Top Things to Consider Before Buying Call Center Software

Purchasing decisions are often made by executives who have little knowledge about the product, its features and applicability. What they do know is the purchasing process and negotiating price which is different from purchasing a product that the company finds suitable. This applies to call center software where purchasing decisions need to be based on knowledge of the software. If you are starting a call center or are thinking of buying call center software to replace existing one then you may wish to have a look at these considerations before you put down money for contact center software.

Ask your team of agents

rnThe call center software you purchase will be your tool and your agents will be using that tool. Start the process by assembling a team of your experienced agents to discuss about call center solution you wish to put in place and the features, according to them, deemed to be most desirable. Different agents will have their own views but you can arrive at a consensus of features that should be necessary and other optionals that you can get included or look for a contact software vendor that offers everything that modern call centers need in software. The starting point is established for your next step. Reviews and testimonials for and against CC software vendorrnYou may think of inviting quotes and calling vendors to discuss your needs of call center software. Stop. Visit a few review sites like crowdreviews.com to see an unbiased testimonial or review of the software. You get to know features of the software and about the vendor as well as overall performance and service support. This should help you shortlist a few vendors and call or email them.

Response

rnHow fast do they respond to your mail? If you telephone are you put through to the right person? How well does he respond? As anyone knows sales are handled by sales executives who may not have an in-depth knowledge of the CC software. A sales executive may go on and on about the software but when it comes to technical queries he may be stumped and will promise to get back to you soon. Just how soon is that? The first contact response is a good indicator of quality of service of the company offering call center software. You may shortlist possible vendors but before you proceed there is a small thing to consider that can have a deep impact.

In-premises, hosted, custom or packaged?

Consider whether you are offered the contact center solution as an in-premise solution or a hosted solution. Does the vendor offer customization or do you have to put down money for a ready to use package? rnYou may buy the software as an in-premises solution and have total control. The downside is that you will pay for maintenance and upgrades. It proves expensive over time. rnHosted solution is the way to go since all you need to do is signup and get going but there are other considerations to hosted solutions like speed, availability, how rate is fixed, scalability, backup, maintenance and upgrades to software. rnCustom solutions are the best since you do not have bloatware and pay only for features you need. On the other hand, packaged solutions may be cheaper if you are willing to compromise a little.

Hardware requirements

rnTraditional call center software relies on hardware in the backend like IP Phones, routers, switches and servers. The better alternative is call center software that incorporates WebRTC technologies. The traditional setup means you and your agents are tied to the in-premises hardware. WebRTC inclusions have quite a few benefits both as regards performance and cost. rnOne of the biggest advantages of newer technologies in call centers is that there is no need to invest in call center specific hardware. A simple desktop computer in a networked server environment is sufficient. Agents simply make use of a headset, microphone and webcam linked to the computer. This results in space and money savings. Further, mobility is included in that agents may receive and make calls with their mobile devices. This has the further added advantage of call centers being able to employ remote agents and saving office space. This type of setup is also fast when it comes to deployment. If you shift operations to another location there is less time lost in setting up equipments in the new premises, especially if this is a hosted solution. You can now weed out call center software vendors and zero in on a selected few.

Services and support

rnYou may be offered the software at an attractive price. It is of little use if service and support are lacking. Once your call center operations are in full swing you cannot afford any downtime. A vendor may provide support but at a high price. You may not be offered assistance in installation, commissioning and training and if you are, these may be charged extra. This is where you leave out some vendors who do not match the service and support criteria. Now it is time to take a long look at the features of the contact center software offered by the vendors.

Omnichannel support

rnCall centers are now more appropriately termed as customer experience centers. Customers these days may choose to initiate a conversation on one channel and then switch to another. Omnichannel here means email, phone, fax, voicemail, chat, video chat, messenger and even social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. The software you target should have a single interface to make it easy for agents to view activities, be alerted and respond promptly.

Social media integration

rnPeople are using social media to find out products, express opinions, for rants and for voicing grievances. Keeping tabs on such social media posts is an essential requirement in call center software if you wish to keep in step with customers and deliver a supremely delightful customer experience.

Video and audio chats and conferences

rnCustomer experience rises to a whole new level when the call center software includes WebRTC that allows audio-video chats and conferences. Agents can view callers and vice versa, regardless of the device in use. It is like having a face to face conversation—highly satisfying for both sides. It is not just chatting; the software permits conference calls so the agent can rope in his supervisor or a technical expert to answer the caller’s query and use the video in video feature to make a presentation, share documents and show a video of a product demo. He can do this while in office or outside, using his mobile.

Mobility

rnMobility is a must, not an option in the call center software you propose to buy or opt for as a hosted solution. This means a possible 24 hours availability leading to great customer experience. Agents can receive calls and make them and attend to issues because their mobiles are linked to the contact center software that is linked to a CRM.

CRM

CRM, and a smart CRM at that, is invaluable in contact center software. New leads can be captured in the case of incoming calls and outgoing call scheduling or conversations with existing customers become easier plus you have the added benefit of data analytics in a smart package.

Smart enhancements to standard features

rnWe can consider these as the core features every contact center software must have: Auto dialer – The standard “dumb” auto dialer automates outbound calling. The smart, AI infused software has improvements in distributing workloads, detecting language and making life easier for agents. Smart skill based mapping: This is another standard feature but it is good to look for AI enhanced smart skill based mapping that does a better job of assigning calls to agents and detecting caller’s mood or purpose. The customer has a better experience and agents gain satisfaction in handling calls they are capable of, possibly routed with the help of smart IVR. IVR: IVR in contact center? Why not? An intelligent IVR helps callers with a high degree of self service and, if none of the options are acceptable, the caller can straightway talk to an agent instead of going through trees and branches. In fact a visual IVR would be much better since callers use mobiles and will like to tap on the option they see on the screen. SMS campaigns: Outbound calling is good. It is the trusted, age old method of catching new customers but then, people may not like to be disturbed by a cold call when it is inconvenient. In steps the SMS broadcast facility and sends out a message the recipients can read, and, if interested, respond to have an agent talk with them at their convenience. A systematic approach to selection of call center software helps you achieve higher productivity levels from day one, improve agent satisfaction and deliver the richest customer experience. It adds to the bottom line. Look for a hosted solution from specialists in open source call center solution providers. That way you pay as you go, scale up or scale down and never have to worry about lack of features of performance.