Optimize call handling to improve customer service.
Are longer wait times, inefficient issue resolutions, and inconsistent service quality some of the challenges your customer support team experiences? Most small-business customer service managers juggle similar issues due to manual call handling, leading to reduced customer satisfaction and loss of customers to the competition.
The solution? Call center software.
Call center software, or contact center software, standardizes and automates call handling and provides you with insights to optimize service and enhance customer experience. It acts as a cloud call center, automating inbound call distribution, monitoring incoming call requests, tracking agent performance, and much more.
But how can you select the right software for your small business when there are multiple call center solutions on the market? To ensure you make an informed decision, you can select from the ones that are reviewed by customer support managers like you.
This article highlights, in alphabetic order, the five top call center software for small businesses based on user reviews. For each product, we include overall user ratings along with the highest-rated parameter, review excerpts from industry professionals, and product pricing. Read more.
1. CallTrackingMetrics
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Device compatibility
Screenshots
Contact profile in CallTrackingMetrics (Source)
Here are some review excerpts from small business professionals who have used CallTrackingMetrics for call center:
"Great for our high number of SMBs use case. There are some pretty robust ancillary features (ancillary for our use case anyway ) that are also quite nice to have (2 way sms in the web GUI, "form reactor" connectivity with website html forms, and real-time chat all come to mind). The support team is also consistently helpful and responsive as is our dedicated account representative."
"CTM's tracking numbers are invaluable for maintaining a high level of confidence in the phone leads our clients receive. Performing QA is much easier now, even for introductory level accounts."
"The first thing I want to mention is that it's a mature, fine-tuned call-tracking tool that has been in the market for 11 years now! CTM is a great option for advanced users and large businesses. If you're actively using multiple marketing channels and PPC ads, CTM could be one of the best solutions for tracking and measuring your campaigns' success. Dynamic number insertion is a great feature."
Read all CallTrackingMetrics reviews here.
2. Ringover
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Device compatibility
Screenshots
Call logs in Ringover (Source)
Here are some review excerpts from small business professionals who have used Ringover for call center:
"I am hugely impressed with Ringover’s platform, I have been using it for a number of months now and find it’s features offer a much better all-round business tool than the other VoIP solutions I have used in the past. The free calls not only include UK geographic and mobile but also international calls which has saved me a fortune compared to any other system I’ve used as I do often need to call abroad. I love the fact that I can use the video conferencing facility from the same platform with no time or user limitations, it’s enabled me to conduct much bigger and more flexible meetings online which has been invaluable during the pandemic restrictions. In addition using Ringover as my main business platform also allows me to send text messages, keeping all communications in one place.I truly value the business benefits since moving to Ringover."
"The Ringover system has been very simple to set up, manage and use. The mobile app works seemlessly without having to configure all the settings like other VoIP providers. The app doesn't seem to drain the phone battery much either. The web interface is not just a administration portal but allows calling from within a web browser.Love it!In addition, the service has the option to integrate with CRM include custom built systems through the API"
"Cold calling is way easier with Ringover and to keep track of the calls history if a good feature too"
Read all Ringover reviews here.
3. Twilio
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Device compatibility
Screenshots
A phone call in Twilio (Source)
Here are some review excerpts from small business professionals who have used Twilio for call center:
“Call recording and analyzing agents' performance is the best option that I enjoy while using Twilio. This software is very easy and less expensive to use. As well as we can easily integrate with other web apps to make the workflow more fast, more accurate, and more fluent to enhance our business.”
"I absolutely love that twilio provides new users with enough free credits to buy multiple numbers of their choice and use them for incoming and outgoing calls and messages for months”
"Sending text messages, automating them with automation tools, getting a new phone number in a few clicks, all this is amazing. I didn't tried at much the VOIP features, but I'm sure they are great. It also looks like it allows thousand other advanced features, that I'm sure are super useful for a business. Support is nice and responsive.Good integration with HighLevel."
4. Ziwo
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Device compatibility
Screenshots
Live dashboard in Ziwo (Source)
Here are some review excerpts from small business professionals who have used ZIWO for call center:
"Ziwo has great features that help you to manage all your Inbound, Manual and Automatic Outbound and Telephony needs. You can add new DID´s, get analytics, call recording and all the information you need to run the effective call center."
"This software has several telephone communication features and it is easy to use and has a good interface"
"Great and easy system to use, very straight forward and helpful for all round business use"
5. Zendesk Suite
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Device compatibility
Screenshots
Activity log in Zendesk Suite (Source)
Here are some review excerpts from small business professionals who have used Zendesk Suite for call center:
"Zendesk's phone, chat, email and integration makes this a perfect software for business.It is easy to use, easy to setup and functional we use this software daily and it is a great fit for us having multiple avenues to assist our customers."
"Zendesk offers a package with multiple benefits such as email, phone, social networks, customer support chat, built-in phone support, a Tabbed interface to view multiple tickets at once and a very important application is the creation of a help center with documentation and a self-service portal for customers and finally, this platform is suitable for all types of companies: large, medium, small as it is quite easy to use"
"Zendesk is a well-known an affordable customer service software.It has a lot of features and an easy interface.I like that it can combine all support channels into one place."
Read all Zendesk reviews here.
What features do call center tools offer?
The core features of call or contact center software are:
Automatic call distribution
Distribute calls automatically with the right customer support team members based on the callers’ query.
Call center management
Manage all call center activities including call routing, call monitoring, call recording, contact management, agent performance, and much more.
Call recording
Record an inbound and outbound call, and manage a call log for future reference. Recording can be automated or allowed at the time of call.
Call transfer
Transfer calls to the right support team member via internet-enabled devices or a telephone.
Computer telephony integration
Make and manage telephone calls from internet-enabled devices.
All products listed in this report include the features mentioned above.
Besides these core features, contact center software tools also commonly offer:
Call logging
Call monitoring
Call recording
Call routing
Call scripting
Call transfer
Contact management
IVR (interactive voice response)/voice recognition
Queue management
Reporting/Analytics
How to choose the right call center software for your business
Every business has different needs when it comes to the call center platform. Investing in a new tool can be a challenge if you don't know what to look for. Here are some key considerations for you to select the best call center software solution for your small business’s calling needs.
Opt for automatic call distribution: Look for a calling software that automatically distributes calls between the support team members based on predefined criteria such as caller input, agent availability, and call volume. The automatic call distribution feature helps reduce caller wait time and provides adequate resolutions to customers.
Assess call routing abilities: There are several call routing techniques such as skill-based routing, priority-based routing, geographic routing, IVR-based routing, and overflow routing. All techniques solve different purposes; therefore, you need to check which one best aligns with your business’s customer support requirements.
Identify reporting and analytics capabilities: Your selected software should provide real-time and historical insights into the inbound and outbound call center agent performance. The metrics include call volume, wait time, first call resolution rate, call time, and much more. Such insights help identify customer trends to better address issues, optimize call center operations, and boost customer satisfaction.
Common questions to ask software vendors before purchase
These are some common questions you should ask vendors in order to find the best call center software solution for your business:
What are the customer self-service options offered by the tool?
Small virtual call centers with a relatively low headcount often need customer self-service options, such as web portals, chatbots, and knowledge base support to help customers with their queries. Before you invest in a virtual call center solution, ask about all such self-service call center software features provided by the vendor.
Does the call center platform offer multi-channel support?
An ideal virtual contact center solution should let your small businesses manage communication across multiple channels—such as SMS, online messengers, email, live chat, and social media platforms—for low or no additional costs. For example, if your small business is built on social media, you need social media management functionality. Alternatively, if your marketing, sales, or customer support strategy involves text messages, your business needs SMS support.
Does the tool offer CRM capabilities?
Some contact center software offers customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities such as contact management, chat, and a reporting dashboard. CRM capabilities serve as a customer database and provide insights into customer behavior for you to enhance your service and boost customer experience. Before you select a contact center solution, learn about any built-in capabilities or if the tool allows CRM integration.