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A Buyer's Guide to Call Center Solutions
Call Center Software Buyer’s Guide
Inbound calls, outbound calls or blended calls? If you’re in a call center business, aside from being 100% familiar with these terms, you probably also know the vast requirements in managing these different types of calls. Your clients could be the companies who want to launch series of products and they require inbound calling services or could be businesses who want to expand their reach through surveys and market research and they need your outbound calling services. Either type basically needs your well-trained call center agents, telephone sets, computer, and some scripts to assist them on entertaining each and every call. But if you’re a business owner who wants to lift up your call center into another level, then you need a technology that could make the most of your time, people, and investment. That technology is no other than the Call Center software solution.
We from ITQlick.com fully understand the software solution requirements of every call center that provides services to different types and volumes of customers. That is why in this Buyer’s Guide, we are going to share with you the types, features, deployment models and trends in call center software technology that can further enhance your business’ overall performance. Call center is a booming industry. According to a report, more than 80% of customers today prefer to contact businesses over the phone against other communication channels. So if you think that you are one of those businesses that need to upgrade your existing CTI system, the solution more or less is on this buyer’s guide.
Types
Most Call Center software solutions today allow call center agents to obtain and access relevant customer information within a single screen of a multi-channel desktop application program. Speaking of application programs, what basically differentiates one solution from the others are the level and type of functionalities that goes with them. Most systems cloud have been designed and developed to cater all types of calls (outbound, inbound, blended), but not all can provide a level of customer service that your company wants to achieve. So a smart way in selecting a call center software solution is by examining the functions that it can give and these functions are as follows:
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Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)distributes or assigns incoming calls to agents based on their specific knowledge and skills.
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Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)integrates all customer contact channels, mainly the telephone, with computer systems thus allowing customers to quickly get in contact with an agent that can best fulfil their needs.
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Interactive Voice Response (IVR)allows customers to interact directly with the system until their needs are completely assisted or they will be routed to the appropriate agent for further assistance.
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Predictive Dialeris used to initiate a number of calls at once and then automatically assigns agents to answer those numbers or lines that take the call.
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Call Center Monitoringhelps call centers in assessing and improving the performance of their agents through various metrics (ex. KPI) and information gathering methods.
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Call Accounting Softwareis a call logging system that captures, records and automatically computes the cost of telephone usage events.
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Call Analyticsis used to determine the advertising source and destination of a call as well as manage and monitor the performance of call center agents.
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CRM with Call Centerfunctionality is a software solution that covers both customer relationship management and call center management.
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Commerce Supportis a combination of customer service and knowledge base solution that assists customers with online transactions such as buying decisions, RMA handling, and resolving technical issues and concerns.
Features
When buying call center software solutions, next to understanding the types, another effective way in selecting the right solution for your business is by going in-depth with the features. If you’re a veteran in the call center business, you probably know exactly what feature works and what doesn’t. However, because modern call center solutions are more robust, more flexible and more scalable, there are newer features that should not be underestimated by any buyer regardless of his background or experience. We from ITQlick.com are adept with the trends in modern software solutions for business. And when it comes to call center software solutions, here are the trending features that we know can provide significant impacts into the future of your business.
Inbound Calling Features
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Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
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Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
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Call Queue Management
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Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
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Dial Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF)
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Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
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Speech Recognition
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Virtual Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
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Skills-Based Routing
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Text-to-Speech Conversion
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Toll Free Number Provisioning
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Voicemail System
Outbound Calling Features
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Auto Dialer
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Campaign Management
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Call List Imports
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Outbound Interactive Voice Response
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Power Dialer
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Predictive Dialer
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Preview Dialer
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Progressive Dialer
Blended Calling Features
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Call Back
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Call Conferencing
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Call Scripting
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Case and Contact Management
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Customizable Fields
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Knowledgebase
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Surveys
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Virtual Call Center Support
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Web Call Back
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Web Collaboration
Analysis, Reporting and Integration Features
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Call Logging
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Call Monitoring
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Call Recording
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Call Scoring Templates
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Campaign History Tracking
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Contact History Tracking
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Reports Customization
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Real-time Reporting
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CRM Integration
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Database Integration
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Email Integration
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Website Integration
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Workforce Management Integration
Solutions per Business Size, per Vendor
Call center solutions are just these same with other business software solutions on the methods of deployment. Cloud-based and on-premise models are also the available options in the market for call center software products. Most of the on-premise type is a no monthly fee, no contract solution. You purchase the software license, install it on your agent’s desktop in just a matter of minutes, and you are ready to get into business. Software-as-a-Service or the cloud-based type, on the other hand, is a subscription-based model. You need to pay for a premium that is usually billed to you on a monthly basis.
Call center is there to handle calls and therefore any call center solution seeker must also take into consideration the costs involve in making calls. Most solution providers will charge you on your local and international calls on top of your monthly subscription (for cloud-based) or one-time license (for on-premise) fee. It is important to note that solutions such as VoIP, SIP Trunking, and virtual PBX are also factors to consider when setting up a call center business. Inquire these matters to you preferred solution provider before you engage in any contract or avail any service plans.
There is a right software solution for any size of business or amount of budget that you have. There are industry-specific solutions which are for unique businesses such as hospitals, financial institutions, and other businesses in the vertical market. There are enterprise grade solutions which can be integrated with larger systems such as CRM and Help Desk. Virtual call center is a growing industry that also requires solutions that could best answer their needs for operation.
ITQlick.com would like you to consider all of the above factors before launching your call center software investment.
Pricing Considerations
It is also great to know that there are free trial software products being offered by most call center solution providers. Lasting from 14 up to 30 days, you can initiate calls, allow a certain number of agents to use it, and explore the basic up to the advanced features free of charge. While demo products are not as comprehensive as the paid versions, it has been proven in the software industry that taking those free simulations right before you make your purchase enhances your agents’ skills and overall familiarization of the system.
Pricing models for the on-premise and cloud-based call center solutions are pretty straightforward. For on-premise solutions, the price ranges from $1000 up $3000 per software license. For cloud-based solutions, the price ranges from $10 to $100 per agent per month. You can choose between basic, professional and enterprise plans on both models.
Here are then the lists of solutions providers grouped according to the size of call center businesses that they serve.
Solutions for Small Business
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SugarCRM
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Sage Saleslogix
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Leads360
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SoftVu
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Libra OnDemand
Solutions for Large Enterprises
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inContact
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Salesforce
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Chrodiant
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Pegasystems
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Aplicor
For large enterprises, many from the above providers offer CRM with call center functionality. We recommend that you pay a visit on the provider’s website to get to know more about the scope and coverage of their offered solution packages.
Market Trends
There has been a lot of positive trends going on in the call center industry which are clear indications that it is continuously growing and improving.
One of the hottest trends is the used of the cloud. According to a report, more and more call centers will be using cloud-based frame work within the next two to three years.
Mobile applications for call centers are also on the rise. In the US and Canada alone, it was reported that nearly 40% of inbound calls are answered via smartphones. Web services like web chat and call-back are already being integrated with mobile call center apps to boost customer engagement and overall experience.
Advanced technologies such as voice biometrics can now be seen on many call center software solutions. It provides stronger method of authentication among callers thus preventing cases of identity theft and frauds.
These trends are clearly calling every call center owners like you to start finding the right software solution for your business. And today could be the right time to dial the numbers of the solution provider of your choice.
ITQlick chart - 2024 best Call Center Software
Finding the right Call Center software for your business
Proper Call Center software selections are the precursor to successful deployment and business growth. Finding the right Call Center solutions doesnít have to be complicated, and it doesnít have to take days or weeks of your time.
After researching over 5,000 systems, we can identify the best solution for companies of all shapes and sizes. ITQlick.com is 100% free for software buyers.