Deploying a hosted call center platform does not always require that it is situated on the client’s premises, it can also be either located at the service provider’s premises or by a third party. Other alternatives include setting up only the agent terminals at the clients’ premises while the rest of the equipment is deployed on the hosted platform. Alternatively, in a set-up known as Hybrid Architecture, certain machines can also be located on the client premises.
In order to meet the needs and demands required by call centers, hosted platforms providers have a range of additional requirements, not usually necessary in other business environments, but in which hosted providers need to satisfy for their clients.
Because of their substantial use of voice communications, call centers have higher performance requirements such as higher bandwidth and little to no delay in communications. This is in comparison to other channels such as text or internet messaging, where slight delays are expected.
Whether it is because of a requirement by law, where there may be laws against storing certain information in another country for example, or simply a company’s preference, some businesses may prefer to host important and sensitive data on their own premises. This type of situation may arise if a client operates in a different country than that of the hosted call center platform and the client wishes to have greater control over how the information is handled. (This is especially true for those who deal with confidential personal records, such a medical or doctors offices).
There are a variety of hosted call center platforms available and the list below picks the 4 best cloud hosted call center software companies of 2016, with a summary of each:
Five 9
Five 9 is one of the pioneering providers of cloud hosted call center software and aims to help organisations of any size create better customer experiences, increase agent productivity, and deliver improved business results.
Five 9 Cloud Software
Five 9‘s cloud software is geared toward improving call center productivity while also helping agents to deliver better customer experiences. The software boosts results by offering features such as automated dialling, fax machines, and voicemail. The platform is also capable of detecting and filtering busy signals, disconnected lines, or no answers – helping agents to become more efficient through less wasted time and more talk time.
The patented Five 9 software can adapt and make adjustments during campaigns and offers multiple dialling modes to give clients greater control over dialling rates. Time zone features complement the innovative platform with customisable dialing behaviour that meets your business’ needs or compliance requirements.
inContact
inContact is another one of the leading virtual contact center software providers. The company’s software is used in more than 100 countries globally and supports well over six billion interactions each year. The award winning virtual platform is delivered through the cloud as Software as a Service (SaaS) and features support for multiple call centers and easy to add functionality.
inContact Cloud Contact Center Software
inContact‘s cloud contact center software is designed to help clients increase their profitability and market share without the need for investing in, or maintaining any hardware. The company offers clients the ability to host multiple call centers, including at-home agents, automatic software updates, and lets customers only pay for what they use.
Other features include easy to add functionalities such as Multi-Channel ACD and Speech-Enabled IVR, as well as the ECHO Customer Feedback and Predictive Dialer software. The service also offers reporting and analytics, workforce optimization and management, as well as network connectivity and disaster recovery.
VocalCom
VocalCom is a private cloud contact center software provider backed by venture Fund Apax partners. In just over four years, the company has grown to a team of over 100 along with a client base that currently stands at 3,600 customers and rising.
VocalCom Cloud-Based Contact Center Software
VocalCom’s aim is to improve the relationship between businesses and their customers by providing virtual contact center software that is simple to use and offers the flexibility required by modern business. The main feature of Vocal Com’s software is that it is an all-in-one solution that is easy to use and highly scalable.
Clients can manage all of their customer service channels in one place, including voice calls, email, social media, and text messaging. The intuitive interface offers all the benefits and features of on-premise systems that allows agents to deliver faster customer service while reducing costs and IT workloads.
Voicent
Voicent’s flagship hosted call center software, Voicent Gateway, was released in October 2003. The company has built on Voicent Gateway’s success by adding further innovative cloud-based communication solutions. Voicent’s aim is to automate all aspects of communication that it believes can and should be automated.
Voicent Hosted Call Center Software
Voicent call center hosting is offered across a range of plans that include monthly or yearly subscriptions and a monthly pay as you go option. Users can also start off with a 30 day free trial of the service.
Features of Voicent’s hosted call center software include unlimited campaigns and contacts, auto dialer, predictive dialer, and simultaneous calling. In addition to call center tools, the service also provides SMS and email marketing, CRM and reports, as well as workflow automation in its basic package. Also included in every plan are voice, text, and email broadcasting tools, dialling to US or Canadian numbers, and unlimited calling minutes.
Upgrades in its Premium and Enterprise hosting plans offer multiple locations, role-based access, an Agent dashboard, marketing automation, IP PBX Business Phone System, IVR integration, and email, social, and web integration. Enterprise users get a dedicated server, ACD Skills-based routing, and a powerful API.
Conclusion
To summarize, hosted call center platforms are a fairly simple way for businesses to provide efficient customer service at a relatively low cost and without any investment or maintenance on hardware required. Companies are then able to improve their interactions with customers as well as have the ability to scale their call center requirements easily, leading to greater growth and better customer retention.