Running a call center can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with customer inquiries, tracking performance, and managing your team. The constant stream of calls and data can quickly become chaotic without the right tools.
This is where a CRM call center solution comes in handy. It centralizes contact data and streamlines operations, keeping everything organized and boosting efficiency. Whether handling customer complaints or sales calls, a powerful CRM ensures seamless interaction management.
The best part? You have several options. Depending on your budget and needs, you can choose between free and paid CRM solutions. Free options provide essential features to get you started, while paid versions offer advanced tools for growing businesses.
Let’s explore what call center CRM is and how to choose the right one for your business.
What Is a Call Centre CRM?
A Call Centre CRM is a specialized tool designed to help call centers manage customer data and interactions. It tracks and records every interaction, from phone calls to emails, making it easier to provide personalized customer service.
With a CRM call center system, you can easily access customer information, manage your team’s performance, and analyze data to improve service quality.
In this blog, I’ll share my experience with the 8 best call center CRM software. I’ll compare their features, drawbacks, and pricing, so you can find the best solution for your business.
8 Best Call Center CRM Tools
I’ve gathered a list of top tools that provide advanced features to help you enhance your customer relationships. With these tools, your call center can achieve higher efficiency and customer loyalty.
1. BIGContacts – Best for Contact Management & Email Marketing for Startups & SMBs
In my experience, BIGContacts is a powerful CRM that excels in contact management and email marketing, making it ideal for call centers. I used this tool to manage my client interactions, and its intuitive interface made it easy to keep track of conversations, schedule follow-ups, and automate email campaigns.
The feature I liked most was the detailed activity tracking, which provided a 360° view of all client interactions. For call centers, BIGContacts offers contact management and seamless integration with various communication tools, ensuring agents can efficiently handle inquiries and maintain high customer satisfaction.
As a call center CRM, it supports efficient customer service management, helping agents handle inquiries effectively and maintain high customer satisfaction.
What You’ll Like:
- A complete 360° view of customers, consolidating tasks, events, files, notes, and social media profiles in one location
- Enhanced data organization with features like lists, tags, comments, and groups for better management
- In-depth reporting tools to provide an overview of all activities, aiding in better business decision-making
- Automation of workflows and recurring tasks to streamline and optimize sales and marketing efforts
What You May Not Like:
- No downloadable or on-premise version
- No dedicated account manager for the free plan, unlike the paid
Pricing:
- Forever free plan for startups with 100 contacts.
- Paid starts at $9.99/user/month.
2. Engagebay – Best for Sales Automation
Image source: Engagebay
EngageBay is a powerhouse for sales automation, providing everything you need to streamline your workflows. I used its intuitive drag-and-drop interface to set up automation sequences that handle everything from email marketing to lead scoring.
What I liked most is the integration with CRM, which makes managing customer interactions a breeze. EngageBay’s CRM is particularly beneficial for agencies and call centers, offering features like call tracking, contact management, and task automation.
It’s a free call center CRM that helps monitor and manage customer interactions efficiently. The tool also includes a live chat feature, which is invaluable for real-time customer support.
What You’ll Like:
- Call tracking to monitor and log all customer calls for better service quality
- Live chat support to provide real-time assistance to your customers
- The automation page builder easily set up complex workflows with a user-friendly interface
- Customized landing page creation that enhances overall productivity
What You May Not Like:
- The webinar features and landing pages do not support reusable headers and footers, limiting design consistency
- Lacks options for building and customizing templates, restricting users’ ability to tailor their brand requirements
Pricing:
- A free plan is available without 3rd party integrations and lead-scoring features. Paid plan starts at $12.7/user/month.
3. Hubspot – Best for Centralizing Sales, Marketing, and Support Operations
Image source: Hubspot
When it comes to centralizing sales, marketing, and support, HubSpot CRM is a good choice. The tool offers a unified platform that integrates seamlessly with marketing automation, sales tracking, and customer service tools.
This integration is especially valuable for call centers, as it allows for efficient tracking of customer interactions and supports proactive customer service. The CRM’s features, like live chat, email tracking, and detailed reporting, make it an ideal solution for improving call center efficiency and customer satisfaction.
HubSpot CRM offers features like call logging, automated ticketing, and real-time communication tracking, making it a strong contender for CRM in customer service. Plus, the ease of use and extensive integration options mean that teams can quickly adapt to the system.
What You’ll Like:
- The deal tracking and lead lifecycle management features streamline your sales process, boosting efficiency
- Easily integrates with other HubSpot tools, such as Marketing Hub and Sales Hub, enabling targeted campaigns and effective prospect nurturing
- Custom fields allow for the collection of unlimited responses, enhancing data collection and customization
- Real-time analytics offer instant insights, empowering you to make data-driven decisions
What You May Not Like:
- Some users found the initial setup process to be complex and time-consuming
- It lacks extensive reporting features and does not include options for A/B testing
Pricing:
- Free for up to 5 users. Paid plan starts at $15/user/month.
4. Freshcaller – Best for Voice Service
Image source: Freshcaller
In my experience, Freshcaller stands out as a powerful tool for managing voice service and contact management. I used its cloud-based phone system, which seamlessly integrates with various CRM systems, making it a suitable choice for call centers.
The feature that impressed me the most was the ability to set up multi-level IVRs, which streamlines call routing. Freshcaller also offers real-time call monitoring and analytics, which helped me track performance metrics and optimize our call center operations.
Freshcaller CRM offers comprehensive call management features, such as automatic call distribution, call recording, and the ability to handle large volumes of calls efficiently. The tool’s integration capabilities with other Freshworks products and external CRMs further enhance its utility as a call center CRM.
What You’ll Like:
- Real-time call monitoring for improved quality control
- Multi-level IVR setup for efficient call routing
- Phones are connected to the ticketing system, automatically displaying caller details and previous tickets
- Easy call recording and playback for training purposes
What You May Not Like:
- Occasional issues with call quality, depending on the network
- Limited customization options for reporting templates
Pricing:
- A free plan is available with basic features. Paid plan starts at $11.9/user/month.
5. LeadSquared – Best for Lead Management
Image source: LeadSquared
I used LeadSquared CRM to manage the lead capture process, which was seamless thanks to its integration with various channels like emails, social media, and landing pages. What I liked most was the automation of lead scoring, which helped prioritize high-quality leads efficiently.
The tool’s effective reporting features allowed me to track lead activities and engagement, offering valuable insights into the sales pipeline. For call centers, LeadSquared CRM is particularly beneficial due to its features tailored to this environment.
The auto-dialer, call tracking, and recording features ensure efficient communication and better agent performance monitoring. These tools significantly enhance customer interactions, making it one of the best CRM solutions for call centers.
What You’ll Like:
- Multi-channel lead capture that easily integrates with emails, social media, and landing pages
- Call center features like auto-dialer, call tracking, and recording to enhance communication
- HTML mailer creation for designing and sending professional HTML email campaigns
- Comprehensive reporting provides detailed insights into lead activities and sales performance, enhancing decision-making
What You May Not Like:
- Sometimes gets stuck when running large campaigns, which can disrupt workflow
- Lack of scheduling reports in multiple formats like CSV, Excel, or PDF limits flexibility in data analysis
Pricing:
- Starts at $29.8/user/month.
6. CloudTalk – Best for Calling Automation
Image source: CloudTalk
CloudTalk is a contact center CRM that simplifies call management and improves customer interactions. Its calling automation features, including smart dialers, call queuing, and automated call distribution, are perfect for efficiently handling large volumes of calls.
I found the seamless integration with various CRM systems helpful for tracking and managing customer data. Additionally, call recording, real-time analytics, and interactive voice response (IVR) offer valuable insights and greater control over call center operations.
As a CRM tailored for call centers, CloudTalk provides detailed customer profiles and interaction histories, which are crucial for personalized service. The ability to tag and categorize calls aids in organizing and prioritizing follow-ups, while call monitoring and whispering features support quality assurance and staff training.
What You’ll Like:
- Smart dialers for call handling by automatically dialing numbers and managing call flows
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to provide an automated menu that guides callers to the appropriate department or agent
- The Adwords and Facebook Data sync webhooks feature in for seamless integration
- Customizable email & SMS templates for consistent messaging to customers
What You May Not Like:
- Limited customization options for reporting.
- Occasional call quality issues, such as audio drops or poor sound clarity.
Pricing:
- Starts at $25/user/month.
7. Net2phone – Best for Workflow Management
Image source: Net2phone
If you’re seeking a CRM call center solution with workflow management, Net2phone is worth considering. I found its integration with call management systems particularly useful for managing communication.
The platform’s automated workflows help in routing calls and assigning tasks, making it a strong contender for call centers. It offers the ease of tracking customer interactions across multiple channels, ensuring a seamless experience. Net2phone’s CRM offers features tailored for call centers, such as auto-dialing and call recording, which help manage high volumes of calls efficiently.
Its CRM integration allows for better customer data management, crucial for providing personalized service. Additionally, the system’s ability to handle call queues and offer voicemail drops enhances productivity and ensures no customer is left unattended.
What You’ll Like:
- Web calling to enhance communication by allowing seamless voice calls directly through the CRM
- Multi-channel interaction tracking to keep a record of communications across various channels
- Automated workflows to streamline task assignments and call routing
- Customizable dashboards to tailor views to focus on relevant metrics and KPIs
What You May Not Like:
- Initial setup can be challenging, requiring technical assistance
- Response times and quality of support can vary
Pricing:
- Starts at $18.9/user/month.
8. Five9 – Best for Employee Management
Image source: Five9
When I started using Five9 CRM, I was impressed by how it streamlined employee management. Its powerful tools for monitoring performance, scheduling, and training transformed how I handled my team.
Five9 is particularly suitable for call centers, offering features like automatic call distribution and real-time reporting. These features ensure that calls are routed to the right agents, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
What I liked most was the Workforce Management feature, which simplifies scheduling and helps us maintain optimal staffing levels.
What You’ll Like:
- Workforce management to simplify scheduling and help maintain optimal staffing levels
- Automatic call distribution to route calls to the right agents, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction
- Predictive dialer to increase agent productivity by automatically dialing numbers and connecting them to available agents
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to help customers navigate through automated menus, ensuring they reach the right department quickly
What You May Not Like:
- Some users feel that there could be more third-party integrations available
- Setting up and customizing the system can be complex and time-consuming
Pricing:
- Starts at $175/user/month.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:
- User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
- Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
- Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
- Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
- Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
- Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.
Which Is the Best CRM for Calling?
When it comes to managing calls efficiently, choosing the right CRM can significantly improve your business’s productivity and customer satisfaction.
One CRM that stands out for calling is BIGContacts. The tool provides powerful analytics to track and improve your call performance. With its seamless integration with various phone systems and communication tools, BIGContacts ensures that your calling operations run smoothly.
What makes BIGContacts even more appealing is that you can sign up for its forever-free plan. This allows you to explore all its features without any initial investment. If you’re looking for an efficient and cost-effective CRM for calling, BIGContacts is definitely worth considering.
You can sign up for free and start enhancing your call management today with BIGContacts.
Learn More About the Best Call Center CRM
What is a call center CRM?
A call center CRM is a tool for managing customer interactions and streamlining communication processes. It tracks calls, records conversations, and provides analytics to improve performance. Features like automatic call distribution and real-time reporting ensure efficient handling of customer inquiries and enhance overall service quality.
Read more: What Is CRM? [The Ultimate Guide for Businesses]
What are the essential features to look for in a call center CRM?
When choosing a call center CRM, look for essential CRM features like automatic call logging, call recording, real-time analytics, and integration with phone systems. Also, ensure it offers contact management, sales pipeline management, easy access to customer information, and performance tracking tools. These features help improve efficiency and provide better customer service.
How does call center CRM work?
A call center CRM manages and organizes customer interactions. It logs calls automatically, records conversations, and provides customer information to agents in real time. This helps you track performance, manage follow-ups, and offer personalized service, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction in your call center operations.
How do you measure call center effectiveness with CRM?
To measure call center effectiveness with CRM, track metrics like call volume, response time, and customer satisfaction scores. Use CRM analytics to monitor agent performance and call resolution rates. Evaluate customer feedback and identify trends to improve service. This data helps you optimize operations and enhance overall customer experience.
How do you use a CRM for cold calling?
To use a CRM for cold calling, start by importing your contact list. Use the CRM to schedule calls, log call details, and track follow-ups. Utilize features like call scripts, automatic dialing, and notes to stay organized. Analyze call data to refine your approach and improve your success rate.
How to choose the best CRM for call centers?
To choose the best CRM for call centers, look for features like automatic call distribution, real-time reporting, and performance analytics. Ensure it integrates well with your phone systems and offers strong customer support. Consider user reviews, pricing, and ease of use to find a solution that fits your team’s needs.
FREE. All Features. FOREVER!
Try our Forever FREE account with all premium features!
