Author
Peter Iansek
CEO & Co-Founder
Table of Contents:
- Call center phone system features == Call center phone system features
- Benefits of call center phone systems == Benefits of call center phone systems
- Top call center phone software systems == Phone software systems
- Improve Your Call Center Phone System == Improve Call Center Phone System
Call center phone system features
Some popular call center phone software features include:
Call routing
Call routing directs incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or department within a call center. This can be done by:
- Directing calls based on IVR menu selections
- Routing calls to agents with specific skills or expertise
- Distributing calls evenly among available agents
- Sending calls to a specific agent or department based on the caller's phone number
Analytics and reporting
Call center analytics can track metrics including wait times, call durations, first call resolution rates, customer satisfaction scores, and more. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and optimize call center operations.
Call center reporting features generate detailed reports of this call center activity, helping contact managers make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency and service.
Call recording
Call recording allows businesses to record and store conversations between agents and customers. Supervisors can monitor calls to ensure that agents deliver excellent customer service and adhere to company policies. Additionally, recorded calls can be used as training materials for new hires for compliance and legal purposes.
Speech and text analytics
With speech analytics, calls can be transcribed and analyzed for customer sentiment, common issues or complaints, and agent performance. Similarly, text analytics can analyze chat logs, emails, and other written communication to provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
Benefits of call center phone systems
Improved agent performance
Advanced analytics makes it possible to track individual rep performance across multiple metrics, giving agents the real-time feedback they need to build their skills and be successful. For example, the Operative Intelligence analytics platform provides call centers with engaging, real-time dashboards that make it simple to identify areas for improvement based on customer needs.
Better customer experience
Customers expect immediate help when they contact customer service, demanding the fastest solution no matter what time it is. However, heavy call volumes can make it impossible to respond to all queries promptly, resulting in a poor customer experience and overwhelming demands on agents. Fortunately, call center software offers a professional solution that works 24/7 to manage every type of query, from ticket support and sales to appointment setting and technical issues, ensuring that all clients' requests are fulfilled seamlessly.
Some call center phone systems provide self-service options. For example, customers can use an automated system to check their account balance or make a payment without speaking with a representative. This saves time for both the customer and the representative, who can focus on more complex issues that require human interaction.
Easier data analysis
Call center systems can help businesses collect and analyze customer and agent data to improve their services and products. For example, if the average call duration is too long, it might indicate that the agents need more training to handle calls quickly and efficiently. Or if customers are waiting on hold for extended periods before being connected with an agent, it might suggest that there aren't enough agents available to handle the incoming calls.
By analyzing this data regularly, businesses can make informed decisions about hiring new staff members, providing additional training to existing employees, or even making changes to the product.
Top call center phone software systems
This list includes various call center software options that provide insights, intelligence, CCaaS, VoIP capabilities, and more. However, it’s important to note that while this list covers many call center software platforms, it doesn't include every option on the market.
1. Operative Intelligence
Operative Intelligence is a customer demand Intelligence platform that delivers targeted, actionable insights that help call and contact centers prioritize the highest-impact opportunities every day. It assesses 100% of customer conversations at scale and accurately identifies the root cause of the customer's contact, enabling you to quantify and track your customer drivers over time.
Rather than relying on keywords like other call center software, Operative Intelligence directly captures and uses phrases from customer speech to accurately represent their queries. The platform also provides visibility into query volume, cost, and sentiment to help you identify which changes will make the greatest impact on customer experience and frontline performance. This information can enable businesses to not only improve customer service operations but also opportunities for company-wide change, including modifying products and services and organizational policies and procedures.
Features:
- Provides a single source of truth, so teams can devote their attention to taking action instead of mining for data
- Interactive dashboards make it easy for users to share insights with other users or teams
- Can be live and start providing business insights within two weeks, since it requires no additional business resources or model training
- Companies can get a clear insight into the performance of their agents and pinpoint areas that need coaching
- Automatically identifies customer interactions that can benefit from automation, builds a case for doing so, and then tracks the return on investment
- Purpose-built to be used across the business from the C Suite to product teams to engineering
- Easily integrates with existing business processes and applications
Learn more about Operative Intelligence.
2. Amazon Connect
Amazon Connect is a cloud-based contact center service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It enables businesses to set up a virtual call center and deliver customer service at scale. Amazon Connect offers tools for managing and analyzing customer interactions, including real-time and historical metrics, call recording, and sentiment analysis.
Businesses can engage with customers across multiple channels such as voice, chat, and email.
Features:
- Omnichannel communication
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Real-time and historical metrics
- Call recording
- Integration with other AWS services
Pricing: Amazon Connect is a pay-as-you-go cloud contact center. Contact them for detailed pricing.
3. Genesys
Genesys is an all-in-one cloud contact center solution designed to manage and analyze omnichannel interactions throughout the customer journey. It helps organizations create tailored, one-to-one conversations with customers to improve engagement. Employees can access a single tool that can handle all communications including voice, chat, email, text message, and more.
Features:
- Automatic call distribution
- Call monitoring
- Call scripting
- Computer telephony integration
- Progressive dialer
Pricing:
- Cloud 1: $75USD per user per month
- Cloud 2: $110USD per user per month
- Cloud 3: $140USD per user per month
- Enterprise-level pricing requires a custom quote
4. Thrio
Thrio is a CCaaS platform designed for enterprises of all sizes, featuring robotic process automation, inbound and outbound voice engines, a suite of digital channels such as email, chat, SMS, and social media, and several built-in AI tools. Thrio is an API-first architecture that works well for businesses operating in complex and high-volume environments.
Features:
- Inbound and outbound capabilities
- Automations and APIs
- Real-time dashboards and reporting
- Customer journey context and history
Pricing:
Per agent per month
- Essentials: $89/mo per user
- Professional: $109/mo per user
Per agent per minute
- Essentials: $0.0135/min
- Professionals: $0.0165/min
Concurrent
- Essentials: $115/mo
- Professionals: $141/mo
5. RingCentral
RingCentral is an omnichannel solution designed to offer customers different modes of communication, including voice, chat, social media, SMS, email, and other options. These tools include IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and self-service features that are integrated with routing functionality. The platform also includes tools for staff scheduling, call center efficiencies, surveying customers, and more.
Features:
- Session routing
- Integration opportunities
- Concurrent calling
- Auto dialer
- IVR
- Inbound screen pop
Pricing:
- Essential: $19.99 per user per month
- Standard: $27.99per user per month
- Premium: $34.99 per user per month
- Ultimate: $49.99 per user per month
6. Nextiva
Nextiva is a communication platform that integrates business applications, intelligence, and automation into a platform. The platform combines communication channels including voice, video, collaboration, SMS, chat, and surveys, into a single location for businesses to access the information they require to achieve their desired outcomes.
Additionally, the platform is designed with built-in intelligence and automation, allowing businesses to focus on addressing customer needs.
Features:
- Unified communications
- Call management
- Intelligent routing
- communications analytics
Pricing:
- Essential: $18.95 per user per month
- Professional: $22.95 per user per month
- Enterprise: $32.95 per user per month
7. Talkdesk
Talkdesk is a cloud-based call center solution that utilizes interactive voice response (IVR), automatic call distribution (ACD), and skills-based routing to connect callers with the most qualified agent based on customizable data.
The system displays relevant customer information including name, image, contact information, purchase history, and contact history, in real-time to enable personalized conversations. Talkdesk integrates with a variety of programs, including InfusionSoft, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Shopify.
Features:
- Knowledge base management
- Alerts and escalation
- Reporting and analytics
- Workflow management
- Call recording
Pricing:
- CX cloud essentials: $75 per user per month
- CX cloud elevate: $95 per user per month
- CX cloud elite: $125 per user per month
8. Five9
Five9 is a cloud-based contact center software that offers features for inbound, outbound, blended, and omnichannel contact centers. The platform is powered by Practical AI and offers communication channels such as phone, email, chat, mobile, and social media.
Five9 offers four adjustable dialing modes to maximize agent talk time by skipping no-answers and busy signals. Its IVR system with speech recognition handles common customer inquiries to free up agents' time.
Features:
- Real-time metrics and dashboards
- Analyzing and reporting
- Integration with CRM
- Speech recognition
Pricing:
- Core: $149 per concurrent user per month
- Premium: $169 per concurrent user per month
- Optimum: $199 per concurrent user per month
- Ultimate: $229 per concurrent user per month
9. Twilio
Twilio is a cloud communications platform that allows software developers to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and perform other communication functions using its APIs. Twilio's APIs are used by businesses and developers to build their own communication applications and services without having to invest in their own infrastructure.
Features:
- Voice API
- Messaging API
- Video API
- SIP trunking
- Voice insights
Pricing:
Twilio's pricing varies based on individual needs for its different services. Some of the services and their starting prices include:
- Twilio Engage: Custom pricing based on needs
- Programmable Voice: Starts at $0.0085 per minute to receive and $0.014 per minute to make a call
- Programmable Messaging: Starts at $0.0079 per message to send or receive
- Twilio SendGrid Email API: Starts at $14.95 per month for up to 40,000 emails
- WhatsApp Business API: Starts at $0.0042 per message to send a WhatsApp Template message
- Elastic SIP Trunking: $0.0045 per minute for origination and $0.007 per minute for termination
- Twilio Conversations: $0.05 per active user per month
- Programmable Video: $0.0015 per minute per participant
- Super SIM: $2 per SIM and $0.10 per MB for low-volume prototyping
- Twilio Flex: $1 per active user hour or $150 per named user per month
- Twilio Frontline: $20 per active user per month
- Twilio Segment: $120 per month for up to 10,000 visitors per month
- Twilio SendGrid Marketing Campaigns: $15 per month for 5,000 contacts and 15,000 emails
- Twilio for Salesforce: $15 per seat per month
- Autopilot: $0.001 per message
- TaskRouter: $0.025 per task
- Notify: $0.00025 per delivery request or action
- Authy: $0.09 per authentication
- Verify: $0.05 per verification
- Proxy: $0.10 per additional active session.
10. Dialpad
Dialpad is a communication platform that provides businesses with voice, messaging, and video capabilities. It offers a range of features, including a business phone system, video conferencing, messaging, call center analytics, and integrations with third-party applications such as Salesforce and Zendesk.
Features:
- VoIP connection
- Archiving and retention
- Mobile access
- Call routing services
Pricing:
- Standard: $15 per user per month
- Pro: $25 per user per month
- Enterprise: Request for pricing
11. GoToConnect
GoTo Connect is a unified communications and collaboration platform that enables remote teams to communicate and work together. The platform allows users to make and receive calls, collaborate in real time, and switch between communication channels. It also offers voice and video conferencing, messaging, screen sharing, and file sharing.
Features:
- Screen sharing
- Mobile app
- Voicemail and transcription
- Call management
- Voice and video conferencing
Pricing:
- Basic: Starts at $27 per user per month
- Standard: Starts at $32 per user per month
- Premium: Starts at $43 per user per month
12. Avaya
Avaya is a technology company that specializes in digital communication products, services, and solutions. The company provides communication systems for enterprises, including voice, video, data, and web communication solutions. Their products and services include unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) solutions, contact center solutions, and networking solutions.
Features:
- Audio and video conferencing
- Contact center management.
- Voicemail and instant messaging
- VoIP
Pricing: Avaya does not provide public pricing.
13. Verizon
Verizon UCCaaS is a cloud-based solution that facilitates unified communication and collaboration for organizations. It is a hybrid platform that provides voice and video communication features that can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook, as well as ERP and CRM applications like SAP and Salesforce. Verizon UCCaaS also offers Cisco functionalities such as Cisco Jabber, Cisco Expressway, and Cisco Emergency Responders.
Features:
- Instant messaging and voicemails
- Internal collaboration
- Voice calling
- Integration options
Pricing: Verizon’s pricing is not publicly available.
14. Spectrum
Spectrum is a comprehensive platform that offers call center management tools, including automatic call distribution (ACD) control, real-time queue statistics, and call back list of abandoned callers to small businesses and large enterprises. With Spectrum, agents have access to Unified Communications with Webex and can collaborate and connect with team members to enhance customer support.
Features:
- Voice and unified communications
- CRM Integration
- Automatic call distribution (ACD)
- Enterprise-class security
Pricing: Pricing is not listed publicly.
15. CallHippo
Hippo is a business solution that aims to enhance customer experience by providing conversational support and customer engagement automation across various channels such as emails, SMS, push notifications, WhatsApp, and more. It also offers in-app customer support features such as chatbots, live chats, phone calls, audio/video calls, and others.
Features:
- Proactive chat
- Screen sharing
- Website visitor tracking
- Third-party integrations
Pricing:
- Support pro: $17 per user per month
- Support premium: $70 per user per month
- Growth pro: $213 per user per month
- Growth premium: $240 per user per month
16. Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a virtual phone system designed for small and medium-sized businesses seeking to separate their personal and business calls. With Grasshopper, users can add a business line to their device and choose from a local, toll-free, or vanity number, or port their own number. Grasshopper’s mobile and desktop apps enable communication with clients through voice or text and allow users to forward calls.
Features:
- Live chat
- Call recording
- Video conferencing
- Multi-platform communication
Pricing:
- Solo: $28 per month
- Partner: $46 per month
- Small business: $80 per month
All plans contain unlimited users and are billed annually.
Improve Your Call Center Phone System
There are lots of call center phone software to choose from and the best solution ultimately depends on your team’s needs and goals. Do you need a better call routing system? Are you looking for call recording and speech analytic capabilities? What about improving productivity and efficiency in your entire call center?
If actionable insights and improved customer experience are a priority, Operative Intelligence is the best choice. This platform can be implemented along with any of the other call center software on this list to provide valuable insights into your customer base. Operative Intelligence analyzes 100% of inbound interactions and shares the root causes of overall inquiries using the customer’s actual words. These insights can help drive changes within a call or contact center as well as improve company-wide policies, products, and services.
Ready to drive impactful changes at every level of your business?