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Features of Call Center Systems
Call center systems can improve customer service and sales calls. Learn about their features and capabilities.
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A call center system should reduce business costs while helping your sales and customer service reps perform at their best. Modern platforms offer a range of advanced tools that give both users and customers greater flexibility and scalability. However, not every system is created equal. Each one comes with a mix of features designed to solve different challenges — and not all deliver equally well.
We’ll highlight the top call center features businesses should evaluate and consider when choosing the best call center software for their needs. We’ll also explain the role of artificial intelligence in modern call center software and break down the costs of setting up either an on-premises or cloud-based system.
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Top call center features
Your organization may not need every feature a call center system offers, but some functions might be essential for reaching your goals. Consider the following top call center features that help many businesses increase customer retention, deliver excellent customer service and boost productivity.
Automatic call distribution
Automatic call distribution (ACD) is a telephone system that automatically routes callers to the right departments and individuals, helping reduce wait times and minimize wasted resources. For most call centers, some form of ACD is a must.
ACD systems distribute calls according to user-specified criteria, such as routing calls to an available rep, routing billing-related calls to the accounting team, or using caller ID or voice recognition to direct traffic more efficiently.
According to Smitha Baliga, CEO and CFO of TeleDirect Communications, ACD plays a key role in helping things run efficiently. “Routing to the right person reduces wait times and improves the first-call resolution rate,” Baliga explained. “This feature helps businesses handle high call volume with ease and ensures that urgent matters are addressed.”
Call center monitoring and analytics
Call center monitoring and analytics tools are essential for modern customer service. Scrutinizing metrics like call duration, volume and cost helps supervisors and managers make informed decisions about employee performance, training and staffing their business.
Many of the best call center systems provide real-time statistics, allowing you to see what’s happening in the moment. Historical reports let you compile data across hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and annual periods for in-depth analysis and trend tracking.
Baliga noted that these tools help optimize performance and pinpoint problem areas. “[Clients use these features] to make decisions that help optimize their service and find ‘bottlenecks’ in their customer service process, [leading] to higher customer satisfaction scores,” Baliga explained.
Call recording
Call recording is valuable for training and quality monitoring, allowing supervisors and operators to record and store phone calls as audio files on a secure server. However, the storage requirements for call recording can be significant, especially for high-volume operations.
Cloud storage systems and third-party-hosted solutions are well-suited for this function because they make it easy to upgrade your storage space without the need to purchase new hardware.
Call transfer and three-way calling
Being able to transfer a caller to another department or add a third party to the call is essential for virtually all call centers. Few systems are sold without these features, but it’s worth checking before committing to a provider.
Contact management
Contact management systems let you tag and store calls with relevant information attached to each call record. These systems enhance customer management by providing a historical record of all calls associated with an individual account holder.
Computer telephony integration
Computer telephony integration (CTI) systems use desktop PCs as telephone systems. CTI software packages enable a desktop computer to manage and display all call-related functions, such as showing caller information, routing calls to other workstations and controlling the phone system.
Most call center systems utilize some form of CTI. Usually, a simple USB headset is all that’s necessary to turn a standard PC running CTI software into a complete call center workstation.
Workstation recording
Understanding operator needs is another way to streamline a call center and increase its efficiency. Workstation recording allows you to capture a video of what’s happening on an operator’s screen. You can analyze the recording to learn how operators use the system, which tricks they know that could help others, and what problems they’re having that management can address.
Interactive voice response
Interactive voice response (IVR) uses voice recognition software to allow callers to route themselves to specific departments. IVR solutions, sometimes referred to as auto attendants, vary in sophistication, from simple routing functionality to advanced systems that let customers access their accounts. At the high end, IVR empowers customers to serve themselves, reducing the workload for human operators.
Omnichannel communications
With the shift from POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) to VoIP technology, call center systems now support multiple ways to connect with customers and employees, including:
- SMS and MMS messaging
- Social media messaging
- Messaging apps like WhatsApp
- AI-powered website chatbots
You can even integrate one of the best CRM software platforms into your call center system, ensuring all conversations across channels are recorded and archived.
Baliga emphasized the growing importance of omnichannel communications. “We’ve seen the number of companies embracing omnichannel communication is growing, with some data showing that over 75 percent of
Baliga also pointed out that omnichannel functionality gives businesses valuable context. “Whether it starts with an email and later transitions to a chat or phone call, continuity enhances [the] customer experience but also empowers agents with a comprehensive view of each interaction,” Baliga added.
Live call coaching
Live call coaching allows a third party, such as a manager or trainer, to interact with an operator during a call without the customer’s knowledge. These systems are especially useful for training and mentoring purposes.
If you manage a telemarketing team, consider systems that provide call barging and whispering features in addition to live call monitoring. These tools enable managers to step in mid-call to help close a sale or guide a tricky interaction.
Barging and whispering let a manager join a live call in different ways. With barging, both the rep and the customer hear the manager. With whispering, only the rep can hear them.
Performance evaluation
By monitoring an operator’s performance, you can identify gaps in training and areas where a performance improvement plan may be needed. Call center systems with performance evaluation capabilities can generate reports, visualizations, dashboards and other data while measuring employee performance.
But tracking alone may not be enough. “Standard call center systems do not recognize each agent’s unique performance journey, motivations and individual playbooks,” explained Anant Sood, co-founder of worxogo, a behavior design and AI company.
He emphasized the importance of coaching that connects on a personal level: “What is lacking is a coaching framework that personalizes its insights to each individual … when agents are most receptive, in the language that resonates with them, and tailored to their unique performance journey.”
Predictive dialer
Predictive dialers are helpful for call centers that make many outbound calls, allowing the system to call a list of phone numbers simultaneously. Operators are connected only when someone picks up.
Predictive dialer systems can save time and prevent operators from waiting for calls to be answered. They also monitor operator availability to ensure that calls aren’t placed when no one is available to take them.
For companies running outbound telemarketing teams, consider a system with an integrated or third-party auto-dialer function. Auto-dialers improve rep productivity by predicting when live and ongoing calls will end. They then dial the next number so the rep is connected to the next customer without delay. Auto-dialers are excellent at increasing work rate and productivity.
However, not all call center systems are built with outbound performance in mind. Natalie Peled David, senior vice president of revenue at Convoso, cautioned against using a call center system primarily built for inbound operations to handle campaigns for outbound teams.
“Most call center software is designed for customer support, not for revenue-generating teams,” Peled David explained. “To truly drive scalable growth, platforms need to move beyond legacy workflows and offer features like speed-to-lead optimization, predictive analytics, and omnichannel outreach that match the pace and complexity of modern outbound operations.”
Peled David also noted the importance of balancing performance-driving features with compliance management. “Look for systems with built-in compliance automations to minimize legal and financial risk,” Peled David added, referring to regulations like the TCPA and state-level laws that govern consumer outreach.
Technical support
Technical support is essential for any third-party-hosted system. However, for self-managed and cloud-based systems, support can range from nonexistent to highly generous.
Before purchasing a call center system, ask the provider about 24/7 phone support, 24/7 live chat support, and virtual management options, where technicians can fix problems via secure remote access.
Hold music
Call center systems allow agents to play music while a customer is on hold. Although it may seem trivial, hold music can play a significant role in keeping customers on the line while an operator fulfills a request. Dead air can be jarring, and a customer is more likely to hang up or file a complaint if there’s nothing to fill the silence.
Voicemail to email or text
Some call center systems can convert a voicemail into text and forward the information as a text message or email. If a caller makes a request, the system can send it to the appropriate representative immediately, even if they’re busy with another task. Messaging allows for faster conflict resolution and better overall customer service for your business.
What is a call center system?
A call center system is a collection of software tools that support your call center team during telephone interactions with customers and clients. Call center systems typically fall into one of three categories:
- Inbound: Inbound call center systems focus on providing technical support and handling service order intake.
- Outbound: Outbound call center systems support customer acquisition, telemarketing and collecting customer satisfaction data.
- Blended: These systems combine sophisticated inbound and outbound calling capabilities.
Call center systems can also be distinguished by the underlying technology they use and where that technology is located:
- On-premises: On-premises call center systems are tailored software packages used onsite by individual companies. They typically require dedicated hardware, along with company-managed upgrades and maintenance. On-premises systems are generally considered the most robust and customizable option.
- Cloud-based: Cloud-based call center systems are the most flexible option. These systems are accessible from anywhere, without the need to download or install software, and are typically sold as software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions with built-in maintenance. As remote work plans become more common, cloud-based systems continue to gain popularity.
How artificial intelligence is improving call center software
Many call center software platforms now incorporate AI-powered features, opening a new world of possibilities for businesses. Consider the following:
- AI-powered customer support: Modern call center systems can relieve pressure on agents through large language model (LLM)-powered website chatbots that triage customer queries before handing them off to a human operator.
- AI-based CRM integration: When connected to a CRM, AI chatbots can inform customers of delivery dates, return policies and more, often resolving issues without human involvement.
- AI-powered insights: AI tools can analyze interactions across individual customers, segments and your full customer base to pinpoint what’s working and what’s not. For example, they may flag common cancellation reasons like “hidden charges” or “charged too much.”
As technology advances, expect AI to manage emails, social media messages and even phone calls, freeing staff to handle more complex concerns.
However, as Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of Reality Defender, warns, AI also introduces new security risks. “Traditional call center authentication systems are highly vulnerable to AI voice attacks,” Colman cautioned. “We’ve seen sophisticated deepfakes bypass security measures that rely solely on knowledge-based authentication or basic voice biometrics. The future of call center security requires real-time deepfake detection that operates invisibly in the background.”
Colman added that today’s deepfakes are convincing enough to mimic emotional cues and speech patterns that agents are trained to trust, making traditional training alone insufficient. Integrating real-time voice deepfake detection, he noted, is the most effective way to reduce fraud with minimal disruption to call center workflows.
Costs of call center systems
Call center system costs depend on multiple factors. Is the call center system on-premises or cloud-based? How many call center agents will use the system? Which tools will the call center team use? Does the call center already have the necessary hardware and equipment?
There is no one-size-fits-all pricing model for call center systems, but here’s a snapshot of two typical setups:
- On-premises model: This is by far the most expensive call center option, but it offers greater security and control. A business will likely spend around $1,200 per agent on setup, so a 20-seat call center could cost approximately $24,000 upfront in software and equipment. Ongoing expenses — including software licenses, support and updates — may total around $5,300 per year, not including line rental, call charges from your provider and equipment maintenance.
- Cloud-based model: A cloud-based setup can save businesses significant money if chosen and implemented properly. Monthly fees per user typically start around $25 but can go higher depending on features. Most cloud-based platforms do not charge setup fees; however, you may need to purchase additional equipment for all staff members to use the system effectively.
Sean Peek contributed to this article.
