Contact Center Software

Contact center software is a centralized system for managing customer communication across multiple channels such as phone, email, text, social media, and website. Contact Center software provides integrated tools for managing customer interactions and stores all the details of each communication so that every agent has access to a customer’s history and can serve them effectively without asking for information a customer has already provided. Contact Center tools also help route and escalate customer service inquiries or requests to ensure that customers are helped in a timely manner by the agents best suited to handle their requests.  

A contact center works by centralizing all the requests or questions that come in from customers by phone, email, chat, social media, text, and web into a singular system. Agents can route customers or escalate issues between communication channels and provide an efficient, streamlined experience for new or returning customers. Customer interaction history is stored in a contact center and can be used in real-time to help customers as well as be analyzed to identify areas of improvement in the contact center. 

Contact Center software provides tools and features that help companies better manage both inbound and outbound customer interactions that take place in a variety of communication modes such as phone, email, chat, social media, text, and web. 

The difference between a contact center and a call center is in the communication channels that customers can use for service, answers, and requests. In a call center, customers can only contact agents by phone. In a contact center, customers can reach agents in a variety of communication channels including phone, email, text, chat, social media, web, and more. 

The common features of Contact Center software include:

• Multi- or Omni-Channel Support Options (Email, Phone, Chat, Social Media)
• Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
• Self-Service Support Tools
• Social Media Integration
• Call Recording and Monitoring
• Agent Coaching Tools
• Customer Data Organization
• Workflow Automations
• Integration with Other Business Software Solutions
• Remote, Mobile Access
• Call Recording, Call Transfers, and 3-Way Calling
• Easy to use Interfaces and Dashboards
• Reporting and Analytics

The benefits of Contact Center software include:

• Enhanced customer experience
• Improved customer acquisition and retention rates
• More integrated communication channels for customers
• Cost-savings
• Increased efficiency and productivity
• Supported brand-building
• Increased profitability and longevity
• Reduced customer churn
• Improved agent loyalty and job satisfaction
• Faster support resolution times
• Deeper insights with reporting and analytics

Customer service agents and managers use contact center software on a daily basis. However, there are other departments that can benefit from customer data and insights gathered in the system, making it a useful tool for sales teams, project managers, and executives as well. 

The challenges with a contact center can include:

• Inadequate agent training or knowledge
• High agent attrition rates
• Poor customer experience and satisfaction
• Low customer retention rates
• Not enough or too many complex tools for managing customer interactions

Companies looking to improve customer interactions and streamline work for service agents should buy contact center software. Contact center software can be customized to use in most any industry handling inbound or outbound communications, and tools and features are available in a variety of pricing plans to best suit the needs of a company. 

You can use the following checklist to help you determine how to buy the best contact center software for your business.

• Focus on business needs, customer communication issues, and growth goals driving the decision to get a new or upgraded contact center system.
• Plan for data migration, implementation costs, IT involvement, and any downtime that may impact ongoing customer service.
• Make a plan to support user adoption through training.
• Understand the support processes you’re looking to streamline and automate.
• Don’t skip the product demos offered by contact center software vendors to show features and functionality.
• Understand reporting and analytics needs for measuring agent success and improving customer experience. 

The top Contact Center trends include:

• Self-Service Support Tools
• Cloud-Based Contact Center Software
• Omni-Channel Contact Centers
• Customer Experience as a Business Initiative