What is Contact Center Software?
Contact center software is a collection of applications that automate key contact center processes. Contact center software helps organizations control costs, develop agents, monitor and enhance the customer experience, maintain compliance with laws and regulations, and more. Contact center software has advanced significantly over time and is often at the forefront of incorporating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Contact center software may be hosted on-site ("on-premises") or hosted by a vendor in the cloud in a software as a service (SaaS) arrangement. Organizations that choose on-premises solutions may have a little more control, but they also incur more IT overhead associated with hardware, applying updates, providing security, and other support activities. With cloud-based contact center software, vendors assume these responsibilities. Additionally, cloud call center solutions are typically more cost-effective and flexible. These qualities are why most contact centers are moving to the cloud.
What is the difference between a CRM and a contact center?
Customer Relationship Management is a software platform designed to manage and analyze customer feedback and interactions throughout their buying cycle, aiming to improve customer satisfaction, retain customers, and drive sales growth. On the other hand, a contact center is a centralized office used for handling a large volume of customer communications across multiple channels, such as phone, email, and chat. Its main purpose is to provide customer support, resolve inquiries, and manage customer service operations efficiently. Integrating a CRM and contact center solution can significantly improve customer experience by providing personalized service and support based on comprehensive customer insights.
Common call center software applications
Call centers are the frontline of communication, ensuring that customer needs are promptly addressed and resolved. Leveraging the right call center software applications is crucial to navigating today's demanding environment. Here are some common call center software.
Automatic call distributors (ACDs)
Automatic Call Distribution is foundational to contact center operations. They route incoming calls to agents based on rules associated with agent availability, the nature of the customer issue, agent skills, and more. Advanced ACDs can also route contacts from digital channels and incorporate additional call routing features and criteria, such as customer sentiment, into their routing algorithms.
Interactive voice response (IVR)
Interactive voice response systems greet callers and allow them to interact with menus that ultimately lead to an agent or a self-service transaction. IVRs are often integrated with ACDs - the information gathered by IVRs make ACD routing even more effective. Modern IVRs use speech recognition to allow customers to simply speak their needs or menu options.
Workforce management
Contact center software suites typically include workforce management (WFM) applications, which automate volume forecasting, agent scheduling, and intraday management. Advanced WFM software has features like omnichannel, AI-infused forecasting and provides agents with the ability to influence their schedules.
Call recording
Call recording software allows contact centers to record, store, and retrieve calls. The best call recording software has features that help customer support teams stay compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
Reporting
Reporting applications allow data-driven contact centers to stay on top of key performance metrics. The best call center solution comes with a multitude of out-of-the-box customer data reports and also let end-users easily create their own reports.
NICE is the market leader in providing customers with the best call center software or contact center platform they need to deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences. Benefits include:
- Modern ACD provides digital-first omnichannel skills-based routing and increased business agility
- Integrated and comprehensive workforce management solutions to engage and empower contact center agents to achieve business goals and improve contact center efficiency.
- Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to enhance the customer experience and automate routine agent tasks
- Cloud contact center software that enables businesses to manage customer interactions seamlessly across multiple channels, regardless of location.
CXone provides an intelligent, unified suite of applications covering the breadth of contact center management disciplines, simplifying administration and streamlining the user experience. Contact us to learn more about the call center features today.
