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Updated Aug 26, 2024

Best Contact Center Software

Contact center software is critical for your customer service team. Our best picks can help ensure customer satisfaction.

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Written By: Neil CuminsBusiness Ownership Insider and Senior Analyst
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This guide was reviewed by a Business News Daily editor to ensure it provides comprehensive and accurate information to aid your buying decision.
Adam Uzialko
Business Strategy Insider and Senior Editor
Business News Daily earns compensation from some listed companies. Editorial Guidelines.

Customer service teams today need to do more than just man the phone lines — they also need to handle incoming emails, live chats, text messages and support tickets. Effectively managing so many communication channels in a responsive, helpful way that maintains customer satisfaction can be a challenge. Fortunately, with the right call center software, customer service agents are empowered to provide prompt and personalized service, and supervisors can monitor service quality and plan for targeted coaching and training. We conducted hundreds of hours of research, including attending demonstrations and firsthand testing of call center software, to find the best platforms available to businesses. These best picks can support your customer service team and help your business consistently deliver a top-notch experience that bolsters satisfaction and loyalty.

Sponsored Partners
Go Answer
Best Outsourced Call Center Service
GoAnswer logo
Visit Site
Links to Go Answer
  • Starts at $175/month
  • 30-day free trial
  • Flexible API
RingCX
Best for Reliability
RingCentral company logo
  • Starts at $65 monthly per user
  • Free demo only
  • More than 300 integrations
Salesforce Service Cloud
Best for Customization
Salesforce Service Cloud logo
  • Starts at $25 monthly per user
  • 30-day free trial
  • More than 3,000 integrations
Five9
Best for Integrations
Five9 logo
  • Starts at $149 monthly per user
  • Free demo only
  • Open API
GoTo Contact Center
Best for Value
GoTo logo
  • Starts at $33 monthly per user
  • 14-day free trial
  • More than 80 integrations
Table Of Contents Icon

Table of Contents

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At Business News Daily, we’ve spent years researching and testing the technology that enables entrepreneurs to accomplish their goals and scale their businesses more efficiently. Our team of small business tech specialists conducts independent evaluations of the best technology platforms to determine which best meet the needs of small business owners. We also regularly consult with technology experts. including IT professionals, developers, implementation specialists and cybersecurity professionals, to stay on top of the latest tech trends impacting small businesses. And every review we publish is evaluated by our editorial staff to ensure objectivity, accuracy and fairness are at the core of our decision-making. Learn more about our editorial guidelines.

How We Decided

When choosing the best contact center software for small businesses, our team of small business tech experts looked for platforms that could help customer support teams provide exceptional service. We started by participating in live demonstrations with company representatives and accessing free trials to test the software out for ourselves. Our testing included examining features for phone, email and...

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When choosing the best contact center software for small businesses, our team of small business tech experts looked for platforms that could help customer support teams provide exceptional service. We started by participating in live demonstrations with company representatives and accessing free trials to test the software out for ourselves. Our testing included examining features for phone, email and live chat support, as well as customization of workflows, call recording and monitoring tools, call routing options and third-party integrations. We also closely reviewed pricing and plans to see which software provides the most value for your dollar. Finally, we examined customer reviews to get a sense of what real-life users of each platform had to say about their experiences.

52

considered

10

reviewed

5

selected

When choosing the best contact center software for small businesses, our team of small business tech experts looked for platforms that could help customer support teams provide exceptional service. We started by participating in live demonstrations with company representatives and accessing free trials to test the software out for ourselves. Our testing included examining features for phone, email and live chat support, as well as customization of workflows, call recording and monitoring tools, call routing options and third-party integrations. We also closely reviewed pricing and plans to see which software provides the most value for your dollar. Finally, we examined customer reviews to get a sense of what real-life users of each platform had to say about their experiences.

52

considered

10

reviewed

5

selected

Compare Our Best Picks

BND Ribbon
Our Top Picks for 2024
Go Answer
RingCX
Salesforce Service Cloud
Five9
GoTo Contact Center
Twilio
Rating0.0/109.3/108.8/108.8/108.3/108.2/10
Best for

Outsourced Call Center Service

Reliability

Customization

Integrations

Value

Automation

Pricing

$175 per month

Starts at $65 per month, per agent

Starts at $25 per user, per month.

Starts at $149 per user, per month.

Starts at $33 per user, per month

Starts at $150 per user, per month

Free Trial

30 days

Free demo only

30 days

Free demo only

14 days

5,000 hours

Call Monitoring

Yes, 24/7 monitoring with visibility into call volume, duration, and lead conversion

Yes, plus call whisper & barging

Yes, plus call barging

Yes, plus call whisper & barging

Yes, plus call whisper & barging

N/A

Inbound call routing

Skills-based, with performance tracking

Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven

Omnichannel, skills-based, AI

Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven

Omnichannel, skills-based, AI

Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven (requires customization)

Messaging apps

N/A

Facebook Messenger, Google Business Messages, Apple Business Chat, WhatsApp

WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram

Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram

Social media

N/A

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Monitoring but no private messaging

No

Instagram

No

Review Link
Scroll Table

Our Reviews

GoAnswer logo
Editor's Rating: 0/10
Visit Site
Links to Go Answer

Why We Chose Go Answer

We chose Go Answer as the best option for businesses looking to outsource their customer support needs to a call center service, rather than build one in-house with their own contact center software. We selected Go Answer because it offers cost-effective pricing plans suitable for businesses of varying sizes, as well as Web Chat options that give your customers the ability to seek support through text-based conversations on your website.

We liked that you’ll still have a strong degree of visibility into Go Answer’s operations on your behalf, including call volumes, duration and lead conversion. Go Answer provides 24/7 call monitoring, so you can check in with your dedicated account manager to make sure your customers are getting the best service possible. You’ll also have access to around-the-clock customer support.

Go Answer Cost

Subscription TierCost
100 Minutes$175 per month
200 minutes$300 per month
500 minutes$550 per month
1,000 minutes$1,100 per month

Additionally, Go Answer offers separately priced Web Chat plans. These plans are as follows:

Subscription TierCost
20 chats$140 per month
50 chats$300 per month
 150 chats$750 per month

For enterprise businesses that need more minutes or additional support, Go Answer offers a custom enterprise package. This plan requires a quote from the sales team depending upon the scope of your business’s needs.

Go Answer Pros

  • The 30-day free trial allows you to test Go Answer’s services and ensure they work for your customers.
  • A dedicated account manager and 24/7 support ensure you remain closely apprised of how well Go Answer is performing on your behalf.
  • Cost-effective, flexible and scalable pricing plans make Go Answer suitable for businesses of varying sizes.

Go Answer Cons

  • Lower pricing tiers have relatively high per-minute costs; Go Answer’s most competitively priced plans are the higher tiers.
  • Go Answer generally does not offer outbound services except in limited cases.
  • Web chat represents an additional cost separate from the live answering service.

What Go Answer Customers Have To Say

Go Answer received an excellent rating of 4.7/5 from reviewers on TrustPilot. Users praised the company’s speedy answers and responsiveness when it comes to customer service. Many described a fast set up as well, which was minimally disruptive to their business. Negative reviews were few and far between, though at least one user reported too-frequent meetings and agents taking poor-quality messages from customers.

Read our full Go Answer review for more information

RingCentral company logo
Editor's Rating: 9.3/10

Why We Chose RingCX

We chose RingCX as the best call center software for reliability thanks to it’s strong reputation for stable, consistent communications platforms. RingCentral has been a leader in the space since the 1990s and in our frequent reviews of everything from their call center software to their business phone systems, we’re repeatedly impressed with how reliable their services are. In our testing, we also liked RingCX’s intuitive user interface, which combines plenty of features in a navigation scheme that feels natural.

Other tools we particularly like in RingCX include the AutoDiscovery feature, which automatically monitors communications for keywords and phrases, linking them together into a word cloud-style grid to see what common themes emerge as customers contact agents. RingCentral also includes sentiment analysis and agent training through customizable templates so you can optimize how your agents interact with customers.

RingCX integrations

RingCX offers integrations with leading CRM software, such as Salesforce (pictured above.) We liked seeing seamless integrations with CRM software, which are helpful for immediately updating customer profiles when new interactions occur. Source: RingCentral

RingCX Cost

RingCX starts at $65 monthly per agent when paid annually. This pricing plan includes all the features we looked for in a call center software, as well as unlimited inbound and outbound calling, RingSense AI support for call summaries and sentiment analysis, and a virtual agent to help support call and message routing.

Additionally, a custom plan is available to enterprises that need a solution tailored to their particular needs. To obtain a custom quote for the enterprise plan, contact the RingCentral sales team and describe the scope of services your business requires.

RingCX Pros

  • RingCX provides extensive AI tools that support agents by providing customer sentiment analysis and features like AutoDiscovery monitoring of keywords and phrases.
  • We liked the overall user experience of RingCX, which blends powerful features with straightforward navigation.
  • There are more than 300 integrations available for RingCX with other top business software, including major CRM systems.

RingCX Cons

  • Pricing is not publicly available for RingCX and custom quotes are required.
  • RingCX does not offer a free trial, so you can’t try it before you buy. However, you can attend a free demonstration with a sales rep.
  • Certain features may cost extra, so be sure to ask the sales rep for a clear breakdown of what you’d be paying for before you buy.

What RingCX Customers Have To Say

We reviewed customer feedback about RingCX to see how real-life users’ experiences lined up with our testing experience. Customers often said RingCX provided strong value for the price they paid, and many applauded how smooth the setup and implementation process was. However, some users complained that messages were sometimes not sent to customers and calls were occasionally dropped mid-conversation. RingCX earned a 7.9/10 from users on TrustRadius.

Read our full RingCX review for more information.

Salesforce Service Cloud logo
Editor's Rating: 8.8/10

Why We Chose Salesforce Service Cloud

We chose Salesforce Service Cloud as the best call center software for customization because it provides intuitive guided workflows that can be built with a point-and-click system anyone can manage. We also like the robust customer support and online community with vast resources that can help new users set up the system in a way that naturally blends with their team’s existing workflows. Salesforce also offers other useful platforms, like its CRM system and Marketing Cloud, which can seamlessly integrate with the Service Cloud call center software — we found this ideal for large businesses that want to centralize all their sales and marketing functions in one system.

Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce Service Cloud offers a comprehensive view of important information, including customer profiles and sentiment analysis. We liked how much data the system displays, but we did find there is a bit of a learning curve to adapt to everything it has to offer. Source: Salesforce

Salesforce Service Cloud Cost

Subscription TierCostFeatures and Tools
Essentials$25 per month, per userCustomizable reports and dashboards, cross-selling and upselling tools, Outlook and Google Apps integrations, email templates, data and file storage.
Professional$75 per month, per userEverything in the Essentials tier, plus customer service contract and entitlement tracking, order management, page and field customization by agent and enhanced roles and permission access.
Enterprise$150 per month, per userEverything at the Professional level, plus automated call routing, partial data sandboxing, a single sign-on for all your enterprise apps, and advanced process automation.
Unlimited$300 per month, per userEverything in the Enterprise package, plus Salesforce’s enhanced customer service and account management, and multiple sandbox environments.

Salesforce Service Cloud Pros

  • The highest pricing tier of Salesforce Service Cloud has a comprehensive slate of features that provides everything even enterprise businesses need.
  • Salesforce has the highest number of pre-built integrations and native apps out of any platform we reviewed.
  • You can choose any VoIP provider or business phone system when using Salesforce Service Cloud.

Salesforce Service Cloud Cons

  • The lowest pricing tier of Salesforce Service Cloud is relatively limited in features compared to other platforms we reviewed.
  • Some of the most useful features are considered add-ons even at the highest pricing tier and will increase total cost.
  • Phone-based customer support is only available at Premier and Signature customer support plans, which can further increase costs.

What Salesforce Customers Have To Say

We reviewed customer feedback from Salesforce Service Cloud users to see how their experiences lined up with our research. Users found Salesforce to have a strong list of useful features and provide a lot of value for the price tag. However, many said setup and implementation was a challenging and lengthy process. Salesforce Service Cloud earned an 8.8/10 from users on TrustRadius.

Read our full Salesforce Service Cloud review for more information.

Five9 logo
Editor's Rating: 8.8/10

Why We Chose Five9

We chose Five9 as the best call center software for integrations because it includes more than 130 easily configured integrations with top names like Oracle, Slack, Gmail and IBM Watson. We were also impressed with features like Five9’s intelligent virtual agent (IVA), which helps analyze customer sentiment and service quality, and its intuitive workflow management tools with drag-and-drop capabilities.

We like that Five9’s CRM integrations can be used in their prebuilt form or modified. Even the performance management dashboards can be customized to suit client-specific needs and roles. Thanks to Five9’s open API, you can also integrate it with any business software you use that doesn’t have a pre-built integration with the system.

Five9 features

We liked Five9’s slate of features, which we felt were comprehensive and effective. There is a bit of a learning curve to the system, but with a bit of training and time, your agents should be able to acclimate to it without much issue. Source: Five9

Five9 Cost

Subscription TierCostFeatures and Tools
Core$149 per month, per userBlended inbound and outbound calls and call recording
Premium$169 per month, per userEverything in the Core plan, plus web chat, email and Essentials QM (analytic software designed to improve agent performance, including screen recording).
Optimum$199 per month, per userEverything in the Premium plan, plus Enterprise WFM (the productivity improvement and shift scheduling tool) and proactive notifications (the ability to send out appointment reminders, billing updates and more over multiple channels to customers).
Ultimate$229 per month, per userEverything in the Optimum plan, plus Interaction Analytics (to determine client interest and behavior over multiple channels) and full platform workflow automation.

Five9 Pros

  • More than 130 pre-built integrations and an open API make it easy to integrate Five9 with your existing tech stack.
  • High levels of security protect customer information and comply with PCI DSS standards.
  • Regulatory compliance tools help ensure your business stays compliant with data privacy laws and avoids data breaches.

Five9 Cons

  • The platform is one of the more expensive we reviewed.
  • There is no free trial available, so you’ll have to settle for a demonstration with a sales rep.
  • There is a learning curve associated with the software and training is recommended.

What Five9 Customers Have To Say

We reviewed customer feedback about Five9 to see how it compares to our testing experience. Many users cited an efficient setup and implementation as a big plus, and customers generally reported that Five9 was well worth the money they paid. However, some claimed inconsistent call quality was an issue for their agents. Five9 earned an 8.2/10 from users on TrustRadius.

Read our full Five9 review for more information.

GoTo logo
Editor's Rating: 8.3/10

Why We Chose GoToConnect Contact Center

We chose GoToConnect Contact Center as the best call center software for value because its basic pricing tier provides all the features a business needs to support its customer service team at a highly competitive rate. While it wasn’t the cheapest pricing plan we found in our review, it was by far the most comprehensive, whereas others in the same ballpark were limited to the most basic features only. We also like that GoTo offers a 14-day free trial so you can test the platform out and determine if the basic tier’s features are suitable for your business before you buy.

Although it offers omnichannel support, GoTo Contact Center excels at telephone support. Features like intelligent call routing can drive calls to agents with specific skill sets or language capabilities, while call queues can be customized with variable-frequency promotional messages and announcements.

GoToConnect visualizations of important data

We liked how GoTo provides easy-to-understand visualizations of important data, such as incoming calls and messages and analyses of service quality. Supervisors and agents can quickly reference this data to identify areas for improvement and coaching. Source: GoTo

GoToConnect Contact Center Cost

Subscription TierCostFeatures and Tools
Core$33 per month, per userCall queues, interactive voice recording, web chat, Facebook integration and standard reporting.
Premium$43 per month, per userEverything in the Core plan, plus GoTo Connect’s standard business phone system plan.
Complete$55 per month, per userEverything in the Core package, plus advanced reporting and management tools

GoToConnect Contact Center Pros

  • The core plan offers all the features a small business needs to run its customer service team at a highly competitive price.
  • GoTo Contact Center provides an intuitive user experience that won’t take much training or time for agents to learn.
  • If you need a business phone system as well, GoTo offers a bundled service that combines the call center software with its unified communications platform.

Tip: If you’re in the market for a business phone system as well, check out our GoTo Connect review. You can also review our other picks for the best business phone systems.

GoToConnect Contact Center Cons

  • There isn’t a lot of customization available with GoToConnect Contact Center, so we recommend testing it out to make sure it’s suitable before you buy.
  • Certain features are only available to administrators and not individual agents.
  • Email is not supported in GoToConnect Contact Center, which could be a challenge for businesses with customers who like email support.

What GoToConnect Contact Center Customers Have To Say

We reviewed customer feedback about GoToConnect Contact Center to see if users’ experiences were similar to our testing and research. We found users were generally pleased with the setup and implementation process and felt it lived up to their expectations when it came to features and performance. However, some customers were disappointed by the system’s lack of flexibility and customization. GoTo received an 8.1/10 from users on TrustRadius.

Read our full GoTo Contact Center review for more information.

twilio company logo
Editor's Rating: 8.2/10

Why We Chose Twilio

We chose Twilio as the best call center software for automation because it offers the flexibility to set up custom, automated workflows that suit your team. We like how adaptable Twilio is, allowing admins to tailor it to the way your customer service team already works rather than requiring your agents to adapt to a new system. We also were impressed with its comprehensive omnichannel support, allowing agents to manage communications across any channel your customers prefer, be it phone, live chat, email, text message or third-party app.

Twilio flow chart

We liked Twilio’s flexible workflow automations tool, which allows admins to set up processes to direct customer communications to the right agent with ease. We found this tool to be useful for streamlining the way teams work, providing agents with the information they need to satisfy customer inquiries efficiently. Source: Twilio

Twilio Cost

Subscription TierCost
Free Tier$0
Pay As You Go$1 per user, per hour
Monthly Subscription$150 per user, per month

Twilio Pros

  • Highly customizable and flexible system that can be tailored to suit your team’s existing workflows.
  • Pay-as-you-go and monthly subscription pricing models offer you the choice of what makes the most sense for your business’s needs.
  • Agent and supervisor dashboards are intuitive and clear, providing useful data at a glance.

Twilio Cons

  • To get the most out of Twilio, you’ll need a programmer to help you set the system up.
  • Small businesses with basic needs or a tight budget may not need all the features Twilio offers.
  • Twilio has a bit of a learning curve and training is recommended for team members who will use the software.

What Twilio Customers Have To Say

We reviewed customer feedback from Twilio users to see if their experience lined up with our testing. Users often praised Twilio for its subscription plans and high levels of customization. However, some users cited customer support wait times as an issue. Despite our positive testing experience, some users also claimed uptime reliability was questionable. Twilio earned a 7.4/10 from users on TrustRadius.

Read our full Twilio review for more information.

Alternatives to Consider

If none of our best picks seem like a good fit for your business, consider the following alternatives. Each provides an effective, reliable platform or service that may meet your needs.

  • Aircall: If your customers primarily call in for phone-based support, Aircall is a good option for your business. Both inbound and outbound calls can be managed with ease through Aircall’s platform, which includes useful features like interactive voice response (IVR) trees, call monitoring tools, and telemarketing campaign support. We also liked Aircall’s predictive dialer, which supports targeted campaigns to boost the likelihood of conversions. Aircall supports other channels as well, including text messaging support. The platform also integrates with more than 100 other third-party business software, so you can easily expand its functionality as needed with some of the leading apps on the market.
  • AnswerConnect: AnswerConnect specializes in managing the customer service aspects of your business for you. So, if you’re not interested in building an in-house team, consider outsourcing with AnswerConnect. You can devise scripts and provide detailed information on your business so AnswerConnect agents provide a seamless experience for your customers. AnswerConnect also integrates with some of the best CRM software platforms on the market, so you can access updated customer data and review interactions directly in the CRM system of your choice.
  • Convoso: Better known for dialer services than contact center software, Convoso offers a suite of omnichannel tools to support outbound contact centers. Across phone, email and SMS, it remains focused on outbound communications, making it far better suited to sales than customer service. Convoso’s utilities include customized agent scripts, skill-based call routing, automated dialing and extensively customizable dashboards. These can track KPIs by extracting data from reports and previous campaigns. An open API supports existing third-party applications from the likes of Salesforce, Shopify, Zapier and Zendesk. Its focus on calls is reflected in services like local caller ID, follow-the-sun dialing and answering machine detection.
  • 8×8: A simple user interface is a key benefit of 8×8’s platform, with identical single panes visible to agents and supervisors. Supervisors can call on a wealth of additional functionalities, such as template reports, which can be modified and scheduled to run at any point. There are two plans available to 8×8 clients, but only the X7 platform extends beyond voice calls into chat, email, SMS and social. Prices are competitive for both 8×8 packages, though the relative simplicity of the unified web browser interface means 8×8 lacks some of the advanced tools we found in our review of other contact center software. The 8×8 platform does offer voicemail transcription, video conferencing for up to 500 participants and external dashboard displays for presentations, however. There’s also 24/7 tech support in 10 languages, available via email, phone or chat. Read our full 8×8 review for more information.

Call Center Service Costs

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.

Contact Center Software Features

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.

FeatureDescription
Omnichannel routingSoftware should accept inbound inquiries from numerous channels.
Single-pane interfaceBring past interactions and current data into a single, coherent window.
Monitor and reviewSpot struggling agents; track and monitor KPIs; run training and coaching.
Clear pricingPer-user-per-month pricing is standard, alongside paid upgrades.

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.

GoTo Contact Center dashboard

This example of an agent dashboard comes from GoTo Contact Center. It shows an agent’s assigned queues, pending tasks and summary of recent activity at a glance. Source: GoTo

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.

RingCX charts

This example of historical agent performance comes from RingCX and shows a range of charts breaking down data around agent call times, interactions and more. Source: RingCentral

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.

TipTip
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.

Choosing Contact Center Software

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?

Advantages of Contact Center Software

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.

What to Expect in 2024

The contact center software market is only expected to grow in the coming years, with a projected increase from $42.47 billion in 2023 to $164.01 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights. Since 2020, much of this growth has been attributed to third-party developers creating apps for call center software ecosystems.

Throughout 2024, we anticipate AI to become even further integrated into call center software. In addition to analyzing customer sentiment, AI will also be increasingly used to offer conversational, self-service options for customers. With greater adoption of generative AI, as well as more companies turning to cloud-based solutions, data security will become more critical than ever.

We also expect the call center industry to prioritize the customer experience. Customers have come to expect instant, efficient service and seamless omnichannel communications. While AI-powered tools can support these endeavors, the human touch will remain crucial.

Methodology

At Business News Daily, our team of small business customer service experts have been researching and testing contact center software for years, comparing some of the leading solutions across more than 25 key metrics. We considered 52 contact center software platforms and closely reviewed and tested 10 of them before selecting our five best picks above.

Below are the factors we considered when determining our best picks. Each is weighted according to how much the criteria typically influences business owners’ buying decisions.

  • Pricing (30%): We considered not just the base cost of the software but also the number of pricing plans available, additional fees, and add-on costs to determine which provide the best overall value. We also considered whether a free trial was available to test the software before buying.
  • Features (25%): We evaluated each contact center platform’s dashboard, as well as key features like call monitoring tools, inbound call routing tools, social media messaging apps, agent activity reporting and artificial intelligence tools like coaching and training assistants. We also considered available integrations to other popular business software.
  • Usability (20%): We paid close attention to the ease with which each platform could be set up, how intuitive we found the navigation and use of key features, and the training and informational resources available to new users. We also considered whether the software offered a responsive mobile app or mobile browser.
  • Customer Support (15%): We examined the ease with which customers can contact a customer support team when in need of help. We reviewed customer feedback to determine how well the customer service team meets the needs of existing customers.
  • Expert Insight (10%): Our product reviews are conducted by software and industry experts who are deeply familiar with contact center solutions. Given their institutional knowledge of different platforms and firsthand experiences using these programs, we take their judgment into account when determining our best picks.

In addition to scoring each contact center software we reviewed based on this criteria, we also determined the best use case scenarios for each. No two businesses are exactly alike, so we put ourselves in the shoes of different types of small business owners and identify the best contact center software for a variety of needs.

To learn more about how we review and test customer service products and services for small businesses, read about our editorial process here. 

Contact Center Software FAQs

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

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.

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.

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.

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Written By: Neil CuminsBusiness Ownership Insider and Senior Analyst
Neil Cumins is an award-winning small business owner who has run a limited company for nearly two decades. Through his personal and professional experiences, he is well-versed in a range of B2B and B2C topics, from invoicing to advertising to the use of artificial intelligence. Prior to starting his own business, Cumins worked as a marketing executive. At Business News Daily, Cumins covers technology trends, as well as specific services like GPS fleet management and content center software. With deep insights into the ever-changing technology landscape, Cumins is particularly skilled at evaluating business software and guiding fellow entrepreneurs to the tools and strategies that will equip them for entrepreneurial success. Over the years, he has worked with some of the world’s biggest hardware and software manufacturers, as well as countless SaaS brands. Today, he also spends his time consulting on compensation and other business matters.
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