The Best Call Center Software In 2024

Providing excellent customer service requires reliable communication and timely responses. That can be easier said than done with so many communication channels to monitor, including phone, email, live chat and social media. Despite these challenges, customers expect prompt service, and it’s on businesses to empower their customer service teams to provide it. That’s where call center software comes in. These platforms provide the tools customer service agents need to do their jobs efficiently.

Salesforce offers a dashboard that makes it easy for users to navigate active cases and back track to recently viewed cases and open tasks. (Source: Salesforce)

Within a business, a call center refers to the department responsible for handling inbound and outbound calls. Inbound calls from existing customers are typically answered by the company’s customer service team, while incoming calls from prospective customers are usually routed to the sales team. For outbound calls, the purpose of the call determines whether a customer service agent or sales representative is the one making the call. For example, a customer service agent might call a client to follow up on a service issue, while a sales rep may cold-call a prospect or call a lead to continue the selling process.

Internal call centers like these rely on call center software to make and receive calls. These platforms are equipped with business phone features that facilitate the calls, along with tools that allow employees to track these customer interactions. What’s more, the best call center systems today facilitate omnichannel communications — that is, they enable your team to communicate with customers not only by phone but also via email, live chat, social media and text message via a single platform.

Any business in any industry will find great use in one of the best business phone systems. However, not every company needs call center software, nor does every sector. A restaurant, for example, will have little use for call center software and can get by with just a business phone solution. In contrast, a plumbing company may receive frequent calls from customers who need to set up service appointments or want their questions answered over the phone. In that environment, it makes sense to set up your business with the right technology to address such client needs in a timely manner.

When deciding whether to invest in call center software, consider the type of service your company provides, your inbound and outbound call volume, and the purpose a call center platform would serve in your business.

For inbound calls, call center software works by routing callers to the team that is best capable of handling their inquiries. Usually, a person calling your business would first be greeted by an interactive voice response (IVR) system that provides menu options. Based on the caller’s selections, the call would then be routed to the proper team. These incoming calls are placed in the team’s call queue, which can be set up to automatically assign a call to the next available agent, to have agents manually select their next call or to pair a call with an agent based on the caller’s need and the agent’s specialty.

When the agent takes on the call assignment, they should be able to see on the software’s dashboard the caller’s prior communications history with your company, provided they are an existing customer or have called before. The agent can use that information to provide knowledgeable assistance as they address the caller’s needs. During the call, depending on the software, the representative may be able to access AI-powered suggestions for moving the conversation along. It is also common for these platforms to allow managers to listen in on or take over calls. Furthermore, the system’s data tracking will collect data points about the conversation, such as how quickly the caller’s query was resolved.

With these tools, businesses can address a number of communications-related goals. For instance, this technology enables customer service agents to respond to customer service calls in an efficient and effective way. Sales agents using call center software have features at their disposal that help improve the sales process as they make outbound calls to prospects. And thanks to the analytics component, business owners and company leaders can generate reports that shed light on how well their customer service and sales teams are performing. These metrics, in turn, help you ensure customer satisfaction and the long-term health of your business.

Additionally, by using in-house call center software, businesses no longer need to outsource customer service or rely on third-party telemarketing. They can even use an internal team to provide customers with tech support instead of employing an outside IT service. This can save your company money and allow your team members to develop stronger customer relationships with clients.

The main benefits of investing in modern call center software for your business include the following advantages.

• Expanded communications: Customers want you to service them on the channels they use every day. Call center software integrations with email, SMS and MMS messaging, video conferencing, messaging apps and social media private messaging means you can do just that. You’re no longer limited to communicating with clients only by phone.
• Inclusive call minutes: Many call center software vendors offer inclusive minutes within their service plans, with some offering unlimited calls for a small monthly fee per user. This is a cost-effective way to communicate with customers.
• Enhanced customer service: Call center software can transfer customer calls and messages directly to the agent with the right skills to help them immediately, making a first-contact resolution more likely. By providing better customer service, you’ll see customer satisfaction increase.
• Greater call volumes: Your company can handle more outbound and inbound calls thanks to the automatic call distribution and AI call handling built into the best call center software. This reduces the cost of servicing and selling to customers.
• Increased revenues: When used for sales purposes, you’re likely to sell more, as leading call center solutions are built to connect the most qualified sales reps to inbound callers looking for more information.
• More flexibility: Cloud-based call center software makes it much easier and cheaper to configure and distribute calls and messages to staff whether they’re based in the office or remote. These digital solutions are accessible and user-friendly regardless of where your agents are located.

The cost of call center software varies depending on your setup and feature set. Most call center software providers charge per user per month. They offer a range of service plans, with the more expensive packages including a greater number of features and advanced functions.

Prices for cloud-hosted phone systems and call center software typically range from $25 to $225 per user per month, although they can go much higher depending on the features you choose. For on-premises call center setups, the cost of hardware, implementation and software licenses can run you several thousand dollars — and even top $10,000. In either case, you may have to purchase equipment, such as handsets, which can cost in the hundreds or thousands depending on how many agents you have.

You may also incur fees for outbound calls, dedicated customer service from the vendor or special integrations. Some call center software companies also charge based on minutes used, chat sessions conducted, etc. This is why it’s critical to get a price quote that clearly breaks down everything included in your package and the associated costs. Fortunately, many providers offer an easy-in, easy-out service, where no more than 30 days’ notice is required to either leave the service altogether or downsize to a cheaper plan.

When choosing call center software for your company, you don’t want to pay for any call center features you don’t need. As with all business purchases, you should know what your organization requires and why before you start contacting vendors for quotes.

business.com spoke with a number of business owners and company leaders who recommended prioritizing the following factors during the decision-making process.

Cost

Chase Chappell, owner of Sirge, looked for “lower upfront costs and [a] pay-as-you-go model [that] fit our budget,” but also prioritized finding a vendor that understood his business. “Although initial costs are important, the total cost of ownership and partnership over time matter more,” he told us.

Matt Schmidt, co-founder of Diabetes Life Solutions, cautioned against focusing only on the “price of services.” He warned, “Obviously pricing is very important, but cheaper is not always better. I’ve personally learned the hard way from going this route.”

Cloud Setup

One of the key decisions businesses need to make when choosing call center software is whether they want a cloud-based or on-premises system.

“If we were to do it over, I would have moved to a cloud-based system sooner,” admitted Vista Glass owner Rich Main. “On-premises hardware was expensive to maintain and lacked the advanced features of today’s cloud solutions.” In contrast to being “locked into an outdated system,” he found that “cloud call center software is affordable, customizable and constantly improving.”

Gary Gilkison, founder of Riverbase Cloud, learned a similar lesson. “If starting over, I would have implemented a cloud-based system sooner for its lower costs and scalability,” he told us.

A cloud setup was also important to Schmidt, albeit for a different reason. Since “many of our employees work on the go and away from a computer,” he sought software that had a mobile app and could work on tablets and smartphones.

Integrations

One of the top considerations for Andrei Vasilescu, founder and CEO of DontPayFull, was ensuring the call center software “could easily integrate with our CRM system.” Similarly, for Main, integrations with products like Salesforce and Google Workspace “were key.”

“Look for a provider that integrates with the other tools you already use,” Main recommended. “The more unified your tech stack, the more insight you’ll have into your entire operation and customers.”

Chappell also emphasized the importance of “integration with our existing stack.” He chose a call center platform with “robust APIs that seamlessly integrated with our Shopify store and internal systems.”

Reliability

“Reliability was another factor I looked into because there’s nothing more frustrating for customers than dealing with unreliable service,” Vasilescu said.

Gilkison also deemed “reliability and responsive support” among the most vital criteria he considered. “A reliable, scalable system means no call goes unanswered and issues are resolved fast,” he pointed out.

Scalability

Vasilescu also prioritized “having a system that could grow along with us.” He urged fellow business owners to “select software that’s not just user-friendly but also flexible enough to accommodate expansion plans effectively.”

“For any business, identify must-have features but also consider how needs may change,” said Jake Smith, CEO of Evo Technologies. “An advanced, customizable system may cost more upfront but provide a foundation to avoid replacement costs down the road.”

Technical Support

Schmidt underscored the importance of strong technical support. His chosen vendor’s backend assistance during implementation was “a huge selling point.” Since “switching over to a new call center software can be a nightmare,” the provider “sold us on their ability to assist us in the process, and they delivered big time for us,” he said.

“Things could not have gone smoother, and their staff did all the heavy lifting for us,” Schmidt told us, noting that he’s also received “ongoing customer support… when needed.”

High-quality call center software includes features that enable omnichannel communication, interactive voice response, supervisor intervention and more. Below are some of the functions you should look for when shopping for a platform.

Omnichannel Communication

Most of today’s call center software programs offer call blending — the ability to both make and receive phone calls, aka outbound and inbound calling — and the ability to use text messaging and email from the control dashboard either natively or via an integration.

The very best systems also offer the ability to receive and respond to the following types of messages.

• MMS: MMS, a more sophisticated version of SMS text messages, allows for the sending of longer text as well as URL links, emojis, videos and images.
• Messaging apps: You can send and receive messages from customers using apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, WeChat and more.
• Social media platforms: Customers can get in touch with you via private messaging on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), and you can respond to them through your software’s unified inbox.
• Live chat: Often called webchat, these are pop-up windows that appear on your business website as a method of contact for customers who have questions. Many live chat apps are powered by AI, automatically handling customers’ questions initially before transferring them to an agent using the call center dashboard.
• Video chat: Video chat is a modified version of video conferencing where you can set up a one-on-one video call with a customer.

No one platform offers native coverage of every communication channel. The good news, however, is that most systems either have APIs or integrations allowing you to extend your range of communication channels.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

An IVR system manages inbound telephone calls. When a customer dials your business, they are greeted with a prerecorded message followed by several options — for example, press 1 for sales, press 2 for customer service, press 3 for technical support and so on. The caller either keys in or speaks their response to the IVR. You can add multiple layers of menus to your IVR system to drill down precisely on what a customer wants, giving them the best chance of being connected with the right agent.

Call and Message Routing

Most call center software offers one or more of the following types of inbound routing for calls and messages.

• AI routing: Using a mixture of artificial intelligence and sentiment analysis, a chatbot determines whether someone getting in touch with your business needs to speak with a sales, customer service or technical support agent. [Read related article: How to Differentiate Chatbots From Conversational AI]
• Skills-based routing: Supervisors can assign various skills to each agent to help the call center software better direct calls for first-contact resolution. For example, if someone is an expert in a particular product feature, customers inquiring about that product would be directed to that agent.
• Data-driven routing: Using the option chosen by a caller on the IVR menu or question asked via message, any data gathered from an integrated CRM, and any skills assigned to particular agents, the call center software directs the inquiry to the agent most likely to successfully help them.
• Omnichannel routing: Omnichannel routing allows calls and messages to reach agents from any channel, whether phone, email, SMS/MMS, social media or private messaging app.

Many of the top-rated platforms also offer queue callback. With queue callback, a caller can keep their place in the call line but hang up after they provide their contact number for a callback. When it’s their turn in the queue, the call center software dials the customer’s number for the agent.

Agent Tools

Depending on the call center system and what you can afford to spend, your agents will have several valuable tools at their disposal. If you have the budget, select a platform capable of the following.

• Screen pops: When a customer calls in, the call center software can recognize their number. Their details then pop up on the agent’s screen together with the service choice they made on the IVR menu. Thanks to this information, the customer can be served faster and your agents can process more calls during a shift.
• AI prompts: This feature is particularly useful for inexperienced representatives. When a customer replies to a question or makes a request, the agent chooses the most relevant on-screen option to get AI-driven prompts on what to say next.
• Auto-dialer: For outbound calling, some vendors offer an auto-dialer, which helps reps speak to as many customers or prospects as possible. It does this by having the program preloaded with call lists of existing customers or leads and enabling the software to dial out instead of the agent.
• Dynamic scripting: For sales agents, this feature provides relevant prompts and language about product features, overcoming objections and ways to close the sale.
• Gamification: Workforce engagement apps, primarily designed to incentivize agents to perform better and reduce staff churn, now appear in some call center software solutions either built in or as add-on apps. Part of their approach is gamification where representatives are rewarded for hitting key performance indicators (KPIs) live on their screens.

Agent Training & Assistance

This example of an agent dashboard from GoTo Contact Center shows how agents can navigate their queue from a central location. Configuring these views to support individual agents can help improve response times and service quality. Source: GoTo

Many call center software features allow managers and supervisors to train agents on the job to ensure they have the best chance of hitting sales targets and customer service KPIs. Tools for this include the following.

• Call recording: You can set up your software to record every call or only certain ones. Via their dashboard, supervisors can then select individual calls to listen back to for review. They can then go through these recordings with the agents and point out areas for potential improvement. Some systems will also transcribe calls so a supervisor and their agent can both hear and read a call under review.
• Call whispering or barging: With call whispering, a supervisor can speak directly to the agent on a call without the customer being able to hear them. With call barging, both parties can hear the supervisor. Some systems alert supervisors to calls that have gone on for longer than expected so they use the call monitoring function to see if they need to intervene.

Reporting & Forecasting

Nearly all call center software comes with out-of-the-box prebuilt reports with standard metrics like average call time, number of resolutions, sales revenue, etc. They, together with custom-built reports you can tailor to your own company’s KPIs, can help your staff drive down call answer times, call durations and missed calls, as well as increase first-call resolutions and completed sales. By analyzing team and individual performance, you can also identify training opportunities and areas of service you need greater coverage in.

Some call center software packages also include workforce management forecasting tools, either as part of their system or via third-party integrations. Based on historical order and call volumes, these forecasts provide a much clearer idea of how many staff members you need and, crucially, which specific types of agents you need skills-wise.

Data analytics can highlight where your team is falling short and where it’s succeeding. This example of a report from Salesforce Service Cloud shows the metrics you should be able to review as a supervisor of a customer support team. Source: Salesforce

How you implement call center software depends on the type of system you choose. An on-premises solution is far more complicated to implement, as it involves setting up the necessary IT servers, a private branch exchange (PBX) and phone lines. This installation process can be time-intensive and still must be followed by implementing the software itself.

For a cloud-based system, the implementation is fairly simple in comparison because there are much fewer hardware components — basically, you just have to connect your phones and headsets and that’s it in terms of equipment. Once you sign up with your chosen vendor, you’ll set up your software account via either a web browser or app and can begin establishing your users, communication channels, dashboards, etc. You’ll also need to set up your IVR menu, call routing and call queues.

Most providers have step-by-step guides or tutorials that can walk administrators and first-time users through everything they need to know. Keep in mind, however, any customizations or integrations will lengthen your setup time and may make the onboarding process more complex. Some vendors, like Five9, offer extra assistance and training for an added fee.

If none of our best picks quite fit the bill for your business’s call center software needs, these alternatives are reliable platforms worth exploring.

8×8

8×8 provides more ways to connect digitally with customers than any other system we reviewed. Omnichannel communication options include email, chat, one and two-way SMS, social media (Facebook and X), and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Zalo and more). We found 8×8’s ability to route incoming calls and texts to agents based on skill to be very useful. The platform also boasts a valuable queue callback feature.

Additionally, 8×8 has invested heavily in workforce engagement/management tools to reduce costs and maximize optimal outcomes. The integrated Pipkins workforce management app makes it easy to decide on the right level of staffing to meet demand throughout the year. With 8×8, your representatives have an intuitive dashboard that allows for video chat and easy escalation to management when required. To prevent churn and capitalize on upsell opportunities, supervisors can manage calling lists and share sales scripts with their agents. Read our full 8×8 review to learn more.

Aircall

Aircall’s primary market is businesses that use the phone a lot ― for both inbound and outbound calls ― and need call center software to improve their customer service, sales and technical support through better organization. Aircall’s IVR handles incoming calls, directing callers to your agents whose skills are most likely to help them. When a call is complete, agents can tag it and leave comments on the record to provide colleagues with insights for future interactions.

You can also send and receive individual text messages, similar to many of the best text message marketing platforms available. We further like that, thanks to Aircall’s built-in predictive dialer, you can launch telemarketing campaigns to customers and prospects quickly. There are also over 100 apps available to extend the software’s functionality. Where Aircall really comes into its own, however, is with its inclusive minutes, which make this system a cost-efficient solution.

Convoso

Convoso is built for telemarketing teams. While the system integrates with email and SMS (no social media or messaging apps, though), this call center software is best for outbound sales teams that want to close deals and make appointments over the phone. There are four different outbound dialing algorithms supervisors can choose from, although it’s a blended system that also allows inbound calls. On inbound calls, we love that the platform’s Intelligent Virtual Agent service detects intent, prioritizing human contact when it thinks there’s the best chance of a sale. Plus, Convoso’s open API means you can connect the platform to thousands of other apps via intermediaries like Zapier and Make.

AnswerConnect

Most of the options above are intended for in-house usage. If you would rather outsource communications tasks and hire a call center, AnswerConnect offers a reputable third-party service with 24/7 phone coverage and live chat support. AnswerConnect also integrates with major CRM providers like Salesforce, Zoho and Zendesk, and provides more than 400 additional integrations through Zapier. If it’s likely that managing an internal call center, even one powered by the best call center software, will be too ineffective, expensive or unwieldy for your business, outsourcing to AnswerConnect could be the solution you’re looking for.

To determine the best call center software on the market, our team of communications experts and software analysts evaluated an initial list of 52 platforms. We started by considering which vendors strictly offered call center software to be used within your business and which provided call center services for companies interested in outsourcing inbound and outbound call management. We then compared these models to determine which provided the ideal setup for businesses with high call volumes.

To narrow the options, we identified the features and services that would be most valuable and reliable and eliminated the solutions that didn’t meet our high standards. After whittling our list down to 10, we chose six call center software platforms as our top recommendations. That decision was based on in-depth, hands-on investigations in which we questioned vendors, tested platforms and researched user testimonials. During our examinations, we sought to replicate the call experience on both the agent and customer sides so we could assess how well each solution performed, especially in light of its costs.

Ultimately, our experts and analysts studied each solution’s functionality and evaluated the products on more than 25 factors. These factors were broken down into categories and weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s plans, judging which packages offered the best bang for your buck. We took into account monthly subscription fees, contract requirements, extra charges and the costs of add-on services like additional call center agents.
• Features (25%): We looked for key call center features like call routing, monitoring, whispering and barging, agent performance management tools, and social media and messaging app integrations. We also looked for AI features that support agent coaching and training to improve overall customer service.
• Ease of Use (25%): We tried the software solutions ourselves, gauging each platform’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options. We also considered whether there was a fully featured mobile app for monitoring call center activity on the go.
• Customer Service (20%): For businesses needing vendor assistance, we evaluated each provider’s range of customer service options, including whether phone assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each vendor’s online resources for businesses interested in self-guided help.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which call center software our readers could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some platforms were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of company. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.