Even in the digital age we live in today, people frequently prefer phone support when contacting customer care.
The familiarity and immediate nature of phone conversations with live people foster confidence between customers and customer support representatives.
Using call centre software, a call centre manager converses with a team member while they are on the phone.
You’ll need an efficient call centre solution that enables your service staff to perform at its highest level if you want to provide consumers with excellent phone assistance.
Customers will have to wait on hold without this software as agents struggle to respond to inquiries. Because they won’t be aware of call volume or trend information, supervisors won’t be able to control the mayhem.
The finest call centre software assists management in implementing an omni-channel strategy, distributes calls to the appropriate agents, and gives staff members additional context.
So, whether you have a team of ten or a few hundred, it’s crucial to use the appropriate tools when creating your call centre. The top call centre software solutions accessible this year are delineated in this piece, along with some of the common features of call centre software.
Call Center Software Features
Here are a few features to think about when looking for call centre software features.
1. Omnichannel
If you’re looking for call centre software, it’s likely that you already provide customer service via other means (like email, live chat, or social media). It’s crucial to think about how well your new call centre software will work with the rest of your distribution methods.
A unified customer support experience, according to HubSpot, decreases customer friction and boosts front-line productivity.
It is ideal to register incoming calls on your help desk so that agents can follow up via email. No matter the channel the previous customer contacts took place on, this functionality will enable everyone on your team to view the context of those interactions.
As a result, no matter whatever channel the encounter starts on, you’ll provide a consistent client experience.
2. Call Routing
How do customers rapidly reach the proper person on your team when they call?
It’s critical to comprehend how your call routing will function, regardless of whether your software gives automatic call routing or requires customers to select a department after hearing a variety of possibilities.
Try setting up and adjusting your workflow during your trial period to make sure you’re not locked with one configuration because many systems are difficult to update on the fly.
3. CRM Integration for Customer Context
Customers find it annoying to have to explain the same problem to different customer service representatives and to summarise their prior contacts.
However, agents can offer more helpful support when they are aware of more details about the customer who is calling.
Customers don’t have to repeat themselves because they may immediately refer to earlier exchanges with them. Agents can take action based on trends in product usage to prevent customers from contacting them again with the same problem.
Many call centre technologies offer context through CTI (computer-telephony integration) pop-ups that reveal prior interactions through the browser and identify a consumer by their phone number.
In order to give your agents enough context to be helpful, it is essential to understand how the software you’re considering logs calls and interfaces with other systems (like your CRM).
4. Cloud-Based Calling
A cloud-based calling system will be necessary for call centres using cloud networks to integrate with their online databases.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), sometimes known as cloud-based calling, is a phone system that uses the internet as opposed to a phone line.
This service is normally provided by a third party, however it is frequently less expensive to establish and maintain than traditional landlines.
That’s because VoIP eliminates the regular infrastructure and maintenance costs associated with traditional phone lines by not requiring on-premise hardware.
5. Reporting
Managers must keep a pulse on contact centre indicators including incoming call volume, call trends, and agent productivity in order to run a successful call centre.
Without knowing how your team is managing traffic variations, it is impossible to manage schedules and make future plans.
Reporting can reveal support coverage gaps, indicate prospective training opportunities, and identify typical problems that consumers call about.
6. Outgoing Calls
Software for call centres is not only used for incoming customer care. If you provide proactive customer assistance alternatives, agents might have to place outbound calls.
Your call centre software may be used by sales teams to make calls to prospects.
In order to keep your CRM up to date, seek for software that has an automated dialer and simple-to-use call tracking tools if your contact centre also requires agents or sales teams to handle outgoing calls.
7. Usage Pricing
Look closely at the software’s per-call or per-use fee. You can be charged more than you anticipated for each minute on the phone, depending on how your chosen programme assigns your phone numbers.
Verify the package’s contents and the cost of each call and minute before committing to any more phone lines.
8. Interactive Voice Response
Before contacting your support staff, your clients will be able to communicate with an automated system thanks to an interactive voice response function.
Even though they might not love it, your customer may use this choice to resolve some of their problems or provide essential information that will help your team serve them more effectively.
IVR functionality will assist in controlling the number of calls received by your team and will automatically gather pertinent data from the customer.
The customer won’t have to repeat themselves when they speak to a live person because all the information the representative needs will be available by the time they do.
9. Call Scripting
You might think about using call centre software with a call scripting capability if you frequently handle calls about the same subjects.
Similar to a chatbot, a call script analyses the customer’s email for specific keywords and provides troubleshooting advice based on a typical response.
You ought to be able to view the script history and tailor your reply to the client. The ability to establish standard scripts that all of your agents can use is another benefit of a call scripting capability.
The customer will thus have a consistent experience regardless of which agent they speak to.
10. Escalation Management
You can control the escalation process for urgent customer support inquiries with the best call centre software.
Customers should be able to speak with the appropriate person at each stage of the process from the minute they call with a problem.
Additionally, your call centre software should enable your employees to defuse situations by issuing vouchers, discounts, or refunds directly over the programme, preferably during the same call.
Top 8 Call Centre Software
Now that you are aware of the criteria to consider when comparing call centre software, let’s look at the top choices.
1. HubSpot
Look no further than HubSpot’s help desk software and Service Hub for a robust but user-friendly call centre solution.
The help desk software from HubSpot is built on the company’s top CRM and is linked to its sales and marketing platforms as well as Aircall.
This indicates that anyone the customer communicates with on the front line is well equipped to manage the scenario at hand.
Staff can provide clients greater service by combining this data into a single perspective. Modern automation technologies and analytical reporting are included in HubSpot’s call centre software to support your team’s continual efforts to improve customer care.
Service Hub includes a shared email address, live chat software, and self-help tools, all of which integrate with Aircall to provide phone support. The first month’s Aircall plans cost $30 for each user.
2. Dialpad Ai Contact Center
You can access all of your client interactions, regardless of channel, from a single app that is available everywhere and on any device thanks to Dialpad Ai Contact Center.
The AI that powers Dialpad’s built-in features, like sentiment analysis, agent coaching, chatbot self-service functionality, and more, all run in real-time, is what sets it apart from other call centre software.
Additionally, Dialpad interacts with well-known CX technologies like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk, linking them all into a single window.
With Dialpad, creating a new contact centre only takes a few minutes. Right from your Dialpad account, you can also add and remove agents, manage phone numbers, and do other things more quickly and easily.
With DialPad, you can effortlessly scale your business. Pricing: Pricing may vary on different websites.
3. Aircall
Aircall’s call centre software Speaking of Aircall, it can assist your support staff in transforming customer experiences.
Some of the top features we previously listed are present in this programme, including IVR, cloud-based calling, call routing, and others.
The software also claims capabilities including call whispering, skill-based routing, queue callback, live call monitoring, and call queuing.
Managers can provide teammates advice in secret and have an immediate impact by using the call whispering feature. This is fantastic for both customer service and training needs.
Additionally, Aircall offers call centre analytics so you can keep tabs on your agents’ performance both individually and collectively.
Price per user: Essentials $30; Professional $50; Custom (Enterprise)
4. Nextiva
Nextiva call centre software With Nextiva, you can connect with more callers in less time and with fewer agents. It’s an intuitive solution. IVR, call queuing, and other functionalities are available through Nextiva.
Additionally, you may improve the way agents handle calls, use virtual agents to automate conversations, and improve the caller’s experience.
Pricing: $18.95 per user per month for “Essential,” $22.95 for “Professional,” $32.95 for “Enterprise,” and $57.95 for “user per month” (Ultimate)
5. CloudTalk
Innovative call centre software called ClouldTalk gives users access to a wide range of one-of-a-kind functions. Its custom queue function, for instance, enables support teams to specify how incoming calls will be distributed.
With CloudTalk, incoming calls are forwarded to the agents most qualified to address the customer’s problem. Call transfers—which can complicate the client experience—are eliminated as a result.
Customers can leave voicemails for your team if they’re not available, and representatives will return them later.
Customers won’t have to wait on hold for a long time for a member of your staff to respond in this fashion. Instead, they may just leave a message, get on with their work, and wait for a response from your staff once they have a plan in place.
Pricing: Starter ($25/user/month), Essential ($30/user/month), Expert ($50/user/month), and Custom ($100/user/month).
6. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 is a contact centre that is designed around your to-do list and encourages teamwork to complete tasks. They provide a wide range of customer service options, including email queues, live chat, and rentable phone lines, all of which are integrated with Bitrix24’s task management programme and CRM.
In addition, Bitrix24 provides an on-premise option for businesses that still need to host their own data storage or prefer it.
Pricing: Free; $19 per month for Start+; $55 per month for CRM+; $55 per month for Project+; $79 per month for the Standard Business Plan; and $159 per month for the Professional Business Plan.
7. TalkDesk
TalkDesk, a powerful call centre solution for enterprise teams, provides capabilities built to enable large teams quickly handle phone support.
This TalkDesk gives teams everything they need to create a consistent customer experience at scale, from workforce management to industry-specific security features.
Prices are available upon request.
8. Five9
Everything your company needs to start a full customer care and sales call centre is provided by Five9.
In order to help agents deliver better customer service and not lose out on an opportunity to upsell, Five9, which is targeted at enterprise enterprises, offers workforce management tools, predictive dialling, and CTI screen pops.
Prices are available upon request.
Use Call Center Software to Supercharge Your Support Team
The modern consumer demands excellent customer service across all platforms, including live chat, email, and phone.
However, if these channels are on various software platforms that don’t connect with one another, this could overburden your support staff.
The customer and your frontline personnel will have a better experience as a consequence of your team’s ability to combine their omnichannel service efforts into one tool using call centre software.