If you believe that setting up a call centre is simple and involves hiring few customer care executives, you are entirely wrong. This is the opposite of the truth, and the fact is that call centres are much more than just a couple of customer care executives and their phone lines. A lot of effort goes into setting up these systems, and apart from employees, you also need multiple call centre software. So many software are used in call centres, from call centre operating, software for security, recruitment, payroll management, etc. This is why setting up a call centre is an overwhelming and back-breaking task. We have covered the most essential call centre software that every call centre owner will require and their basic features.

THE BASICS OF CALL CENTRE SOFTWARE

Reviewing on the Internet and going through relevant YouTube videos will surely confuse you as you will come across an unlimited range of fancy call centre software with multiple features and technology. However, you need not get carried away and initially focus on the fundamental and the most required call centre software. They must be capable of handling inbound and outbound voice calls and provide a robust contact centre with Omni-channel support and AI assistance. They should also support interactive voice response, ACD, auto-diallers, automated call-backs, call recording, call queuing and quality assurance. Here are the details of features that every call centre software must have.

MUST-HAVE FEATURES IN CALL CENTRE SOFTWARE

An unlimited range of call centre software is available, and they all have hundreds and thousands of features to confuse even the most knowledgeable and intelligent buyers. You must choose the one with all the features that you need.

INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE

This is an automatic self-service feature present in modern-day contact centre software. It allows customers to communicate with the company while selecting from the list of predetermined options. They can use these options to connect with the appropriate department or customer care executive. There are several selections, such as preferred language, type of account, reason for calling, and other variables. Those offering call centre software can customise the IVR functions and commands based on your organisation's needs and ensure that connecting to the appropriate department or employee gets simplified. They also allow you to set pre-recorded answers, and the attempt behind this is to provide the solution that a customer needs without wasting any time.

KNOWLEDGE BASES

This is also a self-service solution for agents in modern-day call centre software. It can work as a standalone application or included in your call centre software. In any case, the knowledge base will provide the following benefits to the users.

●      Searchable, so agents can quickly find the answers they're looking for

● Editable, so agents and other staff can keep information up-to-date and relevant for common customer queries

●     Search optimisation, or AI, to enable faster and smarter searching

EASY AND SMOOTH CRM INTEGRATION

The most vital feature to look for in any call centre software or contact centre software is easy and smooth CRM integration. Your call centre software must provide immediate integration with customer relationship management software and help you provide seamless customer management. They should keep you from switching back and forth between programs to understand and gather vital customer data. CRM integration feature in contact centre software allows agents to be more efficient and provide higher-quality and more personalised customer experience. On the other hand, customers will not have to repeat the same situation and the employees using the call centre software can review the historical data to learn everything about the current caller and their concerns. They will have easy access to call history and purchase history, and based on customer preferences, you can add personalised recommendations and advanced solutions.

HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOUR CALL CENTRE SOFTWARE?

Call centre software and solutions are more than just voice calls. They make it easy for businesses to scale up while providing multi-channel the highest-grade voice customer support. Security is a significant aspect to focus on while selecting your call centre software. They should have the following safety features to make call centre operations more efficient and safer.

CHATBOTS

Modern-day consumers don't want customer services, and look for immediate answers and highly responsive customer service. This can be done quickly with the help of AI-powered chatbots, which are available these days. They allow consumers to place their questions, and they reply to them by finding the relevant information from the knowledge base.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence and AI tools are mandatory for modern-day call centres handling large volumes of consumer data and communication. AI features present in call centre software make it more versatile and support workflows and processes more efficiently. You will get a more personalised and streamlined experience to enhance your productivity and become more efficient.

REPORTING AND ANALYTICS

This is a must-have feature in any call centre software or contact centre software. Reporting and analytics features present in this software provide the following –

●       Real-time reporting

●       Historical reports

●       Custom dashboards and analytics

●       Omni channel metrics

●       IVR and queue views, both real-time and historical

●       Agent and departmental views

The reporting and analytics feature of contact centre software provides you with the data immediately to understand customers' concerns and resolve them in real time.

FIREWALLS

Firewalls are mandatory in every call centre software to protect network, server and customer data. Hackers, cyber-attacks, malware attacks, and other threats can be eliminated easily with the help of solid firewalls. This firewall should also integrate with all-inclusive enterprise security to eliminate internal security concerns.

ANTI-VIRUS

Whether you are outsourcing or have an in-house call centre, you must invest in good-quality anti-virus software. Its role would be to manage protection for employee's devices and the company's servers and databases. They will also stand tall against cyber-attacks and virus threats without letting employees manage the software, like updating or protecting the devices. The software should be self-sufficient and ready to serve right from the moment it is installed on the server.

Redundancy tools are also needed in call centre software to provide incredible quality customer support and ongoing services. They should guarantee 99% uptime and 1% downtime per year in case of your call centre operation. Integrating call centre software with other essential tools and processes inside the office will be beneficial in the following ways.

●       Personalised customer service with integrated CRM and call centre software

●       Use AI and automation with live chat and voice call support

●       Automate analytics and reporting dashboards for increased efficiency

●    Use WFM and AI in tandem to gain a more vital understanding of employee engagement and productivity