{"id":49985,"date":"2024-01-18T06:04:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T14:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"\/us\/en\/blog\/?p=49985"},"modified":"2025-01-22T22:57:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T06:57:05","slug":"contact-center-vs-call-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/contact-center-vs-call-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Contact center vs call center: What&#8217;s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is your small business in need of a <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center.html\">contact center<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center.html\">call center<\/a>? It can be hard to decipher which is best for your business, especially when these terms can be used interchangeably.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both of these services play a large part in a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/best-customer-service-software\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">small business&#8217;s customer service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> capabilities. In order to make sure that your customers are being taken care of in the <\/span>most efficient way<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we have broken down the differences between a contact center and a call center so that you can confidently make the best decision for your business needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Today, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#one\">What a call center is\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#two\">What a contact center is\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#three\">The 3 main differences between contact centers and call centers\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four\">Bonus: How different industries use contact centers today\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83d\udd11<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 What\u2019s the key to building a strong customer-centric team? Grab our eBook to find out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/ebook\/the-key-to-building-a-customer-centric-team.pdf\" data-id=\"69d29e151a6b0\" id=\"69d29e151a6b0\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d29e151a6b0.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83d\udcd9 Get the eBook<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40 \u200a Get this free eBook to learn how to build a customer-centric team. <\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d29e151a6b0.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy! <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"one\"><\/a>What is a call center?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/effortless-customer-engagement.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a customer service operation that provides support for sales and service teams through outbound or inbound calling. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/inbound-call-centers.html\">Inbound call centers<\/a> handle situations where a customer calls into the center for assistance, while outbound calling involves the center reaching out to the customer. The most important aspect of a call center is that it only offers phone support. Call centers do not provide services via other channels, such as email or text chat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some call centers are inbound-only or outbound-only, while others are blended. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center-service.html\">Call center services<\/a> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may be <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsourced<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or in-house. In either case, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call center agents<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> either work on physical premises or <\/span>remotely<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inbound agents<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">handle questions, complaints, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technical support<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and payment of bills. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outbound calls<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are used for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">telemarketing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, appointment reminders, payment collection, customer surveys, and fundraising.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call centers may use PSTN (public switched telephone networks) or <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/voip-vs-ucaas-whats-the-difference\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoIP<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (voice over internet protocol<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> telephony to make and receive<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> voice calls<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They can usually handle high volumes of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">incoming calls<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with the ability to place <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">callers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on hold and answer inquiries according to queue position.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/small-business-call-center\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart call center software<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/simplify-customer-experience.html\"><strong>RingCX<\/strong><\/a> includes <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">automation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/automatic-call-distribution.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACD<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">automatic call distributors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), smart <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">routing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/auto-dialer.html\">auto dialers<\/a>. Call centers also need analytics to measure various <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KPIs (key performance indicators)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, from first-call resolution to average handling time and <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-increase-customer-satisfaction\/\">customer satisfaction<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your particular industry or customer base largely prefers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">phone calls<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">traditional call center <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may suit your needs. But if you want to give customers more <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">communication channels<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you might want to upgrade to a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">modern contact center<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe\" id=\"new-rc-subscribe\"  style=\"background-image:url('\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ringcentral\/assets\/images\/temp\/subscribe.png')\">\n\t\t<button class=\"close js-popup-close\"><svg class=\"icon_close_mobile\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\"><use xlink:href=\"#icon_close_mobile\"><\/use><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_text\">\n<h3 class=\"rc-subscribe__title h2\">Stay informed with RingCentral<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__subtitle\">Subscribe to our emails for the latest blogs, events, and exclusive content on AI-powered communication solutions. Stay ahead with insights and tips from the leader in trusted AI communications.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/legal\/privacy-notice.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-dl-name=\"Privacy Notic\" data-dl-element=\"link\" data-dl-additional-info=\"social\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Privacy Notice<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_form\">\n<form class=\"\" data-event-init=\"true\" novalidate data-js-form>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Must be valid email. example@yourdomain.com\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminlength=\"4\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaxlength=\"255\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpattern=\"[a-z0-9._%+\\-]+@[a-z0-9.\\-]+\\.[a-z]{2,}$\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tautocomplete=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-events-hover=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-element=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-additional-info=\"LET'S WORK TOGETHER\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"email-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"email-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<select\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"Country__c\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Country *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"country-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><option value=\"\" disabled=\"disabled\" selected=\"selected\">Country<\/option><option value=\"Canada\">Canada<\/option><option value=\"United_States\">United States<\/option><\/select><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"country-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\" data-event-init=\"true\">Subscribe<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"confirm-form\" role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" style=\"display: none;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"confirm-form__text\">Thank you for your interest in RingCentral<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"two\"><\/a>What is a contact center?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A contact center is a lot more than phones, although that is still a big piece of the puzzle for most businesses. Contact centers field customer interactions on all sorts of other channels: email, <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/live-chat-vs-messaging-whats-the-difference\/\">live chat<\/a>, even <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-provide-superior-customer-service-on-social-media\/\">social media<\/a>. Depending on the integration, they can either be a multichannel or omnichannel service (<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel-whats-the-difference\/\">what&#8217;s the difference?<\/a>)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like call centers, they can be in-house or outsourced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These days, customers expect to reach companies on a variety of <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-build-an-effective-digital-customer-service-strategy\/\">digital channels<\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for speed and convenience (49% use three to five different channels to contact customer service<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/clouddamcdnprodep.azureedge.net\/gdc\/gdcPiLLQw\/original?ocid=mkto_eml_EM582302A1LA1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">phone channels<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, contact centers handle inbound and outbound interactions via<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email, live chat, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">messaging<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social media<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, video, and even fax.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers might choose chat for non-urgent inquiries, email for more detail, and phone for complex issues. In multichannel centers, the conversations on different channels are largely siloed, whereas omnichannel centers have all interactions unified in one interface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Omnichannel<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact centers use <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">intelligent routing so that customers can move seamlessly across channels during the same interaction, and the entire <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-journey-map\/\">customer journey<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is visible. This requires coordination and integration of people, processes, and technology across the business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact centers need to add extra<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">metrics to evaluate performance. You can set targets for response times to inquiries<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and measure first contact resolution and cost per contact by channel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact centers typically involve automated self-service options like chatbots and <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/interactive-voice-response.html\">IVR <\/a>(interactive voice response), too, to help customers resolve issues faster. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact center software <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/simplify-customer-experience.html\">RingCX<\/a>)<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is often cloud-based, with the added benefits of scalability and reduced costs. <strong>Here&#8217;s a look at how RingCX works:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"RingCX: Smarter customer experiences made simple\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/07XFQkSDG5g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"three\"><\/a>3 main differences between a contact center and call center<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the big differentiator between a <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/four-benefits-of-a-next-gen-cloud-contact-center\/\">contact center<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a call center\u2014which is that a call center only uses a phone while a contact center can use multiple channels\u2014there are three more notable differences between the two:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Self-service<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact centers are able to provide self-service capabilities, which is incredibly important in this \u201cdo it yourself\u201d trend that we are seeing across the board. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is possible for call centers to offer this service, but generally call centers will stick to voice calls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-service can be a great time-saver, as it enables customers to solve issues themselves and avoid long <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wait times<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They can access FAQs, <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/knowledge-base-article\/\">knowledge bases<\/a>, or video tutorials, while <\/span>software providers<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like RingCentral offer advanced speech analytics so that bots recognize and respond to common queries. This is known as <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/interactive-voice-response\/\">interactive voice response, or IVR<\/a>. Here&#8217;s a sample IVR flow:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-56061\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Blog-image-1-1920x1080-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-service is also a winner for agents, as it weeds out interactions that don\u2019t require human input and keeps <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inbound call volume <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">down. They can then spend more time on more complex interactions that do need a personal touch\u2014leading to improved productivity as well as customer happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a chatbot or IVR doesn\u2019t have the answers, it will pass the customer to a human agent. In an omnichannel center, all the information should transfer with them so they don\u2019t have to start from scratch. <\/span>Mobile apps<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should include this functionality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combined with human intervention, self-service helps you to offer more comprehensive support. 63% of contact center leaders agree that virtual assistants and chatbots make it easier for customers to have their issues resolved.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20190501005423\/en\/Contact-Center-Leaders-Confident-Artificial-Intelligence%E2%80%99s-AI%E2%80%99s\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Employee growth<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A call center needs to be staffed with capable and trustworthy agents that are able to troubleshoot any problem that may arise. This can allow for a more \u201cone on one\u201d relationship with customers, as the company is taking the time to provide them with an actual person to walk through their problem with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While call center staff need to demonstrate good listening and empathy, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact center agents need <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">some extra skills on top. Because they\u2019ll interact with customers via <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">text message<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, chat, and email, they have to be good at written communication, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That means clear, concise responses to avoid misunderstandings and the ability to \u201cread between the lines\u201d without hearing the customer\u2019s tone of voice (<a href=\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/redefining-simplicity-with-ringcx\/\"><strong>RingCX&#8217;s AI-powered features<\/strong><\/a> can also help you detect how the customer is feeling). Agents must be aware of social media etiquette\u2014you can\u2019t afford the negative publicity of a Twitter spat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-post-content-cta rc-post-content-cta_green\">\n<div class=\"rc-post-content-cta-columns\">\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-img\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"930\" height=\"700\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_411898554.jpeg\" class=\"responsive-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-copy\">\n<div class=\"headline-copy\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Social media for small business: An in-depth guide<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-post-content-cta-footer\">\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-logo-container\">\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-logo\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg width=\"154\" height=\"34\" viewBox=\"0 0 154 34\" fill=\"#000\" role=\"img\" aria-labelledby=\"cta-ring-logo-363400448\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<title id=\"cta-ring-logo-363400448\">Ring Central Logo<\/title>\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M154 3.89618H150.386V26.9657H154V3.89618Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M141.313 11.6299C137.976 11.6299 135.388 13.2501 134.95 16.5546H138.504C138.754 15.3082 139.675 14.5591 141.313 14.5591C143.214 14.5591 144.086 15.6499 144.086 17.3647V18.1444H140.438C137.078 18.1444 134.593 19.6411 134.593 22.697C134.593 25.7529 136.619 27.3411 139.55 27.3411C141.826 27.3411 143.323 26.3721 144.133 24.8145H144.288V26.9529H147.716V17.4802C147.702 13.8276 145.833 11.6299 141.313 11.6299ZM140.58 24.5675C139.177 24.5675 138.303 23.8809 138.303 22.7339C138.303 21.4233 139.238 20.7383 140.921 20.7383H144.069L144.086 20.9549C144.088 23.2232 142.777 24.5675 140.58 24.5675Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M128.187 26.9657V19.2047C128.187 16.8979 129.623 15.4317 131.896 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16.6477V16.5017C13.8424 15.8905 15.339 14.4051 15.339 11.0684C15.339 7.64031 12.782 5.14423 8.04169 5.14423H0V26.9657H3.73931V18.3H8.29354C10.4143 18.3 11.4746 19.3604 11.4746 21.4811V26.9817H15.2139V21.4811C15.2139 18.3946 13.9033 17.1482 11.6302 16.6477ZM7.84117 14.9329H3.73931V8.51618H7.83956C9.86562 8.51618 11.4233 9.35998 11.4233 11.7277C11.4233 14.0955 9.85119 14.9329 7.84117 14.9329Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M19.7329 9.60219C20.2077 9.60219 20.6729 9.46262 21.0676 9.19794C21.4638 8.93485 21.7718 8.55948 21.9531 8.11994C22.1359 7.68039 22.1824 7.19754 22.091 6.73233C21.998 6.26552 21.7702 5.83721 21.4333 5.50194C21.0964 5.16506 20.6697 4.93727 20.2029 4.84423C19.7361 4.75119 19.2532 4.79931 18.8153 4.98219C18.3758 5.16506 18.002 5.47306 17.7373 5.86769C17.4742 6.26231 17.333 6.72752 17.3347 7.20235C17.3298 7.67879 17.4694 8.144 17.7325 8.54023C17.9956 8.93646 18.3726 9.24446 18.8137 9.42412C19.1041 9.54604 19.4169 9.6054 19.7329 9.60219Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M16.9769 0.548269C16.101 0.914019 15.307 1.44981 14.6364 2.12196L16.332 3.81756C16.7764 3.37 17.3041 3.01548 17.8865 2.77325C18.4688 2.53102 19.0928 2.40429 19.7232 2.40269C20.3537 2.40108 20.9777 2.523 21.5616 2.76362C22.1439 3.00264 22.6749 3.35556 23.1225 3.79991L24.8181 2.10431C23.8106 1.1001 22.5289 0.415123 21.1333 0.139206C19.7377 -0.139919 18.2907 0.00285184 16.9769 0.548269Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-link\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/social-media-for-small-business\/\" class=\"view-all view-all-white \" data-dl-name=\"Read the blog\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-dl-additional-info=\"bottom cta banner\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\">Read the blog<span class=\"svg-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"#000\" role=\"img\" aria-labelledby=\"cta-ring-arrow-363400448\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<title id=\"cta-ring-arrow-363400448\">Ring Central Logo<\/title>\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M0 11.5C0 11.2239 0.223858 11 0.5 11H21.6797C21.9559 11 22.1797 11.2239 22.1797 11.5V12.5C22.1797 12.7761 21.9559 13 21.6797 13H0.5C0.223858 13 0 12.7761 0 12.5V11.5Z\" ><\/path>\n\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M21.1718 12.0001L15.8086 6.63691C15.6134 6.44165 15.6134 6.12506 15.8086 5.9298L16.5157 5.22269C16.711 5.02743 17.0276 5.02743 17.2228 5.22269L23.6467 11.6465C23.8419 11.8418 23.8419 12.1584 23.6467 12.3536L17.2228 18.7775C17.0276 18.9727 16.711 18.9727 16.5157 18.7775L15.8086 18.0704C15.6134 17.8751 15.6134 17.5585 15.8086 17.3633L21.1718 12.0001Z\" ><\/path>\n\t\t\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Multitasking <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is another skill required by contact center employees, as they deal with several inquiries simultaneously.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They need to handle both inbound and outbound interactions on all channels and meet <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer expectations <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by responding in the optimum time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact centers will probably need extra <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">staffing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and training to cover a wider range of interactions. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Center managers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can use<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">performance management and coaching tools to ensure that<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all agents are confident in using <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact center technology<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/cloud-contact-center.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud contact centers <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and call centers<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">make it easier for agents to work from anywhere, and the operation is fully scalable\u2014vendors like RingCentral can provision <\/span>new users<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in minutes, while subscription-based pricing means centers can scale up or down according to demand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-experience-the-art-of-the-possible\/\">Customer experience<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call centers are traditional and were the norm before contact centers arrived on the scene. Call centers have been proven to boost<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer experience<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by providing a human touch, but contact centers also offer plenty of scope for personalized <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer communications<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> key difference<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is that<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact centers generate more <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer data<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which should be used not just for evaluating performance but also to build better relationships with customers. Data lets you learn more about customer preferences and behaviors, helping you to personalize future interactions. More channels = <\/span>more data<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact center solutions <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/simplify-customer-experience.html\">RingCX<\/a> house all conversations in one place so that nothing gets lost. When agents store data in a CRM (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer relationship management<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) system, they can access this during any <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer interaction<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and instantly view the info they need to enhance the overall experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analytics and reporting tools are also important aspects of a contact center, as they harness this extra data to highlight areas for improvement. But in both call centers and contact centers, measuring metrics is essential for delivering a consistently great customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we mentioned earlier, customers enjoy the <\/span>extra convenience<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> brought by <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/what-is-an-omnichannel-cloud-contact-center\/\">omnichannel cloud contact centers<\/a>, with the freedom to choose their preferred channel. 89% of customers are retained by companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/state-of-omnichannel-shopping\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"four\"><\/a>How do different industries use contact centers?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many industries can benefit from using a contact center or a call center. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, any business that interacts regularly with customers\u2014or wants to improve its communications\u2014should consider a customer support center.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banking<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With fewer physical branches, many customers have to contact their<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/industry-solutions\/business-communications-for-financial-services.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">banks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> remotely. And when it comes to money matters, they don\u2019t want to wait\u2014especially if there\u2019s a problem. Contact centers allow banks to engage rapidly and <\/span>securely<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with clients and to access <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">real-time<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> customer information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy and utilities<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this industry, contact centers typically handle customer inquiries and collect payments. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SMS <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">messages are also handy for sending billing reminders, warnings of service outages, and suggestions like \u201csave water by turning off your sprinklers during a rainstorm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/industry-solutions\/government-agencies.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contact centers help citizens find essential information and make officials more accessible, as well as being used for canvassing and surveys. Obviously, all conversations must be secure, which is why RingCentral\u2019s solution offers government-compliant infrastructure and seven layers of security.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthcare<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security is also essential for<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/industry-solutions\/healthcare-communications-cloud-phone-systems.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">healthcare<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contact centers. Agents may send out appointment <\/span>reminders<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and instructions, give patients their test results, and handle Medicare inquiries or payments. Omnichannel support can also include video consultations and webinars for medical device training.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insurance<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/connected-communications-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-insurance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insurance firms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use contact centers to sell (or upsell) their services, remind clients about renewals, and collect payments. With the right software, they can also send out policy documents and talk through them online via video and screen sharing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retail<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both online and brick-and-mortar<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/industry-solutions\/retail-business-cloud-phone-systems.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">retailers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> handle plenty of inquiries, with customers checking that items are in stock or setting up returns. Contact centers can quickly connect them to the right department, as well as sending <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/top-3-reasons-to-use-business-sms\/\">SMS alerts<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for deliveries or in-store collection.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telecommunications<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re running a telecommunications business, you need to practise what you preach with a great communications system of your own, including a contact center with smart tools like auto <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call distribution<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">callback<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Agents will handle sales, setup of systems and products, and technical support.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h2 h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Travel and hospitality<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These contact centers need to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/industry-solutions\/restaurants.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">handle reservations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, answer queries, deal with suppliers, and send notifications about travel delays and takeout deliveries. If you\u2019re running a pop-up outlet or food truck, a cloud-based system keeps you in touch with customers on any <\/span>mobile device<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human resources<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact centers are essential for human resources, with agents taking inquiries and providing information about workplace health and safety, salaries, annual leave, and employee grievances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact center or call center: Which one is best for your business?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It depends on your business and the resources you have, but an omnichannel contact center offers more choice, convenience, and opportunities for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer engagement<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But remember that a reliable phone system is still a vital tool in customer support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whichever type of center you choose, you have to deliver a great experience that meets <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer needs<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Automated systems and <\/span><a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/what-exactly-is-unified-communications-as-a-service\/\">unified communications<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are the best way to do this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ready to get started? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/simplify-customer-experience.html\">Check out the AI-powered RingCX contact center for your business.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is your small business in need of a contact center or a call center? It can be hard to decipher which is best for your business, especially when these terms can be used interchangeably.\u00a0 Both of these services play a large part in a small business&#8217;s customer service capabilities. In order to make sure that &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":56059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-experience"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Contact center vs call center: What&#039;s the difference? | RingCentral Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Contact centers and call centers aren&#039;t the same thing. 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