How do call centers work?

The companies we reviewed are U.S.-based and available 24/7. All of them have bilingual agents who speak Spanish, as well as English, and several can help your customers with other language needs. You can instruct representatives to do any number of things with your calls. They can take messages from inbound calls or transfer calls to you, they can set appointments and help with order processing, or you can have agents handle technical calls following a custom script about your business and its products or services. Some companies charge extra for custom scripts, especially for complex ones. Keep this in mind when shopping for a call center service. You can have the call center perform outbound calls in addition to taking inbound calls. Outbound call services include administering surveys, placing scheduled calls to customers for follow-up purposes, lead generation services and even cold-calling, though some call centers no longer participate in cold-calling if you do not have the customer's information in your system already.

How much do call centers charge?

Call centers vary significantly in their cost from company to company. While many advertise per-minute rates, more goes into pricing than just the rate alone. Many charge a setup fee, and some charge additional fees for certain services. Some round usage up, which can inflate costs; some round to the nearest 6-second increment, while others round up to as much as the nearest minute. A call center that rounds up usage might have a lower rate, but your total bill will likely be much higher. The best call centers will explain your rate and any additional charges. The features you choose and your average monthly call volume also influence how much you will pay for a call center service. On average, call centers charge 75 cents to $1.15 per minute, which, depending on your call volume, could total several hundred dollars a month. Further, if you want a dedicated agent, you'll pay an hourly rate, which can range from $25 to $65 per hour.

What companies outsource call centers?

Businesses that commonly outsource customer service to a call center include retail businesses, banks, property management businesses and more. Some businesses might prefer using an answering service, which tends to be more narrowly focused on a specific type of answering, such as for an attorney's office or a medical practice. The best candidates to work with a call center are businesses that have trouble managing their day-to-day communications with customers or those that have unexpected spikes in call volume. Additionally, some businesses partner with call centers for after-hours support so their customers have a professional representative to reach around the clock. For some businesses, call centers serve as a tool to drum up new leads and business, helping them to grow when they've reached a plateau.

The Best Call Center Service Reviews of 2023- business.com

Today, the best call center software does more than just provide your business with the tools to answer large volumes of incoming calls. Rather than outsourcing these tasks to a third-party call center, which is more expensive, this allows you to keep everything in-house. Thanks to recent technological advances, the best call center software allows you two-way communication with customers via social media, short message service (SMS), video calling, email and private messaging apps as well as over the phone from the same screen. To help you find the best software, we researched the top options, scrutinizing pricing, features and ease of use to determine the ones we think are best for various businesses. Below, see our reviews of some major call center software and the specific services we feel that stand out from the crowd.

Compare Our Best Picks

Software	Editor’s Score	Best for	Pricing from	SMS/MMS	Messaging apps	Social media	Live chat	Email	Video chat	Inbound call routing	Call monitoring	Call blending
RingCentral Omnichannel CX	9.1/10	Inbound customer service	Customized pricing	Yes	Facebook Messenger, Google Business Messages, Apple Business Chat, WhatsApp	Instagram, Twitter, Facebook	Yes	Yes (via apps)	Yes	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	Yes
Salesforce Service Cloud	9.4/10	Customer service	$25 to $300 per user per month.	Yes	WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger	Monitoring but no private messaging	Yes	Yes	Yes	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI	Yes, plus call barging	Yes (via app)
GoTo Contact Center	9.0/10	Small businesses	$33 to $55 per user per month	Yes	Facebook Messenger	Instagram	Yes	No	Yes	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	No
Twilio Flex	8.7/10	Complex communication	$1 per hour or $150 per month per user	Yes (requires MMS enabled number for MMS messages)	Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram	No	Yes	Yes (via apps)	Yes (via apps)	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven (requires customization)	N/A	Yes (via Acqueon Engagement app)
Five9	9.6/10	Highly regulated companies	$149 to $229 per user per month.	Yes	Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram	No	Yes	Yes (via apps)	Yes (via apps)	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI, data-driven	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	Yes
8×8	9.25/10	Omnichannel communications	$85 to $140 per user per month.	SMS only	WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Zalo and more	Facebook & Twitter direct messages	Up to 6 conversations at once	Yes	Yes	Omnichannel, skills-based, AI	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	Yes
Convoso	8.6/10	Outbound telemarketing	Customized pricing	Yes (MMS via app)	No	No	No	No (although integrated email marketing)	No	No – limited outbound routing	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	Yes
Aircall	8.8/10	Heavy Call Volume	$30-50 per user (custom for 10+)	SMS only	WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram (via app/API)	Yes (via apps)	Yes (via apps)	Yes (via apps)	Yes	Skills-based routing via ACD, omnichannel via apps	Yes, plus call whisper & barging	Yes

Pricing

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.

What Is Call Center Software?

At its most basic, call center software routes incoming phone calls to individuals and teams within your business. In recent years, however, call center software has expanded to allow two-way communication via messaging apps like WhatsApp, standard SMS text messaging, email, social media private messaging and more from one platform.

Beyond call handling, the reporting and analytics functions built into call center software allow companies to measure how well individual reps and customer/technical support advisors are doing against the KPIs they’ve been set. Many call center software providers also allow companies to run outbound marketing campaigns. An increasing number of platforms are now integrating artificial intelligence, training, workforce engagement and workforce management tools into their software.

Buying Guide

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.

Call Center Features

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.

Tip

Look out for systems with intuitive IVR path designers that allow you to change menu options and depths to improve customer experience and cut down on the time it takes to get connected to an 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.

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.

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.

FYI

Screen recording records the call and what’s happening on an agent’s dashboard during the call. Supervisors use this to see if an agent is using their dashboard correctly and in such a way as to deliver the best possible outcome.

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.

How to Choose Call Center Software

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.

Bottom line: Competition between cloud-based call center software providers is intense, and you may find after a while that another company is offering something closer to what your business needs. Try to negotiate your minimum contract length term down with your preferred supplier before signing up.

Benefits of Call Center Software

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: It’s much easier and cheaper to configure cloud-based call center software to distribute calls and messages to staff whether they’re based in the office or remotely.

What to Expect in 2023

The future is looking bright for cloud-based call center software. Just 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 U.S. contact center software market was worth $30.7 billion in 2022 and that’s expected to reach $78.8 billion in 2029, representing a 14.4 percent year-on-year growth during the period, according to Fortune Business Insights.

We expect deeper AI integrations in call center software throughout 2023. We think companies will use AI to analyze customer opinions and sentiment by constantly reviewing the content of calls, emails and messages companies receive. These insights can be used both to train live agents and to introduce more empathy into automatic responses to customer queries on chatbots, emails, SMS messages and so on.

The move to integrate with social media platforms and messaging apps has been fairly recent. There are advantages to both in moving even closer together. For social media platforms and messaging platforms, it’s another reason for clients to use their apps. For companies, it demonstrates their commitment to providing service no matter how the customer gets in touch.

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.

In 2023, California, Colorado and Virginia introduce new privacy acts covering the storage, processing and securing of data. We expect there to be a greater emphasis by call center software providers on data security and encryption in general although most of the responsibility may fall to CRM providers that provide plug-ins to the software.

Call Center Software FAQs

What is a call type?

A call type refers to how calls are categorized. More specifically, it defines the routing scripts for calls. The call service can create and adjust call types to accommodate the kind of service the caller wants. There are both inbound services and outbound. Examples of specific types of call types include lead generation, market research, crisis management, message taking and customer service.

What types of call centers are there?

The four main types of call centers are:

Inbound call center: Most used by customer service and technical support teams.
Outbound call center: Most used by sales teams that call prospective customers rather than waiting for customers to call them.
Blended call center: Used by companies with sales, customer service and technical support teams.
Omnichannel call center: Used by companies that want to communicate with customers by phone, social media, private messaging, messaging apps, video calls, email, MMS, and SMS.

How is AI used in call centers?

AI is used in call centers to improve customer satisfaction and reduce operating costs. It does this, for example, by more efficiently directing inbound and outbound calls to the right agent. When on calls, AI can prompt call center agents and reps into giving clearer answers to clients by contextually analyzing conversations and understanding customer intent.

Our Reviews

Twilio: Best for Complex Communication

Twilio

This is the most configurable system on the market via application programming interfaces (APIs), native Twilio integrations and third-party integrations.

Twilio is data-rich; meaning that, when set up, the level of detail you get into team and individual performance quality is extensive.

Although Zapier offers 5,000-plus integrations with Twilio, configuring Twilio to work exactly how you want will require you to hire a programmer familiar with APIs and coding, which will cost you extra.

Twilio Flex is an out-of-the-box call center software package for companies that want complete customization over how they handle omnichannel communication and how deeply it integrates into their wider software tech stack. It provides the basis for businesses to create their own customized solution, ideal for complex businesses whose customers reach out to them regularly on a variety of different issues.

Editor’s score: 8.7/10

Installing Twilio is straightforward. It comes with its own attractive and easy-to-understand user interface for administrators, supervisors and managers.

Next, you need to get the software to behave how you want it to. To do this, you can use a mixture of coding, Twilio’s drag-and-drop Studio interface to create workflows, such as setting interactive voice response (IVR) menu systems and web-based chatbots, and its Conversations app to set up ways for customers to get in touch (phone, SMS, email and so on).

Finally, you can connect Twilio to your CRM, ERP and other software so that they all work together. There are 60 native Twilio apps offering additional call center functionality you can install as well.

No other call center software offers Twilio’s level of customization or integration. You’ll need to work with coders and developers but, in the end, you’ll have a completely scalable and flexible system that serves your business in exactly the way you want.

Read Twilio Review

RingCentral Omnichannel CX: Best for Inbound Customer Services Teams

RingCentral Omnichannel CX

The software offers phone, email, social media, messaging app, SMS and chatbot all in one app.

RingCentral offers more than 300 app integration options, ranging from CRM and call transcription tools to artificial intelligence (AI) prompts to help new reps get up to speed.

You must pay for the higher tiers to access tools to improve agent performances and outcomes like dialers, performance management aids, and more.

RingCentral’s Omnichannel CX is our choice as the best call center software for companies that focus on in-house customer services and technical support departments. With Omnichannel CX, your agents can interact with customers by phone, email, SMS, multimedia messaging service (MMS), messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, Google Business Messages, Apple Business Chat and WhatsApp), social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and chatbots. We were impressed with Omnichannel’s clever AI-driven on-screen agent, which is there to help reps during and after training. We also like how RingCentral has integrated gamification on its platform to improve team morale and performance.

Editor’s score: 9.1/10

Call blending is native to Omnichannel CX too, meaning that your reps can make and receive calls to customers. The queue callback function on the platform is well executed. With this, instead of waiting in line on hold, customers can leave their number with the IVR system. They keep their place in the queue and the system calls them back when it’s their turn and puts them through to the right agent.

There’s plenty for supervisors on Omnichannel CX to get the most from their reps. Key among these features are screen recording and call monitoring as well as call barging where you can join one of their rep’s live call or messaging sessions.

We like RingCentral Omnichannel CX’s online help documentation and community and 24/7 support. This is a great choice for companies that want to offer world-class customer support.

Read RingCentral Omnichannel CX Review

Salesforce Service Cloud: Best for Improving Customer Service

Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce Service Cloud offers the greatest level of native and third-party functionality combined with omnichannel communications.

Its compatibility with other Salesforce products means you could run all sales, marketing and customer service functions from one app.

The software can be quite expensive, and there is an extra charge for 24/7 support.

We chose Salesforce Service Cloud as the best call center software for companies that want to deliver world-class customer and technical support to their customers. In addition to two-way calling, Service Cloud seamlessly fields communication from customers by phone, email, SMS, messaging apps and chatbots.

Editor’s score: 9.4/10

We like how there are multiple ways to route inbound calls and messages that help customers get to agents with the skills and knowledge needed for a first-contact resolution. AI tools provide agents with on-screen scripts and suggestions to help them excel in servicing clients. Agents handle customers on one central screen in Service Cloud for speed and convenience, no matter which channel the customer used to get in touch. With integration for top CRM systems, agents can see everything, from orders in progress to information on subscriptions, maintenance agreements and warranties when speaking with a customer.

Supervisors can change call and agent workflows instantly with the point-and-click Lightning Flow Automation tool. Standard manager tools like call recording and call barging are all present as is an AI-powered dynamic suggestion tool helping agents answer live questions to customers.

Self-service is becoming important for many customers. Service Cloud allows you to set up a knowledge base on your site, complete with tips and techniques to get the most out of your products. Supervisors can even set up a knowledge base for their agents answering their most asked questions.

Salesforce’s starter plan at $25 a month will help companies manage external communications better but they’ll need to spend big to take full advantage of the platform. There is 24/7 customer service but that costs you 30 percent extra on top of your monthly subscriptions as a whole.

Read Salesforce Service Cloud Review

GoTo Contact Center: Best for Small Businesses

GoTo Contact Center

The ability to direct calls and messages across different channels by skills and AI is impressive for the price.

This is an out-of-the-box solution, which means companies can be up and running quickly thanks to its intuitive agent, supervisor and admin dashboards.

There’s no real AI integration or workforce management and engagement tools.

GoTo Contact Center is our choice as the best call center software for small businesses. With Contact Center, you can look after your customers from one minimal, elegant, user-friendly dashboard no matter how they contact you ― via phone, live chat, SMS, Facebook Messenger or Instagram private messaging.

Editor’s score: 9.0/10

We found the agent interface to be quite intuitive. Inbound and outbound calls can be made from the desktop app (or web browser) and the way you interact with customers digitally is reminiscent of the apps we all use in daily life, such as Messenger. Agents can check queue length at any time and add themselves to a queue to help their colleagues out as well as co-opt any unassigned queries to themselves.

Supervisors have multiple inbound calls and message routing options. Administrators can create call groups whose agents share certain skills and abilities and direct customers with relevant queries to them to increase the chances of a first-call resolution. We like how supervisors can upload lists of missed calls, customer databases and so on to the platform and set agents away on an outbound campaign. Supervisors can also use the call listening, whispering and barging functions to help agents out in real time.

Pricing starts at $33 per user, per month, but the higher $55 service plan is required for call queue information, some important supervisor functions, detailed reporting and more.

Read GoTo Contact Center Review

Five9: Best for Highly Regulated Companies

Five9

The software offers a fully featured compliance-driven platform to handle inbound calls and messages with advanced built-in outbound capabilities.

The more than 125 apps available in the Five9 marketplace, CRM integrations and APIs provide the tools to greatly expand functionality.

If compliance and outbound calling aren’t important to you, you pay far more for the functionality and reporting abilities relevant to you than other platforms.

Five9 is our choice as the best center software for highly regulated companies, particularly those in the healthcare, legal, financial services and education sectors. The software provides built-in SOC 2 Type 2 Attestation, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and GDPR compliance among many others. We like its robust business continuity procedures, start-of-the-art cloud data encryption and access to its in-house cloud security experts.

Editor’s score: 9.6/10

Even with the extra safeguards, the system is super-fast and intuitive for administrators, agents and supervisors. It’s fully omnichannel too, featuring integrations with SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, WeChat, Twitter DMs, live chatbots, email and more. What’s nice is that all of these channels are accessible from the same agent dashboard.

It has, perhaps, the most impressive integration of AI out of all the call center software we reviewed. It uses sentiment analysis to understand trends in conversations agents have had with customers. Supervisors can use these insights, and the quality assurance metric tools, to drive their agents’ performance and plan individual training.

Particularly impressive are the scripting prompts during live calls, “next-best action suggestions,” and automated call summary and transcription. The supervisor dashboard gives full oversight of rep and team performance metrics and the opportunity to intervene in live calls when necessary.

Prices start from $149 per user, per month.

Read Five9Review

8x8: Best for Omnichannel Communications

8x8

This software offers phone, SMS, video chat, email, messaging apps, social media direct messages and live chat channels.

The 8x8 marketplace includes nearly 60 apps to add functionality, including those for HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk.

The use of AI within 8x8 is clever but does not extend to AI-driven scripting prompts and next-best suggestions.

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). This, together with its call blending and outbound call management functionality, makes 8×8 our choice as the best contact center software for omnichannel communications.

Editor’s score: 9.25/10

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.

There are nearly 60 apps available in the 8×8 marketplace, including advanced experience-communications-as-a-service tools, CRM integrations, chat modules and video conferencing options. 8×8 provides 24/7 support; however, phone-based support is only available between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific time Monday to Friday.

Pricing ranges between $85 and $140 per user, per month. 8×8 also offers unlimited calls to the United States, Canada and 48 other countries on all of its Contact Center service plans.

Convoso

Convoso's integrations with direct marketing and lead management apps increase the likelihood of making more sales.

Incoming messages and calls can be assessed by AI for product/service and intent and then redirected automatically to the most suitable rep.

There is no pricing on its website, making it hard for businesses to immediately know if it will fit within their budget.

Convoso is built for telemarketing teams. While the system does integrate with email and SMS (no social media or messaging apps though), Convoso intends its call center software to be used by outbound sales teams that want to close deals and make appointments over the phone. It is a blended system that also allows inbound calls.

Editor’s score: 8.6/10

Productivity is at the heart of the Convoso systems. 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. We like how you can use SMS to warm prospects up before getting a call.

Dynamic scripting allows supervisors to create conversational paths for their reps depending on what prospects say to them. They can measure agents, teams and campaigns against key performance indicators (KPIs) to see which are the most effective. Incoming leads and calls can be sent to the team member with the greatest knowledge or experience on a particular product or service.

Convoso’s open API means that you can connect the platform to thousands of other apps via intermediaries like Zapier and Make. We like the integration with ActiveProspect, which auto-fills missing details and corrects out-of-date data on customer records. In addition, there are integrations with direct marketing-focused apps like Leadspedia, Zendesk and third-party lead generation service Baberdoo. You can also connect Convoso to SugarCRM, Salesforce, Zoho and HubSpot.

Aircall: Best for Heavy Call Volume

Aircall

Aircall offers unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada for no extra charge.

It offers a seven-day free trial and you can choose either a monthly or annual contract.

Aircall is not natively omnichannel because it requires an app to integrate emails, SMS text messages, messaging apps, video or social media messaging onto its platform.

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.

Editor’s score: 8.8/10

Aircall’s call center software platform is very capable of handling high call volume. Its 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. On either the basic $30 package or the Professional $50 package, you get unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada. You can also buy unlimited international calls for up to $30 per user, per month.

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