Featured Partners
1
RingCentral
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Yes
200 monthly SMS per user, 1 cent per SMS after
2
Zoom
$10 per user per month, $15 unlimited calling
U.S. and Canada
Unlimited in the U.S. and Canada
3
Dialpad
$27 per user per month
Your country, the U.S. and Canada
250 monthly SMS per user, 8 cents per SMS after
Forbes Advisor Ratings
The LiveAgent dashboard lets agents manage multiple active chats at once
Dialpad’s AI call transcriptions and agent assistance help support staff during the call
Ringover’s active-call interface is easy to use
The RingCX messaging inbox lets you manage conversations across 20-plus digital channels
Freshdesk’s agent workspace makes it easy to organize and handle tickets
Zendesk lets you organize inbound tickets in multiple ways such as by channel
8×8’s supervisor workspace displays agent activity status and AI-based insights
Nextiva’s multichannel agent dashboard lets you communicate with customers across social media apps and review sites
Five9 analytics draw unique insights and visual displays from customer AI data
The Aircall interface is user-friendly and logs a detailed history for each contactMethodology
These rankings result from the careful evaluation of 20 top call center platforms. We researched and tested each one, scoring them across seven categories and 35 metrics. We tallied each provider’s rating to determine their overall Forbes Advisor ratings.
Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of the categories and data points we used to evaluate providers:
| Decision Factor | Scoring Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Expert Score | 24% | Our subject matter expert tested each solution and scored it according to its features, value, popularity and user experience. |
| Value | 22% | We evaluated each provider’s overall value, not just its price but its “bang for your buck”—the features, channels and functionality you get per dollar spent. |
| General Features | 16% | We placed high priority on each plan’s inclusion of essential call center features such as supervisor and agent dashboards, insights, and analytics and call monitoring. |
| AI and Automation | 16% | Artificial intelligence has become a critical aspect of customer service, so we compared each provider’s inclusion of features such as virtual agents, chatbots, call transcription and predictive analytics. |
| Omnichannel Communications | 10% | While telephony is the centerpiece of call center communications, we also considered whether providers include other customer-service channels such as SMS, live chat, email and social media. |
| Additional Features | 6% | We also factored in useful, advanced contact center capabilities such as skills-based routing. |
| Customer Service | 6% | When operating a call center, it’s critical to be able to reach support staff when necessary. We scored providers based on their customer service channels and availability. |
Read more: How we test VoIP communication systems
How To Choose the Best Call Center Software
When choosing call center software, consider the channels and features you want most. Anticipate how many users you’ll need, your budget and the reasons your customers contact you. While comparing providers, note each product’s dashboard and user experience.
Here’s a closer look at what to look for in call center software:
Essential Call Center Software Features
Each call center provider and plan offers a unique combination of features and communication channels. Look for a system with a user-friendly dashboard that includes the channels and call-routing features you want while avoiding paying extra for features you won’t use.
Here are some of the core features to consider when selecting a call center.
- Communication channels: Each call center platform includes some combination of the following channels: voice calls, SMS, email, live chat, video meetings and social media. These channels provide multiple touchpoints for customer service. Note that some providers include unlimited calling within a particular area, while others require you to pay per minute or bring in a separate phone service.
- Omnichannel dashboard: An omnichannel call center dashboard unifies all of your communication channels in one interface, making it easy for agents to manage conversations across channels.
- IVR and call routing: IVR menus provide your customers with a self-service phone menu to choose from options that direct their calls to the right agent or department.
- Call queuing: When an agent or department is busy, call queues organize inbound callers on hold in the order they called. This keeps wait lists organized and lets agents know how many customers are waiting.
- Supervisor dashboard: Similar to an agent’s omnichannel dashboard, a supervisor dashboard enables managers to have a bird’s-eye view of contact center activity. They can see agent availability, daily call volumes and, sometimes, AI statistics.
- Analytics: A platform’s analytics portal displays call center KPIs and metrics about agent activity, call volume and channel usage. It arranges these statistics in visual displays and charts to provide insight for supervisors.
AI Features and Automations
Beyond the essential features listed above, modern call centers have increasingly incorporated advanced AI tools and automations. These technologies promote customer self-service, make your call center workflows more efficient and save time for agents and supervisors.
Here are some AI features to consider for your call center software.
- Virtual agents: Also called chatbots, virtual agents automate live-chat conversations and can interact with customers directly from pages on your website. Similar to setting up IVR, you can customize virtual agent conversations with drag-and-drop design tools.
- Call transcription: AI listens to the call and creates live captions, transcribing the audio on screen for agents to see.
- Agent assistance: Real-time agent assistance uses call transcriptions to provide agents with suggested speech or actions.
- Sentiment analysis: AI analyzes call transcripts, looking for keywords and phrases that suggest the customer’s attitude, experience or emotional sentiment. This provides valuable feedback about your service level.
- Quality management: AI systems can evaluate agents and provide feedback, even qualitatively filling out scorecards. This improves call center performance and saves time for supervisors.
Integrations
Call center software can integrate with other platforms your company uses such as CRM platforms, e-commerce sites, unified communications platforms, communication apps and calendars. These integrations sync functionality across apps, letting you take actions on multiple platforms at once. They can also trigger workflow automations that begin with actions in one app.
Some of the most popular call center integrations are Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace. Before deciding on a provider and plan, check to see if the system integrates with other apps you use frequently.
Ease of Use
Your call center platform must feel user-friendly and accessible for agents and supervisors. Before making your final choice for a call center platform, try to get a good look at your top choices’ interfaces. Utilize free trials and online demos to see what the agent dashboard looks like, how the screen looks when an agent is on-call and what it’s like to create an IVR flow.
Choose a tool with a pleasant and modern-feeling interface.
Featured Partners
1
RingCentral
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Yes
200 monthly SMS per user, 1 cent per SMS after
2
Zoom
$10 per user per month, $15 unlimited calling
U.S. and Canada
Unlimited in the U.S. and Canada
3
Dialpad
$27 per user per month
Your country, the U.S. and Canada
250 monthly SMS per user, 8 cents per SMS after
How Much Does Call Center Software Cost?
| Company | Starting Monthly Price (Monthly Plan) | Starting Monthly Price (Annual Plan) | Additional Costs for Voice | Total Cost for a Team of 25 Users (two hours of talk time per day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiveAgent | $30 per user | $24 per user | $20 per user (third party) | $1,250 per month |
| Dialpad | $95 per user | $80 per user | No | $2,375 per month |
| Ringover | $29 per user | $21 per user | No | $725 per month |
| RingCentral | N/A | $65 per user | No | $1,625 per month |
| Freshdesk | $18 per user | $15 per user | $18 per user (add-on) | $900 per month |
| Zendesk | $69 per user | $55 per user | $20 per user (third party) | $1.725 per month |
| 8x8 | $25 per user | $25 per user | No | $625 per month |
| Nextiva | $36 per user | $30 per user | No | $900 per month |
| Five9 | N/A | $119 per user | No | $2,975 per year |
| Aircall | $40 per user | $30 per user | No | $1,000 per month |
Call center software pricing varies greatly depending on the channels and features that each provider offers. A basic call center with simple features may cost as little as $25 monthly per user. Generally, these platforms feel more like cloud phone systems—providing unlimited calling in the U.S., IVR, queuing and internal team collaboration tools. For advanced AI features and analytics, cloud phone systems can reach up to $50-plus dollars per month. Platforms such as Ringover, Aircall and 8×8 fall into this cost-effective category.
Call center and contact center software costs around double that of a cloud phone system, ranging from $75 up to $200 monthly per user. These platforms let you connect with customers through more digital channels: web-embedded live chat, email and social media. They often include workforce management features and more built-in AI tools, providing more powerful multichannel customer service. Software such as Dialpad, LiveAgent, Five9 and Nextiva fall into this category.
Get Started With The Leading Cloud Phone System
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best call center software?
The best call center software depends on your budget and needs. At Forbes Advisor, we listed LiveAgent, Dialpad and Ringover as the top three call center systems for small businesses that need affordable but powerful software.
How does call center software work?
Most virtual call center platforms work similarly: It exists as an app or a browser-based platform that agents access via a unique login, so all they need is an internet connection (and the software). As customers or leads call in, the system plays an IVR menu so a caller gets routed to the right department and agent (who will have customer information displayed for them). Customer interactions, cases or tickets and other data is stored in the cloud-based system for further review.
What services can I outsource to a contact center?
Call center outsourcing services can help you with calls, live chat, email responses, social media monitoring, lead generation, telemarketing and market research. You can have them handle only one of these and even more.
What KPIs can call center software address?
Call center software can help employees improve in the areas of contact center efficiency and customer satisfaction. Two indicators that reveal how employees are doing and how call center software can help them improve are first call resolution (FCR) and customer satisfaction (CSAT). FCR details how well a call center―or contact center as they are sometimes called―resolves a customer’s issue upon the first contact or interaction. CSAT is a reflection of how customers feel upon completing the customer service experience, measured by certain metrics such as how quickly a resolution was achieved, how personal the service was and how accurately the resolution was achieved.
How can I monitor call center performance?
To ensure your call center is providing the best customer experience, you want to monitor specific analytics—and not only the numbers from your agents. If you follow call center management best practices, you’ll track call resolution rate (especially FCR), CSAT scores and average handle time, to start.
How can I improve call center operations?
In addition to providing agents with a healthy work-life balance, it’s a good idea to invest in high-quality call center software with advanced features to make it easier for agents to offer excellent service. Call center automation with skill-based routing can help improve operations and customer satisfaction.
