offers four plans:
Free -> up to 10 agents. You get: integrated ticketing across email and social, ticket Dispatch, ticket trend report, out-of-the-box analytics and reporting, choose your data center location, team collaboration, 24x7 email support.
Growth -> €18/agent/month, billed monthly. You get: Everything in Free plan + automation, collision detection, 1000+ marketplace apps, helpdesk report, SLA management & business hours, custom email server, custom ticket views, custom ticket fields and status, custom SSL, track how much time agents spend on tickets, 24x5 pphone support.
Pro -> €59/agent/month, billed monthly. You get: Everything in Growth plan + multiple products, up to 5000 Collaborators, round-robin routing, custom roles and objects, custom reports and. dashboards, segment customers, customer journey, community forums, CSAT surveys and reports, extendable API limits, average handling time (AHT) and more.
Enterprise -> €95/agent/month, billed monthly. You get: Everything in Pro plan + unlimited products, sandbox, agent shift management across time zones, audit log, skill-based routing, knowledge base approval workflow, flexible knowledge base hierarchy, IP range restriction.
Freshdesk Contact Center Pros:
Free version available which allows smaller businesses and startups to start without costs.
Affordable paid plans start at $18 and cater to different business scales.
Easy configuration that simplifies setup and enhances user experience.
Customizable reporting enables tailored analytics for better insights.
Free 21-day trial gives you time to explore its features.
Intuitive and scalable.
Freshdesk Contact Center Cons:
Pay-as-you-go can become expensive
No built-in screen sharing feature
Limited third-party integrations
Incoming call minutes and bot sessions are limited to 2,000, 3,000 or 5,000 minutes per month
The Verdict:
Freshdesk Call Center software offers impressive capabilities for one of the best prices on the market. While it may not be the most robust call center solutionout there, it surely does an excellent job of streamlining customer communications across multiple channels.
In comparison to other VoIP services like Grasshopper and Mitel, Freshdesk offers unmatched affordability and ease of use, coupled with a generous 21-day trial period. It is well-suited for growing businesses looking for a scalable, feature-rich, and budget-friendly VoIP solution for effective contact management.
4. LiveAgent: best call center software for solopreneurs
LiveAgent is a multi-channel customer support platform that provides features for managing live chat, email, social media interactions, and optionally, phone calls. Its functionalities include a ticketing system, automation tools, agent management features, reporting, self-service options, and some level of customization.
It's important to note that specific features and functionalities might vary depending on the chosen LiveAgent plan.
Rating:
Capterra - 4.7/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
LiveAgent offers a free forever plan, which makes it an ideal choice for solopreneurs who want to provide support on a budget. As with most free plans, LiveAgent’s free option is limited, but you do get most omnichannel support for your call center, including voice, email, live chat, contact forms and a customer portal.
Key features of LiveAgent:
Live Chat: Live chat functionality allows customers to chat with agents in real-time for immediate support. LiveAgent offers features like chat button customization, proactive chat invitations, and canned responses for faster responses.
Email Ticketing System: LiveAgent provides a built-in ticketing system for managing email inquiries.expand_more Agents can track email conversations, collaborate internally on tickets, and set automated email workflows.
Social Media Integration: The software integrates with popular social media platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram. Agents can manage social media interactions directly from the LiveAgent interface.
Call Center Features (Optional Add-on): LiveAgent offers an optional call center add-on that enables features like call routing, call recording, and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) for handling phone inquiries.
Collision Detection: This feature prevents multiple agents from working on the same ticket simultaneously, reducing confusion and improving efficiency.
Ticketing System: As mentioned earlier, LiveAgent offers a ticketing system to manage all customer support requests from various channels in one place. This streamlines workflows and ensures all communication history is readily accessible for agents.
Automation Features to automate repetitive tasks including auto-tagging, canned responses, SLA routing.
Performance Reporting including agent performance, customer satisfaction, and resolution times.
Self-Service Portal where customers can access knowledge base articles, FAQs, and other resources to find solutions to common problems without needing to contact support directly.
LiveAgent Pros:
Free forever plan (with limitations)
No extra charges per minute usage
Receive calls directly from your website
Omnichannel ticket system
14-day trial
LiveAgent Cons:
Advanced routing features available on high-priced plans only
No VoIP service. Although LiveAgent offers a call center platform, it doesn’t provide VoIP service. It means that in order to obtain VoIP, you have to subscribe to the highest-priced plan and choose VoIP service partner available with LiveAgent.
Extra fee to remove LiveAgent branding ($19 per month)
The Verdict:
LiveAgent offers excellent functions and a free forever plan, which is great for starting businesses with smaller budgets. However, there are likely extra costs if you want to unlock LiveAgent's full potential.
5. Aircall: best call center software for businesses in need of a traditional call center
Aircall is a prominent VoIP service launched in 2014, tailored for both small and large businesses. It is recognized for its capability to manage call center operations and phone systems through AI-driven solutions.
Aircall is cloud-based which means it works on both desktop and mobile. This will benefit both in-house employees and remote workers. It offers a range of features including inbound and outbound calling, advanced routing, a power dialer, queuing and warm transfers.
Rating:
Capterra - 4.3/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Businesses who need traditional call center system.
Key features of Aircall:
Unlimited Calling: In the U.S. and Canada with optional international calling.
Business SMS: Facilitates text message communication with customers.
Call Recording: Allows for the recording of calls for compliance and training purposes.
Call Monitoring: Enables supervisors to oversee call quality and agent performance.
Shared Contacts: Centralizes customer contact information for easy access.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Directs callers to the appropriate agent or department automatically.
Customizable Reporting: Provides insights into call center metrics and performance.
Aircall Pros:
Seven-day free trial available
Traditional call center platform
Choose local or toll-free number
IVR included on all plans
Warm transfers on all plans
95-plus integrations available
Easy to set up
Aircall Cons:
Plans require a minimum number of users which will lead to prices stacking up
1 number is included with each plan, additional phone numbers are $6 each/per month.
Power dialer only on high-tier plans
No Salesforce integration on low-priced plan
No social, email or live chat support features
The Verdict:
Aircall is easy to set up and onboard new users. It's also a great call center for both hybrid and remote work. However, the business who need more complex capabilities can find Aircall limiting. Moreover, the prices can stack quickly since it requires a minimum of three users.
6. Twillio Flex: best call center software for larger businesses
Twilio Flex is a cloud-based call center software designed for medium and large businesses. It helps businesses manage customer communication across various channels, including voice calls (supports over 180 countries), SMS, chat, social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google's Business Messages, email.
Rating:
G2 - 4.1/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Larger businesses who need scalable call center solutions and have a budget ready for pay-as-you-go.
Key features of Twilio Flex:
Omnichannel support: Agents can handle inquiries from all the mentioned channels through a single interface, improving their efficiency.
Customization: Businesses can customize the software to fit their specific needs, such as creating custom dashboards and workflows.
Programmability: Developers can integrate Twilio Flex with other business applications using APIs (application programming interfaces) to create a more powerful contact center solution.
Real-time data and AI: Twilio Flex can leverage real-time data and AI to personalize interactions with customers and improve overall agent productivity.
Twilio Flex Pros:
Highly Programmable: Twilio Flex stands out for its customization capabilities. Compared to other contact center software, it offers a high degree of programmability through APIs. This allows businesses to tailor the software to their specific needs and workflows.
Easy to Set Up and Use: Twilio Flex is known for being a cloud-based solution that's relatively easy to set up and use. This can be beneficial for businesses that need a contact center solution that can be implemented quickly.
Agent Friendly Interface: The software offers an agent-friendly interface that is designed to improve agent productivity.
Omnichannel Support: As mentioned earlier, Twilio Flex allows agents to handle inquiries from various channels through a single interface, streamlining communication and improving customer experience.
Flexible Pricing: Twilio Flex offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which can be cost-effective for businesses with fluctuating call volumes.
Twilio Flex Cons:
Cost: A major drawback of Twilio Flex is its pricing structure.expand_more The per-user, per-month cost can be significant, especially for businesses with a large number of agents. Additionally, integrating CRM and ERP systems might require extra fees depending on the chosen solution.exclamation
Technical Expertise Required: Twilio Flex is designed to be customizable, but this also means it requires some level of technical expertise to set up and manage. Businesses that lack in-house development resources might find it challenging to get the most out of the platform.
Limited Integrations: While Twilio Flex offers core functionalities, some users report limitations in integrating with various business systems.exclamation This can lead to a more siloed approach to customer service and require additional workarounds.
Basic Reporting: While Twilio Flex provides some reporting tools, they might be considered basic compared to more comprehensive contact center solutions. Businesses that require in-depth agent performance or customer interaction analytics might need to invest in additional tools.
The Verdict:
Twilio Flex is a powerful tool, but it's best suited for businesses with the budget for its per-user pricing and the technical resources to benefit from its customization features. If you have a smaller team or limited technical expertise, it might be worth exploring other contact center software options that offer more out-of-the-box functionality and potentially lower costs.
7. Five9: best call center software for automatic call routing
Five9 is a cloud-based call center software that aims to help businesses deliver exceptional customer service. It offers omnichannel capabilities, AI-powered features, and data-driven insights.
Five9 helps to improve agent productivity, optimize operations, and gain valuable knowledge to make informed decisions regarding your contact center strategy.
Rating:
G2 - 4.0/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Larger businesses with more complex call center needs, and a relevant budget can afford Five9's pricing, which is per agent and per month.
Key features of Five9:
Unified Platform: Manage phone calls, emails, chat, text messages, social media interactions, and even web callbacks from a single, unified platform. This eliminates the need for agents to switch between different applications and provides a more streamlined experience for both agents and customers.
Customer History: Routing based on past interactions to personalize the experience.
Workforce Optimization: Five9 offers tools to optimize agent scheduling, breaks, and workload distribution.
Agent Assist: Real-time AI guidance suggests the next best action for agents during a customer interaction, reducing errors and improving resolution times.
Real-time Coaching: Supervisors can monitor agent performance in real-time using call recording and analytics.
Scalability: The cloud-based architecture allows businesses to easily scale their contact center operations up or down as needed, accommodating growth or fluctuating call volume.
Security: Five9 prioritizes data security and offers features to comply with industry regulations.
Five9 Pros:
Inbound and outbound calling
AI-assisted IVR
Integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, Microsoft Teams
Real-time and historical reports
Predictive dialing
Workforce and performance management
Five9 Cons:
Lack of transparent pricing
No free trial
No ticketing system
The Verdict:
Five9 is a powerful cloud-based contact center solution that will suit medium to large businesses with moderate to high call volume. However, for small businesses Five9 can be overwhelming.
8. Avaya: best call center software for large global businesses
Avaya is a call center software which can be run both as cloud-based or on-premises. It particularly benefits mobile callers because it helps to reduce toll-free charges, and is designed to allow for personalized customer interactions.
Rating:
G2 - 4.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Larger and global businesses.
Key features of Avaya:
Omnichannel support
Agent dashboard, outbound response,
Click-to-call (CTC) and call tracking
Predictive dialing
REST APIs
Mobile-focused user experience
Personalizable desktop for agents
Avaya Workplace uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which allows you to use your computer or smartphone to make or receive calls from your campus phone number, anywhere in the world
Natural language processing for IVR
Call scripts
Automatic speech recognition (ASR)
Communications forecasting
Avaya Pros:
Supervisors have a lot of information available to them regarding agent status and the status of their call center as a whole
Helpful dashboard
Performance and workforce management for large teams
Easy to use digital voice channel
Providees accurate real-time data
Avaya Cons:
Users report unclear setup process
Functions can be somewhat confusing
Users report that mobile app is slow
Problematic password resets
Users report that the system is sometimes unreliable as it logs out agents without explanation
Pricing is not transparent
The Verdict:
While Avaya is recognized as a robust and popular call center software with omnichannel support, its pricing plans are not disclosed to public.
Channels (aka CrazyCall) is a call center platform which focuses on outbound web calls. Thanks to its unique feature, you can make outbound calls with local phone numbers from more than 60 countries. The feature allows you to appear as a local company to customers which in turns makes your prospect trust you more.
While Channels can be used for customer support, you can unlock its full potential when making outbound sales calls.
Rating:
G2 - 4.6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Small-medium businesses who want to generate more leads and make more sales.
Key features of Channels:
Web call widget feature allows customers to make acall from your site
Call history and storage
IVR feature
Text message support
Multiple integrations including Shopify, HubSpot and Zendesk.
Channels Pros:
Outbound and inbound calling
Appear local with phone numbers
Click-to-call (both inbound and outbound)
Integrations
IVR routing
Channels Cons:
No ticket system
No omnichannel support
Limited call history
Free plan doesn't give you outbound calls
The Verdict:
Channels is an excellent call center software for outbound sales and cold calling. It's unique feature makes your number appear local so it's much easier to get more leads.
In order to boost your outbound sales performance, it's best to combine cold calling with cold emailing. lemlist is the best cold emailing software where you can find your leads, create hyper-personalized emails, schedule your campaigns, track your data with highly advanced reporting, and more.
10. Dialpad: best call center software for customer support via phone
Not every business needs omnichannel supportwhen it comes tocall center systems.Dialpad isa greatoption for those who don't.
Dialpad is a cloud-based communications platform that focuses on inbound and outbound calling and is excellent for the businesses that rely on phone support.
Dialpad primarily cates business teams, and some of its best-known ones include Asana, Uber, and TED.
Dialpad offers features like call recording, monitoring, an in-queue callback system, and transcriptions. It also integrates with Zendesk and Salesforce, so you can build it up to a more flexible solution.
Rating:
Trustpilot - 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Capterra - 4.3/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best suited for:
Sales teams and businesses whose customer support is based on phone.
Key features of Dialpad:
Inbound and outbound calling
Integrations with Zendesk, Zapier and Salesforce
In-queue callback system allows customers not to wait on the phone
Call recording and monitoring functions
Transcriptions
Unlimited domestic calling
Business SMS and MMS
Unlimited video meetings
Business phone number
Visual voice mail
Multilevel auto attendant
Custom call routing
Call and number forwarding
Automatic spam call detection
Three-way calling
Contact syncing
Dialpad Pros:
Free trial for Dialpad Pro plan
Works with multiple devices
Unlimited domestic calling
Business phone number
Real-time and historical data reporting
24/7 support
Dialpad Cons:
Pricing isn't transparent, so you have to contact sales
Minimum users are required for each plan (three users for Pro plan and at least fifty for Enterprise plan)
No ticket managing feature
No omnichannel support
Users reported Google-related login issues
The Verdict:
Dialpad is a robust call center app that works both on desktop and mobile devices. While it doesn't provide omnichannel support and ticketing system, it's great for phone support and sales calls.
How to pick the best call center software for your business
There are many factors that make some call center software stand out from the others. Choosing the best platform for your business is all about the big picture.
The most important features to consider when you look for your next call center solution are:
Omni-channel support to manage all customer communication channels from a single platform.
Virtual capability with cloud-based call center solutions that are accessible for small companies and remote operations.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) that runs together with existing phone systems (physical, VoIP, etc.).
Skills-based routing to direct customers to the most qualified agents.
Powerful outbound dialer to enhance outbound call capabilities with advanced dialer functions.
Advanced IVR with speech recognition for an interactive voice response system.
Analytics and reporting for in-depth insights into call center operations and agent performance.
Workforce optimization tools that manage workflow, quality, and call performance.
Integrated CRM to seamlessly access customer history and data.
AI and self-service options to streamline operations and customer inquiries.
Reliability and uptime capabilities with robust disaster recovery measures.
Flexible pricing tiers to accommodate the needs and scale of different businesses, from SMBs to large enterprises.
The Roadmap: Choosing the best call center software
Choosing the best call center software in 2024 involves understanding your specific needs and evaluating different options based on those factors.
Here's a roadmap to guide you through the selection process:
1. Identify Your Needs
Consider your average call volume and whether you handle mostly inbound, outbound, or both types of calls. The next step is to consider how many agents will be using the software? Third, it's important to determine whether you required omnichannel support. Do you need the software to handle calls alongside other communication channels like email, chat, or social media? Next, consider the speficis features and functionalities that are important for your business like call routing, call recording, analytics, integrations with your CRM or ERP systems, and self-service options like IVR (Interactive Voice Response).
2. Calculate Your Budget
Before choosing the call center system, make sure you know how much are you willing to spend on call center software. It's crucial to consider pricing structures (per-user, per-minute, etc.) and any potential additional costs for integrations or international calling.
3. Evaluate Your Technical Expertise
While many call center systems now offer virtual support and live chat, it may not be enough if you opt for a more customizable call software solution. If you do that, you must consider whether your business has the in-house technical resources to set up and manage it.
4. Research Different Options
Research popular call center software options like Zendesk Talk, Twilio Flex, Five9, RingCentral Contact Center, and Freshdesk Contact Center. There are many others, so explore based on your initial needs assessment.Make sure you read reviews and comparisons of different software options to see how each systemstacks up against the other.
5. Evaluate Based on Your Needs
Consider how the software can scale with your business growth. If you use other business systems (CRM, ERP), ensure the software integrates well with those platforms. Moreover, it's important to measure the level of customer support offered by the software vendor before making a commitment.
6. Free Trials and Demos
Most call center software vendors offer free trials or demos that allow you to test the software firsthand and see if it meets your needs. Make sure you use them to your advantage to make an informed decision.
Additional Tips:
Look for cloud-based solutions that are easy to set up and use.
Consider the security features offered by the software to protect customer data.
Pay attention to the user interface (UI) and ensure it's user-friendly for both agents and administrators.
Don't be afraid to negotiate with vendors to get the best possible price.
Cloud-based vs. Hosted vs. On-premise Software
Cloud-based software is deployed through a browser or app and it supports remote access from different devices. It is usually more affordable with regular updates included in the subscription cost. Scalability of cloud-based software is backed by tiered plans and it allows for server upgrade if needed. Support for cloud-based software is typically included in subscription plans.
Hosted software is similar to cloud-based but offers the option to choose the server type. It's well-suited for larger companies that may stress shared servers. Hosted software operations work similar to cloud-based software where calls handled via internet connection without the need for extra telephony hardware.
On-premise software is installed on company-owned servers and hardware. It runs through an intranet and typically has a one-time payment with no user limit. Maintenance and updates of on-premise software are managed by in-house IT. However, support and software updates are typically not clear and may come with extra cost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best call center software?
Zendesk is best for omnichannel support
RingCentral Contact Center is best for small-medium businesses
Freshdesk Contact Center is best affordable call center software
LiveAgent is best call center software for solopreneurs
Aircall is best for businesses in need of a traditional call center
Twillio Flex is best for larger businesses
Five9 is best for automatic call routing
Avaya is best for larger and global businesses
Channels is for cold calling and outbound sales
Dialpad is best for phone support
How does call center software work?
Most virtual call centers rely on cloud-based software solutions that can be accessed from anywhere with a stable internet connection. This eliminates the need for expensive physical infrastructure and associated hardware costs. Instead of working in a central office, agents can be located anywhere – at home, in co-working spaces, or even across different countries. This offers flexibility for businesses and agents.
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