Best Virtual Call Center Software

What Is a Virtual Call Center?

A virtual call center software is an application that allows inbound and outbound calls between customers and agents. The software eliminates the need for physical office space. Therefore, agents scattered at various geographical locations can come together with the virtual call center software.

Even though there has been technological advancement in all industries, telephonic support always takes the lead regarding customer support. 

A direct call with the professional ensures that the customer gets a quick solution and is completely satisfied with the services, which otherwise would not be possible with other modes of communication. The difference is that call centers' services have shifted from traditional to virtual call center software.

How Does a Virtual Call Center Software Work?

A virtual call center solution is quite simple to work with. Once you have the software, the agents must log in to the system first. All agents must have a computer, an internet connection, and a headset. A virtual call center makes telephonic calls over the Internet with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.

Virtual call centers often use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to handle the calls, which means that the calls are transmitted over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. It allows for greater flexibility and cost savings compared to traditional call centers.

When a customer contacts the virtual call center, the call is routed to an available agent through the call center software. The agent can access the customer's account information and use scripts or other tools provided by the call center to assist the customer with their inquiry or issue.

Benefits of Virtual Call Center Solutions

Virtual call center software can bring numerous benefits to the business as it is backed by advanced technology that helps make virtual calls more effective compared to traditional phone calls. Some significant benefits include the following:

1. Build brand loyalty

Customers are bound to come back when they are delighted with the services. A virtual call center system enables agents to fix the caller's problems quickly, providing a positive brand image.

2. Better agent productivity

The software also helps enhance the agent's productivity by letting them make quality calls and provide quick solutions to the callers.

3. Enhance business growth

This powerful software helps provide an excellent customer experience with every call, leading to better customer retention and business growth.

4. Lower noise complaints

The system also allows the elimination of any distractions or unwanted background noise. It provides clear call quality, leading to better and more precise communication between the agent and the customer.

5. Reduced costs

Traditional call center requires a number of equipment for several tasks like tracking calls, managing data, and handling tickets. But with the virtual contact center software, all of this can be controlled in one place, reducing the equipment cost.

6. Contextual conversations

The virtual contact center solution enables virtual call center agents to record and note the call data in the system itself.

7. Receive calls anywhere

Remove the need for the employees to be bound in one place. A virtual call center provides complete flexibility to take calls from any geographical location.

8. Limitless scalability

The software will allow your business to quickly and efficiently provide the solution to the customers, leading to limitless scalability.

Why Do You Need Virtual Call Center Software?

Virtual call center companies create solutions based on the pain points of the businesses. Virtual contact center software can help in numerous ways, leading to better business growth. Some of the top reasons include the following:

1. Increase your availability

Call center operations are the best solutions if your business provides global services. As it is impossible to set up offices at every location, with the software, you can ensure that you provide 24/7 services for customers worldwide.

2. Lower employee turnover

With the remote work option, many employees prefer to work from home. It is not possible with a traditional call center. The software enables employees to work from any preferred location, hence, lowering employee turnover.

3. Easily manage and monitor the call center

The system allows the supervisor to easily monitor the call activity on a live feed and keep track of every minute activity.

4. Internal collaboration

Virtual call centers enable agents to open several communication channels like email, chat, text, and phone calls. Further, it allows agents to interact in multiple ways with the customers.

5. Access to more talent

As the employees can work remotely, your business will get access to a broader talent pool across several locations.

Features of Virtual Call Center Software

Virtual call center platforms are rich in features that make the communication between the customer and the agent smooth and effective. Some top features of the best virtual call center software include:

1. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

VoIP, or cloud-based calling, is one of the essential features of virtual call center software. This feature help agents skip landline calls and make and take calls from anywhere with an internet connection.

2. CRM integration

Throughout the call, storing the customers' data is crucial so they don't have to repeat themselves every time. CRM integration feature helps track and store data.

3. Surveys

This feature allows post-call surveys to measure customer satisfaction with the agent. You can conduct different surveys to understand the overall performance of your team.

4. Call recording

The software comes with a call recording feature that can later be used for training new agents and quality assurance.

5. Scripts

The majority of software comes with built-in agent scripting that helps the agent to understand what is to be said at the right time.

6. Call monitoring

With the call monitoring feature, the managers can listen to any outgoing and incoming calls without disturbing them and use it for future training of new agents.

7. Call whispering

This feature enables managers to speak just to the agent during a live call to provide the best services.

8. Call barging

The call barging feature lets the manager get on the call with the agent and the customer. This feature is helpful in case the call isn't going well, and the manager can provide the right answers.

9. Call masking

With the call masking feature, you can choose how your phone number shows up when you call a customer. With the local number showing up, you can increase the chances of receiving the call.

How to Choose the Right Virtual Call Center Solutions?

We know that with so many solutions available, choosing the best virtual call center software can take time and effort. The problem can be easily solved by understanding the factors you must consider before making the final choice. Below are some points to consider:

1. Ease of use

Ease of use is one of the most critical factors to consider when picking virtual call center software. The more complex the software is, the more time the agents will need to learn it, leading to low business productivity.

2. Scalability

The software should also allow for business scalability. It should enable the company to scale growth with agents present at various locations.

3. Quality and level of customer support

Whatever virtual and remote call center software you may choose, it should be of excellent quality. The software should also provide a significant level of customer support.

4. Integration

The software should be compatible enough with third-party integration and APIs. It should also allow integration with the existing software in the business.

5. Cost

Cost is another vital factor to consider while choosing the right software. The software must provide several plans to choose from per the business needs. 

6. Security

The software must provide great security as it will hold a large amount of customer data that cannot be leaked.

Top 5 Virtual Call Center Software

Deciding the right virtual call center solution can be very challenging as there are several software available for it. We have listed below the top five software with the top features they provide. Check these out and pick the best for your business.

1. CallHippo

CallHippo is an advanced virtual call center software that is powered by CC2 technology for smooth communications. This solution fits every small to open-source virtual call center software requirement. CallHippo offers four different plans, each with varied features. With 4.8 ratings, the solution is built to enhance user experience.

Features

• Global connect
• Local and toll-free numbers
• Voicemail
• Call recording
• Call forwarding 
• CC2 powered technology

Pros

• Easy to set up and use
• Great customer support
• Multiple third-party integrations

Cons

• Limited features

Pricing

CallHippo provides four plans for its users with different features. You can choose the plan that meets your business needs. All the plans provide a 10-day free trial. The plans are as follow:

• Basic plan- Basic plan is free of cost and is best suitable for startups.
• Bronze plan- The plan costs $16 per user every month and is ideal for small businesses.
• Silver plan- Suitable for a fast-growing team, the silver plan starts at $24 per month for each user.
• Platinum plan- The platinum plan starts at $40 per month for each user and is the best for larger teams.

2. Zendesk

Zendesk allows customer service agents to provide customer support through calls from the same platform used for other channels. It’s one of the most recommended virtual call center system by companies because of its great accessibility and advanced features. It is an easy-to-use solution that can also be customized as per the needs. Zendesk has an average rating of 4.8.

Features 

• Call forwarding
• Conference calling
• Integrations with 70+ apps
• Automated ticket creation
• Call blocking 

Pros

• Multichannel support
• Customizable solutions
• Strong reporting and analytics

Cons

• Expensive plans
• Limited automation options

Pricing

Zendesk provides plans for services as well as sales. The company also gives access to free trials so that you can understand how it actually works before paying for a plan.

Zendesk for services:

Plans for everyone

• Suite team- US$ 49 per month for each agent
• Suite growth- US$ 79 per agent every month
• Suite professional- US$ 99 per agent each month

Plans for enterprises

• Suite enterprise- US$150 per month for each agent
• Enterprise-ready plans- US$ 215 per agent every month

Zendesk for sales:

• Team plan- The plan costs US$ 19 per agent every month
• Growth plan- The plan costs US$ 49 per agent every month
• Professional plan- The plan costs US$ 99 per agent every month

3. Aircall

Aircall is a cloud contact center solution that can be integrated with the existing CRM system of your business. The software also has the ability to forward the call to the agent's personnel mobile so that the call can be answered wherever they are. For growing businesses, Aircall can be one of the most beneficial platform.

Features

• Customized availability 
• Remove spam callers
• Call tracking 
• Assign conversations 

Pros

• User-friendly software
• Highly scalable platform
• International phone numbers

Cons

• Fewer features in the basic plan
• Limited storage for call recording

Pricing

Aircall provides three plans for businesses each with its unique features to make the process seamless. Aircall also provides a seven-day free trial.

• Essentials- The plan starts at $30 per month for each user.
• Professional- The plan starts at $50 per month for each user.
• Custom- The plan is customizable and can be aligned with the business needs.

4. CloudTalk

Based in New York, CloudTalk is a leading virtual call center platform. It offers cloud-based virtual phone systems for sales and support teams. CloudTalk is easy to set up, provides the flexibility to operate from anywhere, and can be integrated with third-party systems. The automation features of this software can be improved; apart from that, it’s the best software for mid-size  businesses.

Features

• Number porting
• Call recording
• IVR
• Call-based routings
• Integrations with other tools 

Pros

• Advanced call management features
• Scalable platform to meet the business needs
• Various customization options

Cons

• Competitive pricing
• Fewer automation options

Pricing

Cloudtalk provides four various plans for its customers. They also provide a free trial to the businesses, and you can also compare the plans to pick the right for your company's needs.

• Starter- The starter plan starts at $25 per month for each agent.
• Essential- The essential plan starts at $30 per month for each agent.
• Expert- The expert plan starts at $50 monthly for each agent.
• Custom- As the name suggests, you can build a custom plan by contacting the company to align with your business needs.

5. TalkDesk

TalkDesk is the best virtual call center solution for businesses that handle light to medium calls. The solution allows adding summary nodes, collaborating with the team members, and integrating with the existing CRM. This platform can be utilized for inbound calls and outbound calls, making it the most versatile virtual call center tool.

Features 

• Inbound call blocking
• Call control
• Call conferencing
• Ring groups

Pros

• Advanced call routing features
• Integration with the existing software
• Easy-to-use platform

Cons

• Expensive for smaller businesses
• Fewer mobile app functionalities 

Pricing

TalkDesk provides four different plans for businesses of all sizes.

• CX cloud essentials- The plan starts at US$75 per user every month.
• CX cloud elevate- The plan starts at US$95 per user every month.
• CX cloud elite- The plan starts at US$125 per user every month.
• Experience clouds- Experience Clouds plan is built for various industry needs like banking, insurance, providers, and retail. 

Challenges in Virtual Call Center Solutions

Though virtual call center software is the perfect solution, it also has some challenges. These include the following:

1. Training

The first challenge is training the employees. It becomes a major challenge when they work from remote locations and in different time zones.

2. Difficult to provide IT services

Another drawback is providing IT services to employees. In situations where they require help with their laptops, the service would either have to be provided remotely or they would have to visit the office.

3. Lack of direct oversight

As a business, you will not be able to oversee employees directly as they are dispersed at various locations.

4. Harder to build team camaraderie

With the agents working at different locations, it is challenging for them to connect with their peers, and it may make them feel isolated.

Trends in Virtual Call Center Software

As technology is enhancing, there is continuous growth in the development of virtual call center software. These trends help ensure that the software meets the latest demands and helps businesses get the best productivity from it. The latest trends include:

1. Cloud-based software

This trend in the software provides call center operations to the cloud. Adapting this trend can provide flexibility and scalability for the company with hassle-free access to remote agents.

2. Artificial intelligence

AI has become an integral part of all businesses. Using AI in the virtual phone system can automate routine tasks like answering common inquiries and routing calls to the right agent. This tech is also capable of identifying the latest trends.

3. Omnichannel support

Provide your customers with a variety of options to connect with the agents. They can connect via phone, email, social media, and chat with omnichannel support.

4. Video conferencing

Video conferencing is one of the most prominent trends in virtual call centers. It will allow agents to provide face-to-face support to the caller and can also be helpful for training and meetings.

5. Advanced reporting and analytics

Advanced reporting and analytics in the software help provide detailed reports on customer data. The data includes call volumes, waiting time, and level of customer satisfaction. By taking the necessary steps, you can use this data to enhance your business growth.

Conclusion

To wrap up, with tech advancement, adapting technology solutions in your business is equally important. Ditching the traditional ways and adding the best virtual call center software can boost business growth and enhance customer satisfaction. 

These solutions let the agents and customers have uninterrupted communication, where solutions can be provided quickly, and necessary data can be stored for future use. So, pick the right remote call center software for your company and skyrocket your growth.