12 Factors to Consider When Choosing Call Center Software

Choosing the best call center software for your business needs can sometimes be a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. By considering the following factors you will be well on your way to selecting the right cloud call center software for your team.

Below are 12 factors to consider when choosing call center software:

1. Type of call center software

There are four main types of call center software and they can vary considerably in terms of cost, ease of use, deployment time, security, reliability and uptime:

On-premise call center software
Hosted call center software
Cloud-based call center software
Browser-based call center software

Be sure to carefully consider which type is right for your business needs. Doing so will significantly narrow down your field of potential options so that you can plow ahead on your quest to find the best.

2. Call center software features

Once you have decided what type of call center software is right for your team, you should make a list of your must-have call center software features. The following is a list of common call center software features as well as links to information about each:

Take some time to explore each feature and then prioritize the features according to your business needs. If you are considering a call center software solution and they do not have one of your must-have features, you can ask them if they have plans to develop it, or move on to the next solution as there are plenty to choose from.

3. Business tools integrations

One must-have call center software feature is business tools integrations. Call center software that integrates with your current helpdesk, CRM, chat, e-commerce platform, social networking platforms and marketing platform with one click will truly transform your team’s efficiency and productivity.

If you want even more bang for your buck, select a solution with automated tasks. Call center software with business tools integrations and automated tasks will automate repetitive tasks for your team. For example, when a call is missed, the call center software will create a new ticket in your helpdesk system with the call data and voicemail transcription. When a new contact is created in your CRM, the call center software will be updated with that contact’s information as well. When a note is created in the call center software, it will also create a note in your e-commerce platform. When a new chat finishes, the call center software will update with the chat transcript. Call center software with business tools integrations and automated tasks will be a game-changer for your team.

4. Flexibility

Today, call center software solutions are more flexible than ever. With the advent of browser-based call center software, teams can access comprehensive call center features from anywhere there is internet. So with just a laptop, headset and internet, agents can make and receive calls, access real-time reporting, monitor live calls, engage in call conferencing – everything they can do with their hosted, on-premise or cloud-based solutions.

This migration from on-premise, hosted and cloud-based solutions to the browser helped to significantly improve call center software’s flexibility, allowing teams to work from anywhere. Additionally, browser-based call center software solutions can be configured in minutes and their features can be customized in seconds. This makes scaling up and down, hiring a remote workforce, working while traveling and employing flexible agents simple. Thus, if you feel constrained by your not-so-flexible current call center software solution, migrating to a browser-based call center software solution might be a good option.

5. Scalability

When selecting your perfect call center software solution, make sure it can scale with your business. Some questions to ask the call center software service provider are:

Can I add and remove agents in seconds?
Am I charged per agent per month? Is this prorated for flex agents?
Am I only charged for the minutes that I use? Do I have to buy minutes in bulk?
Can your system handle my call volume? How about during the holidays?
Do you offer unlimited concurrent calls?
Can I add, remove and customize features myself or does your team have to do it for me?
Do I need a dedicated IT staff to maintain the call center software?
How often do I need to download new software, update the software or install plug-ins?

If you are speaking with a sales representative and you don’t like an answer to one of these questions, move on to the next software solution. There are plenty out there.

6. Ease of use

Once you have your eye on a few call center software solutions that are the right type, have the right features, can scale with your business and are flexible, evaluate them for ease of use. The last thing you want is the perfect software – on paper – that is impossible to use. Make sure that your agents can be proficient in navigating the software in a few hours. A helpful tip is to have one of your agents test drive the software during a trial. If they can’t be a pro in a few hours move on to a solution that they can.

7. Deployment time

Some call center software solutions are easy to use, but a nightmare to implement. When choosing your ideal solution, check to see how long it will take to roll out. If the answer is not “a few minutes” for small teams or “a few hours” for larger teams this is a red flag. Remember, every day that goes by that you are implementing a new solution can cost a considerable about of money, confusion and worse – customers. Thus, make sure the implementation process does not interfere with customer satisfaction or daily operations by selecting a solution that can be rolled out in minutes.

8. Training

If you have selected a call center software solution that is easy to use and quick to implement, then they should also offer easy to understand training materials. Most will provide PDFs, videos and a knowledge base to help your team get up-and-running. Some companies will even offer to help train agents with you on-site. Be sure to ask what resources they have available and utilize any and all – even if you don’t think you need them. After all, a little training on the front-end could save a lot of headache down the road.

9. Technical support

When something goes wrong – and it inevitably will – you must know that your call center software provider will be there for you. Make sure they offer near round-the-clock technical support and that they are responsive. A company that will battle it out in the IT trenches with you will be your best ally. Companies that won’t, will likely lose your business forever.

10. Customer service

Customer service can also be a differentiating factor between call center software solutions that make the cut and those that don’t. Customer reviews are a great place to check how a company is performing when it comes to customer experience, in addition to a company’s Twitter feed to see if there are any complaints from customers about their lack of responsiveness. Did the company fail to respond to these complaints on Twitter? If so, this might be valuable data that you don’t want to overlook. You can also ask about their average response rate for customer support issues as well as their average time to close a ticket. If they respond in less than one hour to emails and resolve issues in less than a day, that’s great customer service.

11. Price

You might be thinking – price – finally! Well, not so fast. Many companies are willing to pay a bit more for a call center software solution that is optimal. If you are price sensitive, just do the quick math on how much it will cost to lose a customer due to your phones being down or because there is a bug that isn’t being fixed or because your managers don’t have access to reporting or because your agents don’t have the features they need to get the job done right. Still price sensitive?

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when exploring pricing. Make sure you ask about any implementation fees, training costs, price per agent, price per minute, price per phone number and price to use certain features. You should also make sure that their billing is transparent, that you can view charges at any time and that their support team is responsive if you have an issue with billing. The last thing you want is to be slapped with a huge bill with hidden fees – while being locked into a 1-year contract!

12. Free trial

Finally, an absolute must is that you are able to try the call center software for free for an extended period of time. Most providers will offer a 1 – 2 week free trial and many will extend that if needed. During your trial period you should spend as much time and effort as possible using the software. Try out different use cases, ask different team members to give it a go, make calls, receive calls, run reports – the whole gamut. Putting in this effort on the frontend will have a huge payout when you are finally ready to pull the trigger.

Choosing the optimal call center software solution for your team can often be a dreaded task. But it doesn’t have to be. Keep the 12 aforementioned factors in mind and dive head first into the selection process. You’ll come out victorious!

7. Deployment time

Some call center software solutions are easy to use, but a nightmare to implement. When choosing your ideal solution, check to see how long it will take to roll out. If the answer is not “a few minutes” for small teams or “a few hours” for larger teams this is a red flag. Remember, every day that goes by that you are implementing a new solution can cost a considerable about of money, confusion and worse – customers. Thus, make sure the implementation process does not interfere with customer satisfaction or daily operations by selecting a solution that can be rolled out in minutes.

8. Training

If you have selected a call center software solution that is easy to use and quick to implement, then they should also offer easy to understand training materials. Most will provide PDFs, videos and a knowledge base to help your team get up-and-running. Some companies will even offer to help train agents with you on-site. Be sure to ask what resources they have available and utilize any and all – even if you don’t think you need them. After all, a little training on the front-end could save a lot of headache down the road.

9. Technical support

When something goes wrong – and it inevitably will – you must know that your call center software provider will be there for you. Make sure they offer near round-the-clock technical support and that they are responsive. A company that will battle it out in the IT trenches with you will be your best ally. Companies that won’t, will likely lose your business forever.

10. Customer service

Customer service can also be a differentiating factor between call center software solutions that make the cut and those that don’t. Check the company’s Twitter feed to see if there are any complaints from customers about their lack of responsiveness. Did the company fail to respond to these complaints on Twitter? If so, this might be valuable data that you don’t want to overlook. You can also ask about their average response rate for customer support issues as well as their average time to close a ticket. If they respond in less than one hour to emails and resolve issues in less than a day, that’s great customer service.

11. Price

You might be thinking – price – finally! Well, not so fast. Many companies are willing to pay a bit more for a call center software solution that is optimal. If you are price sensitive, just do the quick math on how much it will cost to lose a customer due to your phones being down or because there is a bug that isn’t being fixed or because your managers don’t have access to reporting or because your agents don’t have the features they need to get the job done right. Still price sensitive?

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when exploring pricing. Make sure you ask about any implementation fees, training costs, price per agent, price per minute, price per phone number and price to use certain features. You should also make sure that their billing is transparent, that you can view charges at any time and that their support team is responsive if you have an issue with billing. The last thing you want is to be slapped with a huge bill with hidden fees – while being locked into a 1-year contract!

12. Free trial

Finally, an absolute must is that you are able to try the call center software for free for an extended period of time. Most providers will offer a 1 – 2 week free trial and many will extend that if needed. During your trial period you should spend as much time and effort as possible using the software. Try out different use cases, ask different team members to give it a go, make calls, receive calls, run reports – the whole gamut. Putting in this effort on the frontend will have a huge payout when you are finally ready to pull the trigger.

Choosing the optimal call center software solution for your team can often be a dreaded task. But it doesn’t have to be. Keep the 12 aforementioned factors in mind and dive head first into the selection process. You’ll come out victorious!

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