Best Contact Center Software

• Contact center software handles customer communication channels, from telephone and SMS to social media and messaging apps.
• Today’s contact center software market is fiercely competitive, with some key distinctions between many of the industry leaders.
• Among contact center software platforms, there are significant differences in approach, coverage and technical support.
• This article is for companies looking to invest in new contact center software in 2023.

It’s predicted that contact centers will handle the majority of customer interactions through non-voice channels in the near future. As such, omnichannel contact center software is increasingly replacing traditional call center platforms, which only had to handle inbound and outbound calls. Today’s software needs to provide a coherent interface for contact center staff across not only phone but also email, SMS and live chat options, all at a reasonable per-user-per-month price. We reviewed some of the leading contact center software platforms to help you choose the best one for your business’s needs.

Key takeaway: Significant variations in starting prices might suggest some platforms are unnecessarily expensive. In fact, low-cost entry packages are often extremely limited, requiring an upgrade to a more expensive version to match the services offered by rivals.

A glance at the “Starting Price” column in our comparison chart above might suggest a huge disparity between the most affordable and the most expensive contact center software. As always, though, you get what you pay for. Salesforce’s most expensive package is 12 times more costly than its cheapest, while the basic GoTo Contact Center package is relatively limited. Low starting prices are more of a marketing gimmick than an actual guide – with one or two exceptions, you can expect to pay around $150 per user per month for a comprehensive suite of omnichannel platform support.

There are anomalies in terms of pricing. Twilio Flex allows new customers 5,000 free hours, and it also allows ongoing payment per hour. This might suit companies in seasonal industries who don’t want a standing monthly charge. Convoso doesn’t publish prices at all, meaning you’ll have to speak to a sales rep to find out what its services will cost your firm.

We can’t promise that every tier of every product reviewed above offers all these features, but these are some of the key features we felt that any mid-tier contact center software solution ought to offer.

Omnichannel Routing

Customers should have a consistent experience, regardless of whether they phone in, communicate through a chatbot support tool or send an SMS support request. The best contact center software platforms combine all these input channels (and others) into one interface. Agents and supervisors should be able to monitor inquiries across all channels easily and in one central location. However, it’s notable that Convoso supports outbound communications only.

Single-Pane Interface

Agents shouldn’t be flicking back and forth between different software platforms. Every aspect of customer interactions and history should be displayed (usually chronologically) in a single-pane window, giving them full oversight and granular control. These dashboards should be customizable, from colors and design to widgets and data feeds. A single-pane interface supports rapid response times from agents, which can boost customer satisfaction and improve resolution rates.

Monitor and Review

Our shortlisted platforms all take slightly different approaches to reviewing agent performance and customer interactions. Twilio offers bespoke reporting in response to certain interactions or thresholds being breached, while RingCentral archives data for 25 months to support retrospective analysis. However a contact center software platform does it, we looked for a mechanism that enables supervisors to monitor and review agent performance and offer coaching to help agents improve over time.

Clear Pricing

We’ve explained above that pricing varies considerably from one tier to another, but all the companies we’ve reviewed, except one, offer unambiguous pricing on a per-user-per-month basis. Some additionally offer pay-as-you-go deals, while free trials are common but not universal. RingCentral’s free trial is so limited, for example, it’s effectively useless at gauging the platform.

Tip: Although free trials are useful, don’t sign up to one unless you’re likely to remain on the platform. They often require a lot of setup and can be complicated when disentangling your IT infrastructure from a contact center system once it’s up and running.

These are the key factors to consider when shortlisting contact center software:

1. Compatibility with existing systems

Be sure any contact center software you choose is compatible with your existing hardware and software, as well as your team’s workflow. If you’re happy with your existing hardware, you might wish to avoid companies attempting to upsell you Jabra or Poly handsets. If you use certain database or spreadsheet packages, you might want your new platform to integrate with them.

2. Customer reviews

While we’ve conducted thorough testing on the platforms listed above, nobody can review contact center software better than daily users. Investigate existing customer reviews on reputable sites like TrustRadius, and study what people are saying on Google and Bing. Customer reviews can give you an idea of whether or not a contact center software will mesh well with your business’s needs.

3. Cost

Consider value, not just overall cost. A low starting price might be for a telephony-only system with no evaluation tools and limited archiving. Establish what services you need or desire, and then compare pricing between platforms, rather than basing your budget on cut-rate starter packages.

4. Client support

It’s notable that some companies are reluctant to furnish even registered clients with a telephone number for support. Others offer 24/7 support only on pricier packages or limit it to certain times of the day based on their local time zone. Is that good enough for your business?

These are some of the key reasons to consider contact center software:

• Omnichannel tools: These platforms support communications through more channels than the voice-only approach of traditional call center service providers.
• Cloud-hosted software: They’re all cloud-hosted, many through a web browser, meaning there are no hardware or setup costs involved.
• Pricing tiers based on need: Pricing is generally scaled according to the number of agents using the platform, which is transparent and makes budgets easy to calculate.
• Integrates with other business software: Most platforms offer extensive integrations with third-party platforms like Slack, Gmail, Zendesk and Teams.

These are some of the most common questions people have when it comes to contact center software platforms, which we’ve answered for you.

What channels do the best contact center software platforms cover?

The best contact center software will route communications to agents from phone, email, SMS and live chat options. Some can manage social media communications as well, which can be a useful feature for businesses with large social followings.

Are there limits on the amount of time contact center software can be used?

Most contact center software packages are charged per agent per month, which means there’s no price difference if the agent works four hours per week or 40. Twilio Flex is unusual in offering a pay-as-you-go pricing model for their Flex platform.

Do I need dedicated hardware for a contact center software platform?

No. These platforms are all software-powered, dovetailing with your existing hardware or software. Some companies market recommended handsets and headsets, but you can use legacy hardware or operate entirely through the cloud.