One of the top challenges every business organization faces today is to work in alignment with its customers’ expectations. Business owners are aware of the golden rule of ‘customer is the king,’ and thus, they work relentlessly to achieve better customer experience. Call centers are a significant step in this direction, and cloud contact center software is the latest innovation!
Since the contact center services aim to offer the best to the customers, choosing the ideal software for the purpose becomes imperative. The software should serve as a virtual help desk center between the business and its customers, so the customers never feel lost.
Here are the top 8 factors that we suggest must be considered when choosing or switching to your new contact center software:
8 Critical factors to mind when selecting a cloud contact center software for your business
Table of Contents
1. Choosing the right type
Probably one of the most important things to start with is choosing the right type of contact center! Call center software is broadly categorized into four different types. These are cloud-based call center software, hosted call center software, on-premise call center software, and browser-based call center software. These vary depending on the different features such as security, ease of use, deployment time, security, uptime, and cost.
If you are clear about your business’s needs, it can be a smooth experience to choose the right one out of these. Once you have carefully made this primary choice, the journey of choosing the right contact center software gets much easier ahead.
2. Look for the features you need
Now that you are already clear about your business need to take one more step in the direction and figure out the necessary features to run your business smoothly. Different software has different features, which means you will have to list the ones that are a priority for your business. Finally, choose a solution that has all or most of the features you’re looking for it.
3. The software should be flexible.
Flexibility and scalability are two prime features that modern-day businesses thrive on it. The business will prioritize flexibility that allows its call-center agents to access comprehensive software features from anywhere around the globe using the internet.
It does not just end with the flexibility to work from anywhere. It is also about flexible features that can be customized in no time and software solutions that can be configured within minutes.
4. The software should be scalable.
Flexibility gives way to scalability, which is why both are equally important for a business to run smoothly. While picking a call center software resolution for your business, always make sure that it is easy to scale it according to the requirements.
Some examples of scalability are you should be able to add or remove agents, customize features, or download new software according to the changing needs of your business. If your software lets you do this, you can go ahead without a doubt!
5. It should be easy to use
Without a doubt, the software should be easy to use, or there is no point in selecting the perfect one for your business! Imagine having a software solution that has all the above features but is not easy to use! It’s all a waste. To guarantee that you get the best choice in this regard, always have a free trial of the software and see how your agents respond to it. They must find it easy to navigate.
6. Training and technical support
It does not just end at having a cloud-based contacts center solution that is easy to use. You also need to have training material that is easy to understand. After all, your team largely depends on these to expand their knowledge base.
Several companies also offer to help to train the agents to use the software. It is always a good idea to collaborate with such companies since a little training, in the beginning, can save a lot of trouble later.
Technical support is as important as training support when talking about contact center services! After all, nobody can promise a foolproof solution. Having responsive technical support from the call center software provider is like having a best friend 24×7.
7. Customer reviews
We all know that a company is recognized by the way it treats its customers. Make sure that you check the customer reviews before you make the final decision about a company. The number of complaints, how the company responded to those complaints, and the general customer reviews are factors that cannot be overlooked because they say a lot about the company’s customer service.
8. Pricing policy
More than being price-sensitive or trying to fit into a budget, this is about having a transparent pricing policy with no hidden fees in the name of implementation fees, training fees, etc. The company should be able to answer every query that the business has regarding any charges. You certainly do not want to end up in a contract with a pricing policy you do not understand!
9. Free trial
You absolutely cannot think about buying contact center software without having a free trial. An average period for a free trial lasts about 1 to 2 weeks. It is an excellent time to try out the software with all the different parameters and see if your team members feel positive. Some of the companies also extend the period of the free trial, if required.
The Final Word
Choosing a cloud-based contact center solution can be an overwhelming job for any company since the decision has long-term repercussions and high stakes besides varied choices. However, having all the factors mentioned above clear in your mind can make the task much more comfortable.
