A Selection Guide in 2023

Customers today expect and demand efficient service from businesses. No longer confined to traditional phone calls, customers now interact with businesses through various channels such as chat and social media. As a result, contact centers, often the first point of interaction between a business and its customers, has become an essential part of any organization’s customer service strategy. However, 50% of customers state that advancing customer service and support is businesses’ major need (Figure 1). 

Figure 1. Degree of Business Improvements Needed (for Customers)

Source: Salesforce Research (State of the Connected Customer Report)

Contact center software, often called call center software, can: 

• Automate routine tasks
• Intelligently route customer queries to the appropriate agents
• Provide a unified view of customer interactions 

But with a myriad of options on the market, each offering different features, integrations, and pricing models, choosing the right contact center solution for your business can be a complex decision.

In this vendor selection guide, we explain the benefits of using contact center software and some key features in these tools. Accordingly, we list and compare the top vendors in the market. 

1- Improved customer experience

With features like omnichannel support, customers can reach out to companies through their preferred communication channel, whether it’s voice, email, social media, or live chat. This not only increases convenience but also ensures consistent, high-quality service across all channels.

2- Increased agent efficiency and productivity

Features such as intelligent call routing ensure that customer queries are directed to the most appropriate agent based on their skills and availability. Additionally, AI-powered tools can assist agents by providing relevant customer information and suggested responses, reducing response times and increasing productivity.

3- Streamlined operations

Integration capabilities allow contact center software to work seamlessly with other business systems like CRM, helpdesk, and sales platforms. This centralizes information, streamlines workflows, and eliminates the need for agents to switch between multiple systems, leading to more efficient call center operations.

4- Enhanced reporting and analytics

Contact center software provides detailed insights into key performance indicators (KPIs) such as call volume, average handle time, first call resolution, and customer satisfaction scores. These analytics can help identify areas for improvement and inform strategic decisions.

5- Scalability

Cloud-based contact center solutions are easily scalable, allowing businesses to quickly adjust their operations to meet changing demand. Whether you need to add new agents, incorporate additional communication channels, or expand into new markets, the software can adapt to your evolving needs.

6- Cost savings

By automating routine tasks and optimizing resource allocation, contact center software can lead to significant cost savings. Furthermore, cloud-based solutions typically require lower upfront investment and can reduce costs associated with hardware maintenance and upgrades.

7- Improved security and compliance

Quality contact center software includes robust security measures to protect customer data and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Features might include data encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.

Contact center software offers a range of features to enhance customer service operations. Here are some essential features to look for when evaluating contact center software:

Omnichannel support

An omnichannel approach ensures seamless integration of all communication channels (voice, email, chat, social media) to provide customers with a consistent experience, regardless of their preferred method of contact. Omnichannel support includes channels like:

• Phone call
• Live chat
• Email
• SMS
• Messaging apps
• Social media

Figure 2. Channels consumers used to contact brands in the US as of June 2022

Source: Statista

Intelligent routing

Advanced routing features direct customer interactions to the most appropriate agent based on factors like skill, availability, and workload. Intelligent routing can include automatic call distribution or chat distribution to the call center agents. This helps to reduce wait times and improve first call resolution rates.

Workforce management

Tools for forecasting, scheduling, and managing agent workloads can help optimize resource allocation and maintain service quality. These may include features like real-time monitoring, shift management, and adherence tracking.

Integration capabilities

The software should easily integrate with your existing CRM, helpdesk, and other business tools to facilitate smooth data sharing and workflow optimization. This ensures agents have access to relevant customer information and history when handling interactions.

Reporting and analytics

Comprehensive reporting and analytics features provide insights into contact center performance, helping you identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions. Look for customizable dashboards, real-time monitoring, and the ability to track key performance indicators (KPIs).

Customization and scalability

The platform should be adaptable to your organization’s specific needs and able to scale as your business grows. This may include options for customizing user interfaces, adding new communication channels, or increasing the number of supported agents.

AI, automation and intelligent chatbots

Artificial intelligence and automation capabilities can enhance customer self-service, predict customer needs, and improve agent efficiency. Features might include AI-driven chatbots, sentiment analysis, or automated routing based on customer behavior patterns. In fact, after the self-service account portals, customers are mostly interested in using chatbots for handling simple tasks (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Extent of Customer Use of or Interest in the Following

Source: Salesforce Research (State of the Connected Customer Report)

For example, most contact centers today use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice. IVR allows customers to interact with a company’s host system via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition, after which services can be inquired about through the IVR dialogue. IVR systems can respond to incoming calls with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct users on how to proceed.

Security and compliance

Ensure the platform meets your industry’s security and compliance requirements, including data protection and privacy regulations. Features may include encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.

Ease of use

User-friendly interfaces and intuitive features will help agents adopt the software more quickly and minimize the learning curve. Consider the platform’s overall usability and any training resources available for onboarding and ongoing support.

Vendor support and reliability

Assess the vendor’s reputation, customer support, and ongoing product development to ensure a long-term partnership. Look for responsive support channels, a history of reliable service, and a commitment to keeping up with industry trends.

For more, you can check our vendor fraud guide.

Voicebots

Although not a widely-adopted feature, voicebot, also known as a voice assistant or voice AI, can be a feature of contact center software. A voice bot is an AI-driven tool that uses natural language processing (NLP) and voice recognition technology to understand and respond to voice commands or questions from customers. Using voicebots in contact centers increases both automation and data collection.

Customer feedback tools

Customer feedback tools are designed to collect, manage, and analyze customer feedback, helping businesses understand their customers’ needs, expectations, and experiences. By integrating customer feedback solutions such as conversation rating, customer surveys, etc., contact center software can help evaluate customer satisfaction.

1- Understand Your Business Needs

Start by assessing your business’s unique needs. Consider the size of your contact center, the volume of customer interactions, the channels your customers use most, and the level of customization you require. 

For instance, a small business might prefer a simple, user-friendly system, while a large enterprise might need a robust platform with advanced features and integrations.

2- Evaluate Software Features

Once you understand your needs, consider the features each software offers. Look for key functionalities such as omnichannel support, intelligent routing, workforce management, integration capabilities, and AI automation. Remember, the software should improve efficiency and customer service, not complicate it.

3- Consider deployment options

Decide whether an on-premise, cloud-based, or hybrid call center solution is best for your business. Cloud-based systems offer flexibility and scalability, but you may prefer an on-premise solution if you have stringent data security requirements.

4- Check integration capabilities

Your new software should integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, such as CRM, helpdesk, and other business tools. This allows for smooth data sharing and can greatly improve workflow efficiency.

5- Test drive the software

Most vendors offer demos or trial periods. Use this opportunity to test the software in a real-world setting. This will give you a sense of its ease of use, efficiency, and how well it meets your needs.

According to the key features we mentioned above, below, we list and compare top 7 contact center software platforms. 

While selecting these platforms, we focused on their company size, popularity, and ratings on software review platforms. The table below lists these software solutions in terms of the features and criteria we explained. When selecting which feature to use as criteria, we focused on verifiable and distinctive features that are not met by all software tools.

Transparency statement: AIMultiple serves numerous tech vendors such as Salesforce, the reason why we place such vendors on the top of the lists.

Software	Deployment	Omnichannel capabilities	Voicebots	Integration	Intelligent routing	Intelligent chatbot	Customer feedback options	Price (starting)
Salesforce Contact Center	Cloud Mobile	– Chat – Voice – SMS – Messaging apps – Web	Add-on	Contact Salesforce	Available	Available	Available	$150 per user / month
Five9	Cloud	– Chat – Voice – Email – SMS/MMS – Social media	Available	– 6 pre-built CRM integration – Allows customer CRM integrations	Available	Available	N/A	$149 / month
Genesys Cloud CX	Cloud Desktop Mobile	– Chat – Voice – Email – SMS – Social media – Web	N/A	100+	Available	Available	N/A	$75 / month
NICE CXone	Cloud	– Chat – Live chat – Social media – Messaging apps	Available	100+	Available	Available	Available	Contact Nice CXone
Talkdesk	Cloud Desktop Mobile	– Chat – Live chat – SMS – Fax – Messaging apps	N/A	60+	Available	Available	Available	$75 per user / month
UJet	Cloud Mobile	– Voice chat – Live chat – SMS – Messaging apps	N/A	20+	Available	Available when integrated with partner platforms	N/A	Contact UJet
Webex by Cisco	Cloud Desktop Mobile	– Chat – Call – Email – SMS – Social media	Available	5+	N/A	Available	Available	Contac Webex

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