Call Center Software

Call centers are facing the increasing challenge of delivering quality customer support while dealing with tougher customer demands and more complicated products. Call centers have to be able to deliver detailed information to customers no matter the channel they’re using.

To accommodate the intricacy of call centers, vendors are offering a wide variety of applications to improve the various facets of call center administration. Some popular features and modules include:

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
With IVR systems, companies can automate everyday inquiries, such as account balance requests or order status questions, freeing up agents to deal with more difficult problems. IVR allows customers to use the phone keypad to make requests, which are directly sent to the appropriate database from which the system pulls the corresponding information and relays it back to the customer. Most IVR systems also provide speech recognition for added convenience, in addition to survey functionality for gathering feedback after the call is completed.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
CTI closes the gap between IVR systems, agent workstations, and phone switches. For instance, as a customer call is transferred to a live agent, all their information travels with the call and shows up on the agent’s screen so that they know exactly what the customer needs help with. This improves handling time and first-time resolution, saving customers the aggravation of giving the same information twice, while also making the agent’s job easier.

Call Monitoring
Call monitoring systems take call recording tools one step further by allowing companies to establish pre-defined thresholds, like the use of specific words in a call, as well as flag calls that exceed a certain length of time. They either flag these recordings for a supervisor to listen to later, or they immediately send an alert to a manager, who then monitors the call if necessary. Call monitoring systems allow call center managers to keep track of the performance of their agents, as well as assist them if the call requires someone with more authority to solve the customer’s issue.

Call Center Analytics/Performance Management
Key performance indicators are important for ongoing improvement and management in contact center operations. Call center analytics software allows supervisors, team leaders, and managers to track the most important data, including call handle times, first call resolution, and survey results. The data gathered ensures that managers can identify negative and positive trends that could possibly impact customer satisfaction, as well as take corrective action immediately if needed.

Workforce/Agent Management
The effectiveness and availability of agents can make or break a call center. Workforce and agent management solutions completely automate critical processes such as performance assessments, scheduling, and training.

There are quite a few advantages call centers can realize by using a software application. Most call center software provides the following:

• Improved customer satisfaction by delivering better customer service.
• Better agent retention and productivity.
• Reduction in overhead costs by spending less on agent training and phone service fees.
• Boost in revenue by empowering agents to participate in promotions and leverage and identify new sales opportunities.

Does My Company Need Call Center Software?
Every company can gain something by using call center software, especially when it comes to enhancing customer interactions. The evidence is clear. A recent CFI Group study, for example, stated that call center performance, client loyalty, and company reputation are directly linked. According to this study, only 5 percent of customers were likely to move their business elsewhere if a contact center successfully resolved their problem, with 79 percent stating that they were likely to spread positive word of mouth. Of customers whose questions weren’t resolved, 43 percent said they were likely to take their business elsewhere, and 76 percent were likely to tell their friends and family about their bad experience.

Integration
In order to be efficient, call center software applications have to link seamlessly to existing telephony systems like predictive dialers and switches. This provides a complete picture of call-related activities, which allows managers to collect additional data such as hold times, call volume, and transfers. Consequently, they can more easily manage workloads and gain better insight into a customer’s experience.

Multiple Communication Channels
Call centers have changed from relying entirely on phones to including many different communication channels. It’s important to find a call center solution that includes support for technology such as email, chat, texting, and more.

Support for “Virtual” Contact Centers
Virtual contact centers are becoming a popular solution instead of on-premise contact centers for companies that either don’t need a call center year-round or that want to eliminate the cost and logistics of running one in-house. If you want to establish a call center with agents located in disparate locations, virtual call center software allows you to not only connect all these agents together easily and effectively, but to also have the appropriate software available no matter where these agents are located.