Managing and operating a call center is a complex task, with high call volumes putting your customer support agents under pressure to wrap up each call as swiftly as possible.
Thankfully, there is a wide range of software for call centers, designed to streamline the day-to-day operations as well as providing longer term, strategic insight.
We’ve compiled 10 of the best call center software providers on the market to help you find new solutions to supercharge your business.
Read on to find out more.
What is call center software?
Call center software is a digital program or service designed to facilitate the proper function of an effective call center.
As direct telephone contact is one of the most time-consuming methods of customer communication, many of these services are tailored towards streamlining the process and providing positive customer experiences in less time.
From scripting your calls to providing analytical insight into customer resolution, call center software is the backbone of any successful agency.
Types of call center software
Not limited to any one specific function, call center software can come in all shapes and forms. The specific software functions we’ll be covering in this blog are:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Cobrowsing software
- Automatic call distribution and call routing telephony software
- Call scripting
- Automated queue callbacks
- Auto dialers
- Call queueing
- Call recording
- Reporting and analytics
- Call monitoring
- Omnichannel routing
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) software is one of the most commonly used call center software programs.
As an automated phone system, IVR can guide a customer through the main helpdesk to redirect their enquiry to the correct department. Pre-programmed messages can ask a customer what type of account they hold with you, what the nature of their enquiry is, and obtain their customer information.
This allows the customer to experience lower wait times and enables the following agent to jump right into the resolution process without needing to take down all this information whilst on an active call.
Cobrowsing software
As a relatively new player in the customer support field, cobrowsing software allows agents and customers to simultaneously operate a specific window on the user’s computer remotely.
This is particularly useful for technical issues customers may find difficult to explain through words alone, and eliminates the need for technical support agents to visit a customer on-site to resolve a problem.
Automatic call distribution and call routing telephony software
Often going hand-in-hand with IVR software, automatic call distribution and call routing helps to direct customers to the most relevant agents or departments.
Removing the need for manually assigning calls to specific agents, this software can identify agents with higher levels of capacity and ensure all customers are redirected to a suitable agent immediately.
Automatic call distribution and call routing also offers benefits for companies with ‘VIP’ or premium accounts, meaning they are instantly assigned a higher priority on the waitlist.
Call scripting
As the name might suggest, call scripting software helps to develop scripts and suggest responses for your support agents to utilize.
Powered by AI, call scripting software can also automatically respond to SMS messages with tailored responses as well as providing real-time call suggestions.
Effective call scripting not only saves time, but keeps a high level of consistency across your entire customer support team.
Automated queue callbacks
Another commonly used software for call centers is the automated queue callback.
This software essentially provides callers with the option to receive a callback from an agent rather than waiting on hold for an extended time. This helps to reduce time strain on agents and provides a more enjoyable experience for customers.
Auto dialers
Auto dialers are another time saving tool in the arsenal of successful call centers.
Removing the need for agents to manually dial each phone number they call, auto dialers are very simple to use and ensure agents can move between calls with ease.
With applications for sales and telemarketing, as well as customer service, auto dialers are every agent’s best friend.
Call queueing
Queues are nothing unusual for call centers of all sizes, but managing them effectively can be a challenge.
By utilizing call queuing software, your system will automatically assign priorities to each waiting customer based on pre-determined criteria. This could include membership status, frequency of calls, potential order value and urgency.
Designed to keep the calls moving at a steady rate, call queuing software also provides additional benefits such as music or customized messages to keep your customers entertained whilst on hold.
Call recording
Call recording software is crucial for any successful contact center. As all correspondence here is taking place verbally, no written record is taken which can lead to misunderstandings or even false accusations.
By utilizing call recording software, you ensure that no details are missed and your agents are protected from unrecorded miscommunication or abuse.
Reporting and analytics
As a numbers game at its core, the call center industry benefits from insightful analytics to help monitor queue activity, track employee performance, and receive real-time activity alerts.
With such high volumes of calls taking place, proper analysis of customer resolution rates and average call times can help organizations to identify areas in need of improvement.
Call monitoring
Call monitoring software can help call centers to identify customer trends, track caller sentiment, and plot ideas for improvement.
With speech recognition and analysis, call monitoring can highlight topics or concerns that are commonly mentioned by customers. This can help your business to rectify any recurring problems and prepare for further conversations on this topic.
Omnichannel routing
If your customer support network spans across multiple channels, including SMS, phone, and web, omnichannel routing could be exactly what you need.
Omnichannel routing assigns customers to specific agents based on their skills and expertise in certain areas, rather than just by the chosen channel of contact.
This means that support agents may receive contact from a mixture of channels, but ensure they are dealing with queries they specialize in.
Best call center software in each category for 2024
With several options on the market for each of the beforementioned call center software, we’ve picked our top choices for each category.
Our category winners for 2024 are:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – LiveAgent
- Cobrowsing – Fullview
- Call scripting – Consovo
- Automated queue callbacks – LiveAgent
- Auto dialers – Kixie
- Call queueing – Talkdesk
- Call recording – CallHippo (honorary mention – Fullview)
- Reporting and analytics – Zendesk
- Omnichannel routing - Dixa
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) - LiveAgent
LiveAgent is an industry-leading software company for customer support organizations. With a wide range of products and services on offer, LiveAgent has serviced more than 150 million users worldwide.
Features
- Over 60 VoIP provider integrations
- Wide range of other call center software
- Intelligent routing
Pros
- Best in class IVR
- Easy implementation
- Full customization
Cons
- Tech support based only in the EU
- No real-time call monitoring
Pricing
LiveAgent employs a four-tiered pricing structure, with each tier including multiple software options:
- FREE ($0)
- Small business ($9 p/m)
- Medium business ($29 p/m)
- Large business ($49 p/m)
- Enterprise ($69 p/m)
Cobrowsing software – Fullview
Fullview is a technical support software that gives call center agents the context they need to quickly and efficiently solve customer issues with screen control, co-browsing, session replays, and console logs.
Fullview is fully cloud-based and GDPR-compliant, making it one of the best technical support solutions on the market.
Features
- One-click cobrowsing software
- Seamless screen control
- Cobrowsing call recordings
- Session replays
- Console logs
- Analytics
Pros
- Best in class cobrowsing
- Context transparency with session replays
- Easy troubleshooting through console logs
- Cross browser/platform compatibility
- Secure and 100% GDPR compliant
- Customizable privacy controls and data blurring
- No downloads – easy implementation
- Cobrowsing call recordings for QA and training
Cons
- Does not support mobile apps
Pricing
Fullview employs a three-tiered pricing structure:
- FREE (€0) – up to four cobrowsing calls per month.
- PRO (€47p/m) – unlimited calls.
- ENTERPRISE (POA) – premium support, recorded sessions and more.
Call scripting - Consovo
As a longstanding software specialist, Consovo offers a dynamic sales scripting tool personalized to each specific lead based on data from your CRM.
Features
- Smart script creation
- CRM data integration
- Regulatory compliance integration
Pros
- Customizable to each individual customer
- Automatic script generator
- Ability to manually customize scripts
- Cloud-based
Cons
- None
Pricing
Consovo’s pricing is available on application only.
Automated queue callbacks - LiveAgent
Appearing for the second time on this list, LiveAgent is an industry-leading software company for customer support organizations. With a wide range of products and services on offer, LiveAgent has serviced more than 150 million users worldwide.
Features
- Automatic queue management
- Automatic assignment to agents
Pros
- Lower wait times for callers
- Less time urgency for agents
- Autonomous
- Easy to implement
- Free 30-day trial
Cons
- Tech support based only in the EU
Pricing
LiveAgent employs a four-tiered pricing structure, with each tier including multiple software options:
- FREE ($0)
- Small business ($9 p/m)
- Medium business ($29 p/m)
- Large business ($49 p/m)
- Enterprise ($69 p/m)
Auto dialers – Kixie
Based in Santa Monica, Kixie offers call centers the ‘PowerCall Advanced Sales Dialer’, with the promise of increasing sales performance.
Features
- Call up to ten leads at a time
- CRM data integration
- Leave a voicemail and send a text in less than three seconds
- AI-powered local presence, spam detection and progressive caller ID
Pros
- Increase time efficiency
- Up to 1,000 calls a day
- AI support
- Increase call pickup rate
- Free trial
Cons
- No team chat or video calls
- Designed for high volume users
- Complicated setup process
Pricing
Kixie’s pricing is available on application only.
Call queuing – Talkdesk
Formed in 2011, Talkdesk empowers enterprises to end bad customer service through AI-powered contact center solutions.
Features
- Automatic route call queue
- Customized queues
- Intelligent call queuing
- Voicemail option
- Queue transfers
- Queue wait limits
Pros
- Automatic assignment of caller priority
- Organize queue based on predefined rules or criteria
- Reduce caller wait time
Cons
- High price for small businesses
- Limited reporting
Pricing
Talkdesk employs a three-tiered pricing structure, with each tier including multiple software options:
- CX Cloud Essentials ($75 p/m)
- CX Cloud Elevate ($95 p/m)
- CX Cloud Elite ($125 p/m)
Call recording – CallHippo (honorary mention – Fullview)
CallHippo is a leading virtual phone system designed to assist in increasing agent productivity, automating workflows, tracking team performance, and reducing communication costs.
Whilst CallHippo’s call recording comes out the winner here, an honorary mention goes to Fullview for its ability to record cobrowsing calls for quality assurance and training, with 100% GDPR compliance.
Features
- Call forwarding
- Call recording
- Voicemail
- Text messaging
Pros
- All-in-one solution
- Automatic cloud storage
- 90-day storage
- User-friendly dashboard
- Quick setup
Cons
- Slightly expensive
- Occasional bugs
Pricing
CallHippo employs a four-tiered pricing structure.
- Basic ($0 p/m)
- Bronze ($16 p/m)
- Silver ($24 p/m)
- Platinum ($40 p/m)
Reporting & analytics – Zendesk
As an award-winning software provider, Zendesk is trusted by more than 200,000 customers to improve customer service across multiple channels.
With advanced analytics and powerful reporting, Zendesk is a great choice for those looking to improve and refine their call center performance.
Features
- Analytics dashboards
- Customizable reports
- Datasets
- Collaborative reports
Pros
- Ability to customize reports as little or as much as you want
- Customizable roles for different team members
- Central dashboard for easy access
- Customizable dashboard setup
Cons
- Lag time of up to an hour
- Occasional display of incorrect data
- Not the most intuitive
Pricing
Zendesk employs a four-tiered pricing structure.
- Suite Team ($72 p/m)
- Suite Growth ($120 p/m)
- Suite Professional ($140 p/m)
- Suite Enterprise (POA)
Omnichannel routing – Dixa
Dixa utilizes a data-driven approach to intelligent omnichannel routing, ensuring that customer conversations continue without interruption as they move between channels or agents.
Features
- Data-driven omnichannel routing
- Seamless movement between channels
- 24/7 customer support
Pros
- Frictionless movement between channels
- Holistic customer support
- Round the clock support
Cons
- Occasional network disturbances
- Merging tickets can be tricky
Pricing
Dixa employs a three-tiered pricing structure.
- Essential ($49 p/m)
- Growth ($109 p/m)
- Ultimate ($169 p/m)
Conclusion
With a laundry list of potential software partners for your call center in 2024, it pays to take the time to consider your options.
Deciding not just which software your business needs, but which partner is best suited to provide it, can help your organization operate more efficiently and provide greater customer experiences time after time.
Review our recommendations above and discover which call center tools are best for your business.