With a help of a contact center and virtual switchboard, you can take your company’s communication to the next level. Having all communication with your customers centralized will help you streamline work and keep track. If you want your business to have opportunities to grow, read on to find out more!
What is a contact center?
A contact center is where all the company’s communications with customers are managed and attended to. Compared to a call center that focuses on telephone calls, a contact center integrates multiple communication channels; telephone, incoming and outgoing calls, emails, online chat and SMS, in order to create a closer relationship with customers.
Contact center agents manage all this communication through software, virtual switchboards and CRM to centralise the history and interactions of the different channels in one place. Before, the option of having a CRM was especially for large compannies but now there are many economical options, such as Megacall’s free CRM that has tools to manage the customer database and their interaction.
Contact centers are designed to offer a more comprehensive and efficient customer experience. It is a plus of the virtual switchboard that not only handles telephone calls, but also integrates multiple communication channels and advanced management tools. Contact centers provide valuable data for a company’s strategic decision-making, becoming a key piece for any organization seeking to offer complete customer service and maintain fluid communication.
How does a contact center work?
A contact center provides a lot of flexibility to a company, since it works from the cloud and this allows agents to be located anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection to access the systems. Although it must be clear that a cloud contact center is based on two integrations that are key to its operation; the virtual switchboard and the CRM.
The virtual switchboard is responsible for managing the entire flow of communication with customers at a multi-channel level. It is the core of a contact center and is what will allow major functions to be carried out from the contact center, such as controlling incoming calls. and outgoing, as well as its configuration to be able to put a voice menu or IVR, to establish a message to customers and redirect them to the extension or department with which they want to speak through different options, recording and transcription of calls automatically, it also has call forwarding and call queue options, to be able to put customers on hold with a promotional message or background music while they wait. From the virtual switchboard you can do great things, you can even obtain analysis and call performance reports to keep track of communications and agents.
On the other hand, the CRM manages all customer information and all data from the different interactions with the company is recorded. It is a really useful tool for team organization, such as Megacall CRM, which has the option to create tasks and reminders for agents, you can see the complete history of each client where it is possible to manage incidents, create new leads and also keep track of the quality of the service, among many other functions.
In summary, a contact center manages all the communication needs of a company at a multi-channel level, perfect for customer service, technical support and sales service companies.
Contact Center Software
Offering telephone customer service means that you have to have and depend on modern and updated technology that is capable of managing everything that a company’s communication system entails. Software for a cloud contact center improves the customer and employee experience while saving time in many operations. Contact center software helps companies manage high volumes of calls, improves the quality of telephone service, minimizes costs and can reduce the frequency and repercussions of human error.
Factors to take into account when choosing software
Each software has its own strengths and is best suited depending on the type of business and needs. That is why it is important to consider what factors a software must have to adapt to the needs of your company.
- Multichannel. Ability to manage different communication channels.
- Integration. Compatibility with other systems that the company already uses, for example CRM integration in a virtual switchboard.
- Easy to use. Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
- Support and technical assistance. Availability and quality of technical support.
There are different types of contact center software that offer a wide range of functionalities for multichannel communications management. Some of the most popular are:
Megacall CRM
Megacall CRM has a wide variety of features that help keep track of customer relationships and improve team productivity. It has a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface, customizable and adaptable to the specific needs of the business, adjusting to the company’s workflow. With Megacall CRM it is possible to make and manage calls from the browser, with easy-to-use dialing and one-click calling, control, monitoring and task reminders, automatic dialer and mailing. Megacall has a free version that includes the CRM, virtual switchboard and numbering for more than 100 countries, so you can try all these functions and more. Megacall’s technical support will also help you configure it according to your needs.
Zendesk
It is a support software for teams, all customer interactions are collected on a single platform, typical in a CRM. It has tools like Support, Guide and the Chat function, which is simple but can seem a little old-fashioned, since it makes you navigate from your tickets to the chat, which is an extra step that is not difficult but can be hectic if you run a Big company. It has a free trial option that does not include live chat, messaging, voice or SMS, which are quite valuable sources for today’s companies.
Salesforce
It is one of the most popular software on the market, with a 360º view of the customer profile but one of the most expensive options that can be chosen, especially for those companies that are in the growth phase or for SMEs, which are rather accessible. for large corporations. It does have a 30-day free trial, but the plans to hire are not the cheapest, the basic plan that includes sales, service and email tools for 25 euros per month and a more professional plan with full support for 80 euros per month.
Zoho
Another of the great leaders, somewhat more profitable than Salesforce but equally expensive for small businesses. Zoho allows you to modify modules and add additional features. Zoho offers a 15-day free trial with a limit of 3 users, without the option to create custom reports or create workflows. Their plans vary between standard, professional and enterprise versions and with prices ranging from 20 euros to 50 euros per month per user.
In summary, there are many software today for a contact center that can benefit in many ways, but if what you are looking for is a solution that is easier to implement, easier to use and less expensive, Megacall CRM offers all that and much more. Sign up for the free version with us and try all its features first-hand.
