For customers, your contact center is literally their first point of contact. So you want to make sure that their contact center experience is flawless – from reachability and waiting time to overall satisfaction.

That’s a lot of ground to cover manually- which is why you need to invest in contact center experience software.

What is contact center experience software?

Contact center software is a platform designed to help businesses manage all of their customer interactions in one place.

Which features should I look for in a contact center experience software?

1. Unified Communications: This allows you to club all of your communication channels (phone, email, chat, social media etc.) into one platform, making it easier for agents to manage customers.
2. Omnichannel: This ensures a smooth experience for customers. They can switch channels without having to submit the same info again.
3. Team Management: Ensure you have enough agents at peak times, with tools for scheduling, performance monitoring, and coaching.
4. Outbound & Inbound: The software should handle both inbound (customers reaching out to you) and outbound communications (you reaching out to customers).
5. AI Assist: Features like AI-powered chatbots and call routing can help automate simple tasks.
6. CRM Integration: This gives agents a complete view of each customer’s history and interactions. This helps to personalize each conversation.
7. Free Trial: Try out the software before you buy it? Yes please!
8. Setup in Hours: You should be able to get your contact center up and running in the quickest time possible.
9. 24/7 Support: If your business has a global customer base, this becomes an essential feature.

The Top Contact Center Experience Software in 2024

At a Glance

1. SurveySparrow – For Easy-to-Use  CX Solutions

If you want to improve your customer experience through feedback, SurveySparrow is the tool for you. SurveySparrow lets you create and manage surveys, gather actionable insights, and enhance customer interactions. It’s user-friendly and offers various plans to suit different needs.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Surveys: Quickly generate surveys with AI-driven suggestions.
• Conversational Chatbots: Provide 24/7 support with chatbots that speak human.
• Omnichannel Feedback: Collect feedback across email, web, QR and mobile channels.
• Advanced Analytics: Get powerful insights with customizable dashboards and real-time reporting tools.
• Integration Capabilities: Easily integrate with popular CRM and helpdesk tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Freshdesk.
• Customizable Templates: Use a variety of customizable templates for different feedback needs.
• Ticketing: Turn feedback into tickets, assign to teams and track till closure.

Pricing:

• Enterprise: For larger organizations needing advanced features like sentiment analysis, dashboards, SSO, and HIPAA compliance. Contact for pricing.
• Elite: Includes all Enterprise features plus extras like a custom data center, SSO, and sub-accounts. Contact for pricing.
• CX Basic ($199/mo): Designed for tracking NPS and customer loyalty trends with 100,000 responses, multi-lingual surveys, and roles management.
• NPS + CX Suite: Offers comprehensive tools for managing customer experience, including sentiment analysis and reputation management. Contact for pricing.

2. Nextiva – For Growing and Enterprise Companies

If VoIP is a key part of your contact center setup, Nextiva is a good option to consider. It provides a unified platform that combines VoIP phone systems, video conferencing and team messaging. Starting at $18 per user per month, it’s also one of the most pocket-friendly contact center experience software on our list.

Key Features:

• VoIP Phone System: Ensure high-quality voice communications with advanced call management features.
• Video Conferencing: Run seamless video meetings with screen sharing and collaboration tools.
• Team Messaging: Use real-time messaging for efficient team collaboration.
• AI-Powered Voice and Chatbots: Provide support outside of working hours with AI-powered bots.
• CRM Integration: Integrated with popular CRM and helpdesk tools like Zoho, Hubspot and Zendesk.
• Analytics and Reporting: Track performance and customer interactions with live dashboards.

Pricing:

• Essential Plan: $18.95/user/month
• Professional Plan: $22.95/user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $32.95/user/month

3. Salesforce Service Cloud – For Customer Service and Field Service Teams

One of the biggest selling points of Salesforce Service Cloud is that it’s tightly integrated with Salesforce CRM. So if you’re already a Salesforce user, you have a shorter learning curve – plus, your agents get a complete view of the customer across departments and channels. Also, it offers tools for managing tickets, customer self-service, and support across multiple channels.

Key Features:

• Case Management: Easily track and manage customer issues.
• Omnichannel Engagement: Enables customer support across phone, email, chat, social media, and more
• Self-Service Portal: Let customers find answers and resolve issues on their own.
• AI-Powered Search and Automation: Use AI to automate routine tasks and make smart recommendations.
• Supervisor Visibility and Insights: Enable supervisors to monitor performance, onboard and coach agents more effectively with a bird’s eye view of channels and conversations.

Pricing:

• Starter Plan: $25/user/month
• Professional Plan: $80/user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $160/user/month

4. Vonage – For a Better Alternative to Service Cloud

If you’re looking for a more affordable, easier alternative to Salesforce Service Cloud, you may want to try Vonage. It offers features like dialer, speech analytics, and gamification that might not be available in Salesforce Service Cloud.  What’s more, it’s built natively on the Salesforce platform, and integrates seamlessly with Salesforce CRM.

Key Features:

• Agent Dashboard: Provide agents with a single view of customer interactions across multiple channels.
• Dynamic Routing: Connect customers with the right agent for their query, reducing the need for repetitive conversations.
• Conversation Analyzer: Analyze agent-customer conversations with speech analysis tools.
• Gamification: Gamify everyday tasks, and boost engagement and motivation.
• Workforce Management: Get data-driven forecasts and schedule resources accordingly.
• Reporting and Analytics: Improve decision-making with summary reports and dashboards
• Global Voice Assurance: Routes calls efficiently by using the local telephone infrastructure.

Pricing:

Contact Center Plan: Custom pricing based on business needs and requirements.

5. 8X8 – For a Comprehensive Contact Center Solution

8×8 Contact Center is a powerful and feature-rich contact center experience software. Also, it’s a cloud-based solution, so it is easy to set up and use. However, some users may find the interface to be complex.

Key Features:

• Unified Agent Workspace: Enable agents to manage all customer interactions, including calls, chats, emails from one hub.
• Automatic Call Distribution (ACD): Evenly distribute inbound calls among available agents to reduce wait times.
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Allow customers to access information without having to speak to a live agent.
• Speech Analytics: Record and analyze customer calls to identify areas for improvement.
• CRM Integration: Integrate 8×8 Contact Center with popular CRM systems.
• Reporting and Analytics: Generate reports on a variety of metrics, such as call volume, wait times, and agent performance.
• Customer Experience Dashboard: Provide insights into the customer journey and areas for improvement

Pricing:

Contact for their team for the best solution.

6. RingCentral – Cost-effective Meets Customization

RingCentral offers two cloud-based software options: RingCentral Contact Center, and RingCX. If you have a complex contact center operation and need lots of customizations, the former is the best choice. But if you run a smaller business and need a simple, pocket-friendly solution, go for RingCX.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel Support: Manage interactions via voice calls, chats, emails, social media, and even custom channels.
• Skills-Based Routing: Assign calls to the most qualified agent based on their expertise and availability.
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Empower customers to find information using self-service.
• Quality Management: Monitor and evaluate agent performance.
• Analytics and Reporting: Gain valuable insights into customer interactions.
• Customization: Fit the specific needs and workflows of your business.
• AI-Powered Features: Leverage AI to automate tasks and provide real-time guidance to agents.

Pricing: Starts at $65/agent/month paid annually. Get in touch for custom solutions.

7. Dialpad AI Contact Center – For Advanced AI Solutions

Dialpad is another strong contender in the contact center experience software market. It’s known for its cloud-based solution that integrates advanced AI throughout its platform. Moreover, it offers features like real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and predictive analytics.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Transcription: Improve each call with real-time call transcription and sentiment analysis
• AI Coaching: Offer real-time guidance on actions or talking points to agents based on the conversation flow.
• Omnichannel Support: Handle customer interactions across multiple channels like voice/video calls and messaging.
• Integrations: Integrate with popular business tools like Zendesk, Salesforce, and HubSpot
• Analytics and Reporting: Use advanced analytics to track and improve performance.
• CRM Integration: Seamless integration with leading CRM systems.

Pricing: Starts at $115 user/month. Contact their team for a quote.

8. Gladly – For a Customer-Centric Contact Center Software

Gladly takes a unique approach to contact center experience software; they claim to offer a “radically personal” customer service experience rather than a traditional ticketing system.

Key Features:

• AI-powered Assistant (Sidekick): Automate routine tasks, offer self-service options for customers, and provide real-time guidance to agents with AI
• Intelligent Routing: Match customers with the best agent based on their unique history and issue.
  Omnichannel Support: Seamlessly manage interactions on voice, chat, app, text and more.
• Unified Platform: Track customer interactions across various channels within a single platform, fostering a seamless experience.
• 360° Customer View: Get a bird’s eye view of the complete customer history, enabling agents to personalize interactions.
• Performance and Analytics: Gladly offers tools to track and analyze agent performance, identify areas for improvement, and measure customer satisfaction.

Pricing:

• Hero Package starts at $180/user/month
• Superhero Package starts at $210/hero/month

9. NICE CXone –  For businesses of all sizes

NICE CXone is a strong choice for businesses of all sizes – particularly those looking for a feature-rich, AI-powered solution to manage complex operations across multiple channels. It’s well-suited for brands who want to improve customer satisfaction and agent performance.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel Routing: Route interactions from various channels to the right agent.
• AI-powered Features: Use AI to automate tasks, improve routing accuracy, and provide real-time guidance to agents.
• Workforce Optimization Suite: Enhance agent performance wit tools for scheduling, coaching, quality management, and gamification.
• Customer Analytics: Gain valuable insights into customer interactions with detailed reports and data analysis.
• Open Cloud Foundation: Provide scalability, security, and flexibility for businesses to integrate with existing tools.

Pricing:

Contact Center Plan: Custom pricing based on business requirements.

Wrapping Up

Phew, that wraps up our list of the best contact center experience software for 2024! Here are some pointers to keep in mind when choosing the best option:

• Compare the software options that you’ve shortlisted. Consider factors like feature sets, pricing, ease of use, and scalability.
• Explore each tool’s website for free trials, resources and free demos. Get a firsthand view into the platform’s capabilities and see if it meets your expectations.

Adios!

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