{"id":24771,"date":"2022-08-25T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T09:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=24771"},"modified":"2022-09-12T16:36:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T15:36:39","slug":"calling-software-for-call-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/calling-software-for-call-centres\/","title":{"rendered":"Calling Software for Call Centres: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

66%<\/strong><\/span><\/a> of customers typically resolve issues via phone support, making it an essential component of your customer service strategy. However, setting up and maintaining phone systems can be expensive, time-consuming, and tricky to monitor or scale. That\u2019s why you need an effective calling solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call centre software comes in remote and on-premises options. They offer several features and pricing to fit your specific business requirements, goals, working environments, and resources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With supervisor tools, comprehensive analytics, and omnichannel support, you can stay on top of your workloads and ensure high-quality customer service across every channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continue reading as we go through the advantages of call centre software, the features you should be hunting for, and the best implementations for your workflow.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is call centre software?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Call centre software refers to any application or system that manages communications between customers and agents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also known as contact centre software, these solutions support every aspect of the centre, including inbound calls, outbound calls, call metrics, and automation of timely tasks like call routing. It helps streamline workflows, customer support, and business processes, improving customer experience and agent performances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditionally, a call centre required a massive investment of hardware and office space, which meant only larger companies were able to set them up. With software solutions, smaller companies can now host <\/span>virtual call centres<\/a><\/strong> without spending on physical hardware or office space, allowing for better flexible and remote working options for employees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Computer telephony integration lets businesses use existing hardware, such as physical or VoIP phone setups, with call centre solutions. It reduces startup costs, enabling small businesses to improve customer engagement and support.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll often hear the terms \u2018call centre\u2019 and \u2018contact centre\u2019 used interchangeably, but there\u2019s a difference between them. Call centres deal only with outgoing and incoming calls, whereas contact centres focus on more than just phone calls. They provide omnichannel or multichannel support, handling diverse customer interactions and communications through phone, email, chats, chatbots, and social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a crucial distinction to make when looking for call or contact centre solutions for your business. Most providers will use the correct terminology, but it can be easy to confuse the two.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3 types of call centre software<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are three ways you can implement call or contact centre software for your business. Choosing the correct execution is vital to ensure you satisfy your needs and that your solution works to its full potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Hosted<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a hosted implementation, you make two fundamental purchases. One is a licence to use call centre software. The other is the hardware and infrastructure required to run it. Instead of investing in physical hardware for your business, you pay a vendor or third-party provider to host the software on remote servers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By outsourcing the hardware requirements, your provider is responsible for maintenance and technical oversight, reducing your operational costs and allowing you to focus on your business. Additionally, you own the software, so you can switch hardware providers if they\u2019re not up to the task.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hosted solution can be great for any business, especially if you want some control over your software and data centres.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, not all call centre software is designed for hosted servers, leading to configuration difficulties or technical issues. So, it\u2019s crucial that you choose solutions that can work via hosted methods.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Cloud-based<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unlike hosted implementations, cloud-based solutions use a <\/span>Software-as-a-Service<\/a><\/strong> (SaaS) model. Instead of purchasing the software and required infrastructure separately, you pay a single regular fee for your call centre platform and features.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud providers, such as CloudTalk or Nextiva, are responsible for managing and maintaining the hardware, software, and infrastructure you need to get up and running, such as servers and networks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s quick to set up, has a single cost for call centre services, provides regular software updates, and has easy upgrades and management via a web interface or mobile app. For instance, you can add or remove call centre agents with a few simple clicks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As plans for cloud implementations often charge monthly, you can change your plan if and when you need to. It can be critical to reducing annual costs as you may have seasonal variations in call centre traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, as it’s accessed remotely over the internet, your support teams can work from anywhere. It allows your cloud contact centre to hire workers all over the globe, letting you have local support agents, recruit better talent, connect remote offices, and improve customer satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

A cloud-based software solution, like Talkdesk, is perfect for small businesses as it uses the fewest resources. Large organisations can also benefit from the scalability, cost reduction, and new features introduced through future updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. On-premises<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On-premises<\/a><\/strong> is the traditional call centre implementation. Here, you\u2019re responsible for everything required to run your call centre. This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n