The Best Call Center Software In 2024

Providing excellent customer service requires reliable communication and timely responses. That can be easier said than done with so many communication channels to monitor, including phone, email, live chat and social media. Despite these challenges, customers expect prompt service, and it’s on businesses to empower their customer service teams to provide it. That’s where call center software comes in. These platforms provide the tools customer service agents need to do their jobs efficiently.

To help you choose a platform for your business, we conducted hundreds of hours of research and testing to identify the best call center software on the market. Our recommendations below provide exceptional support for businesses of all kinds and can help improve customer satisfaction and drive repeat business.

Salesforce offers a dashboard that makes it easy for users to navigate active cases and back track to recently viewed cases and open tasks. (Source: Salesforce)

If none of our best picks quite fit the bill for your business’s needs, these alternatives offer reliable service that’s worth exploring.

8×8

8×8 offers more ways to connect digitally with customers than any other platform we’ve reviewed. Omnichannel communication options include email, chat, one and two-way SMS, social media (Facebook and Twitter), and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Zalo, and more). We found 8×8’s ability to route income calls and texts to agents based on skill to be very useful. They also provide the valuable queue callback feature. 8×8 has invested heavily in workforce engagement/management tools to reduce costs and maximize optimal outcomes. The Pipkins workforce management app makes it easy to decide on the right level of staffing to meet demand throughout the year. With 8×8, reps have an intuitive dashboard that allows for video chat and easy escalation to management when required. For outbound calling colleagues looking to prevent churn and upsell opportunities, supervisors can also manage calling lists and share sales scripts with their reps. Read our full 8×8 review.

Aircall

Aircall’s primary market is businesses that use the phone a lot ― both inbound and outbound ― and need contact center software to improve their customer service, sales and technical support through better organization. Aircall’s IVR handles incoming calls, directing them to agents whose skills are most likely to help them. When a call is complete, agents can tag it and leave comments on it to provide others with insights for the future. You can also send individual text messages to and from customers, similar to many of the best text message marketing platforms available. Thanks to Aircall’s built-in predictive dialer, you can launch telemarketing campaigns to customers and prospects quickly. There are over 100 apps available to extend the software’s functionality. Where Aircall really comes into its own is with its inclusive minutes.

Convoso

Convoso is built for telemarketing teams. While the system integrates with email and SMS (no social media or messaging apps though), Convoso intends to use its call center software for outbound sales teams that want to close deals and make appointments over the phone. It is a blended system that also allows inbound calls. There are four different outbound dialing algorithms supervisors can choose from. On inbound calls, the platform’s Intelligent Virtual Agent service detects intent, prioritizing human contact when it thinks there’s the best chance of a sale. Convoso’s open API means that you can connect the platform to thousands of other apps via intermediaries like Zapier and Make.

AnswerConnect

If you’re looking to outsource to a third-party contact center service, AnswerConnect offers a reliable service with 24/7 phone coverage and live chat support. AnswerConnect also integrates with major CRM providers like Salesforce, Zoho and Zendesk, and provides more than 400 additional integrations through Zapier. If you’re finding that managing an in-house call center, even with the best call center software, is proving ineffective, expensive or unwieldy, outsourcing to AnswerConnect could be the solution you’re looking for.

Most call center software providers charge per user, per month. They offer a range of service plans with the more expensive options offering a greater number of features. Ignore the attention-grabbing low monthly charges many providers run with and instead focus on getting a fixed quote from each provider where everything you want is included.

Prices for cloud-hosted services typically range from $25 to $225 per user, per month, although they can go much higher depending on the features you choose. Many call center software providers offer an easy-in, easy-out service, where no more than 30 days’ notice is required to either leave the service altogether or downsize to a cheaper plan.

When choosing cloud-based call center software for your company, make sure you don’t pay for the call center features you don’t need. As with all business purchases, make sure that you know what you require and why before you start contacting vendors for quotes.

Omnichannel

Most of today’s call center software platform tools offer call blending — the ability to make and receive phone calls — and the ability to use SMS and emails from their control dashboard either natively or via a plug-in app.

Some also offer the ability to receive and respond to the following types of messages in your dashboard:

• MMS: MMS, a more sophisticated version of SMS text messages, allows for the sending of more text as well as URL links, emojis, videos and images.
• Messaging apps: You can send and receive messages from customers using apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, WeChat and more.
• Social media platforms: Customers can get in touch with you via private messaging on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can respond to them.
• Live chat: Often called webchat, these are pop-up windows that appear on websites where customers can ask you questions. Many live chat apps are powered by AI, handling customers’ questions initially before transferring them to an agent using their call center dashboard.
• Video chat: Video chat is a modified version of video conferencing where you can set up a one-on-one video call with a customer.

No one platform offers complete coverage of every communication platform or channel. The good news, however, is that most platforms either have APIs or integrations allowing you to extend your range of platforms and channels.

Supervisors and Managers

For your supervisors and managers, look out for the following features:

Interactive Voice Response

An IVR system can help your customer service by managing inbound telephone calls. When a customer dials in, they are greeted with a prerecorded message followed by a number of options — for example, sales, customer service, technical support and so on. They either key in or speak their response to the IVR. You can add multiple layers of menus to IVR systems to drill down precisely on what a customer wants to give them the best chance of being connected with the right agent.

Reporting and Forecasting

Nearly all call center software comes with out-of-the-box prebuilt reports with standard metrics like average call time, number of resolutions, sales revenue, and so on. They, together with custom-built reports you can tailor to your own company’s KPIs, can drive down call answer times, call durations and missed calls as well as drive up first-call resolutions and completed sales. By analyzing team and individual performance, you can also identify training opportunities and areas of service you need greater coverage in.

Reporting and forecasting is an important part of ensuring customer satisfaction. Understanding where your team is falling short and where it is succeeding can help training and coaching opportunities. This example of a report from Salesforce Service Cloud shows the metrics you should be able to review as a supervisor of a customer support team. Source: Salesforce

Some call center software packages offer workforce management tools, either as part of their system or via third-party apps. Based on historical order and call volumes, you get a much clearer idea of how many staff you need and, crucially, which staff you need depending on skills.

Routing Calls and Messages

Most call center software offers one or more of the following types of inbound call routing:

• AI routing: Using a mixture of artificial intelligence and semantic analysis, a chatbot determines whether someone getting in touch needs to speak with a sales, customer service or support agent.
• Skills-based routing: Supervisors can assign various skills to each agent to help the call center software better direct calls for first-contact resolution. For example, if someone were an expert with a particular feature, customers inquiring about that product would be directed to that agent.
• Data-driven routing: Using the option chosen by a caller on the IVR or question asked via message, data gathered from an integrated CRM and skills assigned to particular agents, the call center software directs a call or message to the agent most likely to help them.
• Omnichannel routing: Omnichannel routing allows calls and messages to reach agents from any channel, whether phone, email, SMS/MMS, social media or private messaging app.

Many of the platforms also offer queue callback. With queue callback, a caller can keep their place in the line but hang up after they give over their contact number. When it’s their turn, the call center software dials the customer’s number.

When it comes to outbound calling, some services offer an auto-dialer, which helps company reps speak to as many customers and prospects as possible. It does this by having preloaded lists of customers and prospects and getting the call center software to dial out instead of the rep.

Improving Agent Performance

Many call center software features allow managers and supervisors to train agents on the job to ensure they have the best chance of hitting sales targets and other KPIs.

Most software includes call recording. Via their dashboard, supervisors can select individual calls to listen back to for review. They can then go through these calls with the agents and point out areas for potential improvement. Some call center software systems will also transcribe calls so a supervisor and their agent can both hear and read a call under review.

Agent dashboards should also support agent performance. This example of an agent dashboard comes from our review of GoTo Contact Center, and shows how agents can navigate their queue from a central location. Configuring these views to support individual agents can help improve response times and service quality. Source: GoTo

Most systems also offer call whispering or call barging. With call whispering, a supervisor can speak directly to your agent on a call without the customer being able to hear them. With call barging, both parties can hear the supervisor. Some systems alert supervisors to calls that have gone on for longer than expected so they use the call monitoring function to see if they need to intervene.

Delivering Better Outcomes

Some software allows for customer tagging. For example, you can change a tag from “prospect” to “customer” so that they get connected to the customer service team when they call in instead of the sales team. Likewise, you can tag the highest-spending customers to give them priority in the call queue.

Knowledge banks are slowly starting to appear on call center software systems too. You can create a knowledge bank for customers containing instructions on how to use a product, how to access certain features and so on. A growing number of customers want self-service and knowledge banks meet this need. Likewise, you can create internal knowledge banks for your customer services and technical support teams so that they get to know the products they’re advising on better and how to handle customers on a call.

Call Center Agents and Reps

Agents and reps have dashboard screens different from supervisors specifically designed to help them do their job the best.

• A popular tool is screen pops. When a customer calls in, the call center software recognizes their number. Their details then pop up on the screen together with the service choice they made on the IVR. The customer gets served faster and your agents can process more calls during a shift.
• Particularly useful for inexperienced reps and agents are AI prompts. When a customer replies to a question or makes a request, the rep or agent chooses the most relevant option to get prompts on what to say next.
• Perhaps of greatest use to outbound sales reps is dynamic scripting. With this, they receive prompts from the system on product features, how to overcome objections and ways to close the sale.
• Workforce engagement apps, primarily designed to incentivize agents and reps to perform better and reduce staff churn, now appear in some call center software packages either built-in or as add-on apps. Part of their approach is gamification where agents and reps are rewarded for hitting KPIs live on screen.

When choosing call center software for your business, be certain to take the following four steps:

1. Do your research.

Most call center software providers offer a base set of features on a set service plan. You may have to subscribe to a higher plan to get the features and tools you want. In some cases, you may need to purchase separate apps, again at an additional cost, no matter which plan you choose.

So, before you start looking for quotes, be clear on exactly what it is you want your system to do in addition to directing calls and messages.

2. Read existing customer reviews.

When you have chosen a shortlist for potential suppliers, look for reviews from companies with similar use cases to yours. In particular, look for how easy it was for them to integrate the call center software into their current apps, the level of support they get from the vendor and whether the system has delivered what they wanted from it.

3. Go for more than one quote.

Cloud-based call center providers will compete for your business. In many cases, they will offer you a less expensive service plan tailored to your specific needs if they know you’ve done your research and you’ve gotten more than one quote. Be sure to have a quote ready to show a sales rep if challenged.

4. Reassess your chosen provider regularly.

Unlike with on-premises call center systems and software, you don’t have to stay with your software for years under contract. Many offer 30-day rolling contracts. Those requiring longer contracts rarely require more than a 12-month commitment.

The main benefits of investing in a modern call center software solution for your business are:

• More than just the telephone: Customers want you to service them on the channels they use every day. Call center software integration with email, SMS and MMS messaging, video conferencing, messaging apps and social media private messaging means you can do just that.
• Inclusive call minutes: Many call center software vendors offer inclusive minutes within their service plans, with some offering unlimited calls for a small monthly fee per user.
• Enhanced customer service: Call center software can transfer customer calls and messages directly to a person with the skills to help immediately, making a first-contact resolution more likely.
• Greater call volumes: Your company can handle more outbound and inbound calls thanks to the automatic call distribution and AI call handling built into call center software. This reduces the cost of servicing and selling to customers.
• Increased revenues: When used for sales purposes, you’re likely to sell more as the call center software connects the most qualified sales reps to inbound callers looking for more information.
• Great for working from home: Cloud-based call center software makes it much easier and cheaper to configure and distribute calls and messages to staff whether they’re based in the office or remotely.

The future is looking bright for cloud-based call center software. Just over 10 years ago, the majority of call centers relied on on-premises PBX and custom-written software. The movement to a voice-over-internet-protocol infrastructure enables small to medium-sized businesses to offer the same high level of service and responsiveness customers associate with larger businesses.

The value of the contact center software market is expected to grow from $42.47 billion in 2023 to $164.01 billion by 2030, representing a 21.3 percent year-on-year growth during the period, according to Fortune Business Insights.

We expect deeper AI integrations in call center software throughout 2024. In addition to the use of AI to analyze customer opinions and sentiment, companies can also leverage conversational AI tools to offer self-service options. As generative AI makes its way through the industry, and as more companies move toward cloud-based solutions, we expect an even greater emphasis by call center software providers on data security and encryption.

We also predict an emphasis on customer experience in 2024 in the call center industry. Instant, efficient service and seamless communications across digital channels have become an expectation for customers, making it a high priority for businesses seeking call center software. AI will support, not replace, the human element in these endeavors.

There have been few startups in the call center software space since 2020, but there has been significant growth in the number of companies producing apps for call center software ecosystems. The growing involvement of third-party developers should, as it has with cell phone apps, push the boundaries of the technology further, especially so in a new era of no-code and low-code development.

To determine the best call center software on the market, our team of communications experts and software analysts evaluated an initial list of 52 platforms. After whittling our list down to 10, we chose five call center software platforms as our top recommendations. Our experts and analysts studied each solution’s functionality and evaluated the products on more than 25 factors.

These factors were broken down into categories and weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s plans, judging which packages offered the best bang for your buck. We took into account monthly subscription fees, contract requirements, extra charges and the costs of add-on services like additional call center agents.
• Features (25%): We looked for key call center features like call routing, monitoring, whispering and barging, agent performance management tools, and social media and messaging app integrations. We also looked for AI tools that support agent coaching and training to improve overall customer service.
  
• Ease of Use (20%): We tried the software solutions ourselves, gauging each platform’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options. We also considered whether there was a fully featured mobile app for monitoring call center activity on the go.
  
• Customer Service (15%): We evaluated the range of customer service options, including whether phone assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each vendor’s online resources for businesses interested in self-guided help.
  
• Expert Analysis (10%): Given that our communications experts know and understand call center software better than anyone, their personal insights from years of experience and hands-on testing were also considered when deciding our best picks.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which call center software our readers could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some platforms were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of company. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.