Intro
Contact center software solutions have been designed to help SMBs, mid-sized businesses, and large corporations effectively manage their customer communications, both inbound and outbound. While on-premises contact center systems are still widely used by organizations looking to have complete control over their contact center infrastructure, hosted contact center solutions are becoming more popular. They are easily scalable, more flexible, cost-efficient, and, the best part, can be deployed almost instantly.
But how do you choose the best one that will fit your specific business needs? You’ll have to consider features, pricing plans, and integration options, among other factors. In this article, we’ve compiled the list of the top 8 hosted contact center software solutions to help you select the perfect match for your business.
What is a Hosted Contact Center?
Before reviewing the providers, let’s quickly overview the basics. A hosted contact center is a contact center software solution that is hosted either on the cloud or at a third-party service provider’s location instead of being hosted on a business’s own premises. Unlike their on-premises counterparts that require significant upfront investment and weeks to deploy, hosted contact centers can be deployed much faster and are more affordable. Besides, they offer increased scalability and flexibility. Agents would only need a laptop, a desktop, or a mobile device to access the system and manage customer interactions, which also means they can work remotely from the comfort of their own location.
Hosted Contact Centers vs. Cloud Contact Centers: What’s the Difference?
Hosted contact centers are often referred to as cloud contact centers (also known as CCaaS or Contact Center as a Service solutions), which isn’t entirely correct. While a cloud contact center is hosted in the cloud, the infrastructure of a hosted contact center is hosted by a third-party provider either in traditional data centers or in the cloud. That means a hosted contact center may or may not be cloud-based.
Must-have Features to Look for in Hosted Contact Center Software Providers
Contact center solutions providers may offer hundreds of features and capabilities, both standard and unique. Below are some core features hosted and cloud contact center providers should offer.
Inbound call management features
Features like ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), call routing, and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) are essential for the efficient management of inbound voice interactions. They help ensure callers are routed to the most relevant departments, teams, or individual agents, improving your FCR rates and CSAT score. In addition, call queueing and queue callbacks are great features to improve callers’ experience and reduce the number of dropped calls.
Outbound calling and auto dialing
If you’re looking for a contact center solution to enable your team to handle outbound voice interactions, outbound calling features and auto dialing capabilities are critical. Auto dialers can empower your agents to handle large outbound call volumes with minimal human effort since these tools can automate and optimize the entire process of making outbound phone calls to your prospects or customers. For more intelligent dialing and even higher agent performance, look for predictive dialing capabilities, which are especially great for outbound sales teams.
Call monitoring and recording
Many providers offer real-time call monitoring features and call recording, which can be automatic or manual. With real-time call monitoring, supervisors can listen in on agent calls for various purposes, like quality assurance or assessing agent performance, and even actively participate in ongoing conversations through features like call whispering or call barging. Call recording capabilities can also be used for quality control and agent training purposes.
Analytics and reporting
Detailed analytics and reporting are vital features to take into account when choosing a contact center solution for your business. The software’s ability to track key call center metrics, such as the number of inbound/ outbound calls, the average handle time, the first call resolution rate, hold times, conversion rates, and other channel-specific metrics, is essential to the success of your contact center operations. Moreover, some providers may offer advanced AI-driven analytics tools, such as speech analytics and sentiment analysis capabilities, that will give you much deeper insights into your contact center performance.
Integrations with CRM systems
Integration capabilities of a hosted contact center solution with CRM systems and other business-critical apps is an important point to consider when evaluating various providers. If you can integrate your contact center software with your CRM system and other business tools you are already using, it can make your agents much more efficient and productive. On top of that, they will be able to immediately access the context of previous interactions, enabling them to deliver more personalized experiences to your customers.
Omnichannel readiness
Today’s consumers highly expect to interact with businesses across various channels beyond voice calls. If you’d like to be able to engage with your customers and prospects through multiple channels, opt for a provider that allows you to integrate modern digital communication channels like live chat, social media, WhatsApp, and other instant messaging apps. That will enable your agents to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience to your customers, regardless of the channel they choose to reach out to your business.
Top 8 Hosted Contact Center Providers in 2024
Let’s take a look at some of the top contact center providers currently available on the market and see what distinctive features, functionalities, and capabilities they have to offer to businesses looking to enhance their customer communication.
VoiceSpin
VoiceSpin offers cloud-based telephony with the ability to purchase international numbers in 160+ countries (including some exclusive destinations that are not available with other providers) and a range of inbound call management features like IVR system, call routing, call queueing, queue callbacks, missed call alerts, real-time call monitoring, and customized reporting and analytics. Advanced and enterprise plans include an AI predictive dialer with local caller ID, which helps maximize sales conversions, making it an excellent choice for outbound sales teams and high-velocity sales. VoiceSpin also provides bulk SMS text messaging, omnichannel capabilities, and an AI Speech Analyzer among its offerings. Out-of-the-box and custom integrations with CRM tools and automation apps, as well as API access, make it one of the most flexible contact center solutions on the market.
| Pros | Cons |
| Guaranteed uptime and almost instant scalability | May take longer to implement compared to alternatives |
| Extensive integrations with CRMs and API developer support | Pricing is not clear for the enterprise plan |
| 24/7 customer support on all plans |
RingCentral
RingCentral offers cloud-based telephony with core features to manage inbound and outbound calls like IVR, skill-based routing, caller ID, call queueing, call recording, call monitoring, real-time and historical reports, as well as SMS text messaging and integrations with the leading CRM and helpdesk systems like Salesforce, Dynamics, Zendesk, ServiceNow, and others. Advanced plans additionally include automation capabilities, omnichannel support for major digital channels, an auto dialer with multiple dialing modes (preview, predictive, progressive), and post-call speech analytics.
| Pros | Cons |
| A rich set of features for inbound and outbound calling | Expensive pricing compared to alternative solutions |
| Extensive integrations with third-party apps and API access | Rather complicated in use |
| 24/7 support and fast setup | Users report issues with customer support |
Talkdesk
Talkdesk provides a range of telephony features for inbound and outbound call management, including IVR, skill-based routing, real-time dashboards, custom reporting, an auto dialer with power and preview dialing modes, as well as a mobile app for agents and bulk SMS messaging capabilities. Talkdesk is also known for its AI solutions for self-service, omnichannel engagement, workforce management, and CX analytics. The software integrates with 70+ CRM systems and business apps and offers industry-specific solutions for healthcare, retail, and financial service providers. Overall, Talkdesk is suitable for businesses of all sizes.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy-to-use, customizable interface | Users may experience call quality/ connectivity issues |
| AI solutions for omnichannel engagement and self-service | Lack of customized reporting and report filtering |
| Industry-specific security and compliance features |
Five9
Five9 supports inbound and outbound call management and omnichannel support for digital channels. Some core features include IVR, intelligent call routing, call forwarding, call recording, predictive dialing, live and historical reporting, customer experience analytics, workflow automation tools, and AI assistance for agents. Five9 offers pre-built integrations with some major CRM and helpdesk systems like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk, as well as custom integrations. Five9 also provides extensive self-service tools, virtual classes, and instructor-led training for easy agent onboarding. The platform is targeted at small, mid-sized, and large enterprises.
| Pros | Cons |
| Flexible pricing options | User interface is rather complicated |
| Robust, customizable reporting capabilities | Higher rates of dropped calls compared to competitors |
| 24/7 support on all plans and self-service resources | Frequent crashes reported by users |
Dialpad
Dialpad offers some basic features to effectively manage inbound and outbound calls, including custom call routing, call forwarding, queue callbacks, call recording, visual voicemail, call history, real-time analytics and reporting, outbound dialer, and omnichannel capabilities. Dialpad works on desktop and mobile devices, allowing agents to make and receive calls from anywhere. That platform also has a range of advanced features, such as video meetings and AI-powered tools like automated speech recognition and sentiment analysis. It also offers ready-made and custom integrations with third-party apps. In general, Dialpad can be used by small businesses and enterprises alike.
| Pros | Cons |
| User-friendly app interface | 24/7 support and CRM integrations are only available with premium plans |
| Unlimited domestic calling in the USA and Canada | Call connectivity issues reported by users |
| A wealth of AI-powered features and capabilities |
Twilio
Twilio Flex is one of the most flexible contact center solutions on the market that offers a complete customer engagement platform with omnichannel capabilities and chatbots. Some basic and advanced features include call routing, queue callbacks, call recording, outbound dialing, answering machine detection, historical reporting, internal chat, WFO tools, keyword spotting, and live transcriptions. Twilio is distinctive for its flexibility and customization options, allowing you to customize nearly every aspect of your customer and agent experience. The platform is used by businesses of all sizes in over 180 countries.
| Pros | Cons |
| Quick implementation time | More expensive compared to other platforms |
| Extensive customization capabilities through APIs | Tech knowledge and coding may be required to make full use of customizations |
| Flexible pricing options |
Zendesk
Zendesk Talk offers an integrated voice solution with features to manage inbound and outbound calls like IVR, skill-based routing, queue callbacks, call monitoring, power dialing, outbound caller ID, real-time analytics, etc. Zendesk is also known as a complete ticketing system with omnichannel capabilities, self-service portal support, chatbots, and AI tools. It provides a wide range of integrations, APIs, and SDKs, making it a flexible and highly customizable platform. Zendesk is intended for large enterprises, mid-sized businesses, and SMBs (and it even offers 6 months of free usage if you qualify as a startup).
| Pros | Cons |
| Quick and easy setup | More expensive than some alternatives |
| Intuitive agent interface | Reporting capabilities are rather limited |
| Integration options with over 1,000 third-party apps |
LiveAgent
LiveAgent provides a range of features to manage inbound calls (including IVR, call routing, callbacks, call transfer, unlimited call recordings, internal calls) and omnichannel capabilities that allow you to integrate an email ticketing system, live chat, video calling, customer self-service portal, social media apps, and WhatsApp. One distinctive feature of LiveAgent is that it offers gamification tools for agents, which are really great for improving team motivation and productivity. Overall, LiveAgent is best for providing text-based support (their chat widget is actually recognized as one of the fastest on the market). The platform though isn’t suitable for outbound sales teams as it has limited outbound calling capabilities.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cost-efficient compared to alternatives | Lack of automated outbound dialing capabilities |
| Rich integration options with third-party apps | Added cost to remove LiveAgent branding ($19 per month) |
| Extensive documentation and training materials |
Wrapping up
When evaluating different hosted contact center providers based on our overview and your own research, it’s important to take into account the availability of features that are critical to your specific needs and whether you can scale your contact center operations later as your business grows. The right solution should optimize your customer communication strategy, allow you to engage with your customers through the channels of their choice, and enable your reps to deliver exceptional customer experiences across all touchpoints.
