What is Call Centre CRM? The Top 5 Call Centre CRM Software Solutions

The significance of exemplary customer service cannot be overstated; recent research indicates that over fifty per cent of consumers will abandon a company in favour of a competitor following a single subpar encounter. Yet, the provision of superior customer experiences is becoming increasingly hard for businesses. The number of communication channels, coupled with escalating expectations for personalised service, presents a formidable challenge for companies striving to keep pace.

According to the McKinsey report of 2022, 60% of customer care executives noted a rise in the total volume of calls and anticipated this trend to persist. Call centre CRM software is instrumental in managing this surge in communications while delivering an exceptional customer experience. When integrated with your CRM system, call centre software facilitates a highly personalised and efficient service, surpassing contemporary expectations.

In this article, we will elucidate the concept of call centre CRM, expound upon its advantages, provide guidance on selecting the appropriate call centre CRM software, and enumerate the top five call centre CRM systems as rated by customer reviews.

What is Call Centre CRM?

A call centre customer relationship management (CRM) platform is a sophisticated, integrated solution that amalgamates traditional CRM functionalities - such as customer data management, workflow automation, and communication oversight - with the specialised requirements of call centre operations. This comprehensive tool empowers organisations to orchestrate customer interactions seamlessly, streamline and harmonise service processes, and elevate customer satisfaction by furnishing agents with a consolidated view of customer information and interaction history.

For instance, a call centre software integrated with CRM can automatically present a customer’s profile, including their complete data and historical interactions, when a call is routed to an agent. The system then employs artificial intelligence to meticulously log all the information enhanced during the conversation. This functionality significantly enhances operational efficiency, allowing agents to devote less time to data retrieval and entry, thereby focusing more on resolving customer issues.

Typically, a call centre CRM is provided as a part of a broader centre CRM solution. While a call centre CRM is specialised for managing phone-based interactions, a contact centre CRM delivers a more holistic solution for overseeing customer communications across a diverse array of channels.

Why is a Call Centre CRM Indispensable?

In essence, a call centre CRM software furnishes all the requisite tools to deliver an exemplary customer experience. However, it is pertinent to ponder: what constitutes a perfect customer service call?

Whether the call pertains to a sales inquiry, a complaint, or a request for assistance, the customer anticipates a response tailored to their specific requirements. They expect service that is not only prompt (though not rushed), but also characterised by appropriate attentiveness (understanding and empathy), and interaction with a proficient agent capable of resolving their issues with efficacy.

Foremost among customers’ expectations is continuity. They anticipate that call centre agents will acknowledge their identity, be aware of their previous interactions, and provide assistance without necessitating the repetition of information already shared.

A call centre CRM is well-equipped to fulfil these expectations by supplying agents with comprehensive customer data and tools for efficient workflow management, thereby facilitating a personalised, effective, and seamless service experience. Furthermore, it streamlines agents' tasks, thereby alleviating stress and enhancing their capacity to deliver a more courteous and agreeable service to clients.

We shall now delve into the myriad advantages of a call centre CRM and elucidate how it can confer a competitive advantage upon your enterprise.

Top 6 Advantages of Call Centre CRM

1. Optimised Omnichannel Communication

Omnichannel communication facilitates a seamless interaction experience by enabling customer service agents to engage with clients across various platforms - such as social media, live chats, email, and phone - and transition fluidly between these channels. According to BusinessWire reports, 40% of consumers consider the provision of “multiple communication options” to be the foremost attribute of a company’s customer service offering.

Consider a scenario where a customer has lodged a complaint via Instagram direct messages, yet resolving their issue necessitates a telephone call. A call centre CRM facilitates a seamless transition between these communication channels by consolidating all relevant data and interaction history, ensuring comprehensive and accurate logging. Should it become necessary to involve additional agents or employees, they will have access to the entire correspondence from the direct messages.

This integration expedites issue resolution and spares the customer from the inconvenience of repeating their concerns - an inconvenience often indicative of subpar customer service.,

2. Effortless Collaboration

A call centre CRM fosters swift and efficient exchange of information and workflows amongst team members.

It enables call centre agents to promptly pose queries or respond to colleagues' questions, thereby facilitating quicker and more precise resolutions of customer concerns. Additionally, agents can seamlessly transfer cases to other agents or subject matter experts, who are instantly alerted and provided with comprehensive details to deliver a timely solution.

This system not only cultivates collaboration within the call centre but also interlinks all customer-facing teams, including sales and marketing. Such an integrated approach enriches every stage of the customer journey, ensuring elevated experience far beyond mere customer support.

3. Facilitation of Employee Training

A call centre CRM serves as an invaluable tool for agent development, offering integrated access to a wealth of training resources directly within the system itself. This embedded knowledge centre equips agents with ready access to essential materials, such as scripts, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides, allowing them to swiftly reference pertinent information during customer engagements, thus ensuring more efficient and consistent problem resolution.

Moreover, the CRM meticulously monitors agent performance and customer interactions, enabling the identification of knowledge deficiencies or areas requiring refinement. This data-driven insight provides the basis for tailored training initiatives, thereby fostering continuous improvement and skill enhancement among staff.

4. Enhanced Productivity

A call centre CRM offers a wealth of functionalities designed to elevate the productivity and operational efficacy of your customer service team.

• For instance, case management tools serve as a crucial mechanism, enabling the systematic organisation and prioritisation of customer issues, thereby facilitating the efficient handling of a substantial volume of queries and cases.
• Project management and tracking tools afford a heightened level of transparency regarding agents’ workloads, thus bolstering accountability. This ensures that managers can effectively oversee performance and maintain a fair distribution of responsibilities across the team.
• Workflow automation capabilities significantly diminish the time and effort expended on routine manual tasks. For instance, automated case routing assigns cases to the most suitable agents based on predefined criteria, thereby expediting the resolution of customer concerns.

Collectively, these features enhance the overall efficiency of operations, enabling the service team to function at optimal productivity levels.

5. Insight into Performance

A call centre CRM affords invaluable insights into the operational efficacy of your call centre by tracking a range of key performance indicators and analytics. Metrics such as Average Handle Time, which measures the typical duration of customer interactions, indicating efficiency in handling calls. Similarly, metrics such as Average Interactions per customer or agent provide insight into the frequency and intensity of customer engagement, offering a nuanced understanding of interaction patterns.

Moreover, the tracking of indicators such as Case Reopens proves instrumental in identifying recurring or unresolved issues, signalling areas where service quality or resolution procedures may warrant refinement. By analysing these metrics over time, managers can discern patterns, identify training requirements, and devise strategies tailored to improving both the overall performance of the call centre and the satisfaction levels of customers.

6. Enhanced Customer Experience

Arguably the most obvious benefit of a call centre CRM lies in its capacity to elevate customer satisfaction through the facilitation of an exemplary customer experience. Indeed, the entirety of the advantages previously outlined can be traced back to this fundamental objective. A call centre CRM system significantly enhances the customer experience through a multitude of avenues.

Foremost, it guarantees a consistent and unified customer journey. Given that customers often engage with businesses multiple times, utilising various communication channels, and may encounter different representatives within the organisation, the CRM system ensures continuity. By providing a comprehensive record of prior interactions, contact details, billing information, and even a full overview of the products or services already acquired by the customer, an integrated CRM enables agents to deliver a seamless and informed service. This level of insight not only fosters a cohesive customer experience but, in some instances, allows agents to pre-emptively address issues before even answering the call, thus heightening efficiency and satisfaction.

Moreover, an integrated CRM system empowers businesses to address customer needs and concerns in a more anticipatory manner, enabling the identification of trends and underlying issues that can catalyse substantial business enhancements. Whether it be refining one’s sales approach or optimising lead nurturing strategies, the insights garnered from tracking customer interactions can profoundly enhance the overall customer journey.

Furthermore, CRM systems play a pivotal role in facilitating precise customer segmentation and targeting. By categorising customers according to their unique characteristics and behavioural patterns, businesses are able to tailor their marketing initiatives, thereby delivering personalised experiences that resonate more profoundly with individual customers. This approach not only amplifies engagement but also cultivates deeper loyalty, contributing to long-term customer retention.

Essential Features for Call Centre CRM

It is of paramount importance to acknowledge that not all CRM systems are specifically designed with customer service in mind. Moreover, even if a CRM platform encompasses certain call centre functionalities, it may yet fall short of providing the comprehensive suite of customer support tools necessary to facilitate an uninterrupted and exemplary customer experience. The following list delineates the CRM features that prove particularly advantageous for call centre agents, ensuring they are equipped to deliver optimal service.

• Support for omnichannel communication: Facilitates seamless engagement with customers across a multitude of communication channels, including phone calls, emails, live chats, and social media, ensuring a consistent and fluid customer experience.
• Case and call routing: Automatically assigns incoming calls and cases to the most suitable agent or team, based on predefined criteria such as the agent’s expertise, the nature of the issue, or its priority level, thereby enhancing response efficiency.
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR): A sophisticated automated system that enables customers to navigate through a series of computerised voice prompts, directing them to the appropriate department or gathering necessary information before connecting them to a live agent.
• Customer 360 view: Offers a holistic overview of each customer's history, including interactions, purchase behaviour, preferences, and previous issues across all touchpoints, thereby equipping agents with the insights required to provide tailored and informed service.
• Call tracking: Captures and logs detailed information regarding calls, such as their duration, resolution, and subsequent actions taken. This feature empowers managers to monitor performance, analyse patterns, and identify opportunities for operational refinement.
• Call scripting: Furnishes agents with pre-established scripts and templates for managing common customer queries, thereby promoting uniformity in communication and ensuring adherence to the company’s prescribed standards and protocols.
• Workflow automation: Streamlines routine processes by automating tasks such as case routing, follow-up actions, notifications, and escalations, all based on predefined rules and triggers, thus enhancing operational efficiency.
• Customer service AI:Utilises advanced AI and machine learning technologies to analyse customer interactions, anticipate behaviour, offer tailored recommendations, and automate responses to recurring queries, contributing to a more refined and proactive service.
• Task management: Assist agents in organising and prioritising their responsibilities, ensuring the prompt and efficient resolution of customer issues while concurrently tracking task progression and adherence to deadlines.
• Knowledge management: Consolidates and systematically organises vital resources, including FAQs, product manuals, troubleshooting instructions, and best practices, rendering them readily accessible to agents and enhancing their capacity to address customer concerns effectively.
• Integrations: Seamlessly connects with other critical business systems, such as ERP software, ticketing systems, and analytics tools, enabling the synchronisation of data.

These features, in their entirety, allow call centre CRM systems to optimise operational workflows and elevate customer service quality.

Five Premier Call Centre CRM Software Solutions

In this section, we present the top five CRM systems renowned for their call centre functionalities, as highlighted customer reviews and reports from industry analysts.

1. Creatio

Ideal for: Mid-sized and enterprise-level companies seeking an integrated CRM platform distinguished by its exceptional customisation capabilities, or those requiring a solution adaptable to unique and evolving processes

Creatio provides a comprehensive CRM platform featuring an extensive array of tools designed to optimise customer service automation, incorporated within its Service Creatio product. This system offers agents a unified interface, consolidating customer data and request queues, thereby facilitating bulk communications, seamless information that enables them to perform bulk communications, seamless information sharing among team members, and effective performance monitoring.

Service Creatio excels with a sophisticated suite of AI-enhanced service automation tools. The integrated call centre software utilises AI capabilities to significantly augment agent training and performance by providing pertinent recommendations and resources.

Service Creatio also features a suite of AI/ML models for tasks like service data classification, case routing, prediction, prioritisation, intelligent search, recommendations, and customer segmentation.

By analysing historical cases and inquiries, Creatio furnished insightful case resolution suggestions, including relevant knowledge articles, analogous cases, best practices, and playbooks. Its AI capabilities beyond basic routing by taking into account agents' current workloads and case timelines, thereby ensuring the optimal allocation of cases.

Furthermore, Creatio offers real-time support for the design and optimisation of custom workflows. Leveraging its no-code technology and composable architecture, organisations can effortlessly construct intricate workflows using pre-built components and templates. Creatio’s AI also identifies opportunities for enhancement and delivers actionable recommendations for refining processes.

Creatio’s functionalities are significantly augmented through its seamless integration with over 700 third-party applications available in its marketplace, as well as native CRM solutions.

With a range of flexible plans and an extensive array of features, Creatio ensures a notably low total cost of ownership and delivers a swift time-to-value, without needing additional IT resources or vendors.

Key features:

• An integrated, all-encompassing platform for CRM automation
• Intelligent case management and service automation for registration, classification, AI-based routing, and comprehensive data integration
• Omnichannel communication capabilities
• Collaboration tools and Enterprise Social Network (ESN)
• Customer 360 view
• GenAI and machine learning tools to empower automation
• AI-powered call analytics
• Call queue management
• Call routing functionalities
• Power Diale to significantly bolster the productivity of outbound call centre agents
• Advanced knowledge management
• Dynamic call scripts
• Email follow-ups and scheduling of subsequent calls

Customer rating:

Gartner: 4.8
Capterra: 4.7

Pricing:

Creatio presents a versatile pricing model, allowing the option to select either a comprehensive all-in-one CRM solution or individual products tailored to specific needs. The foundational no-code platform is priced from £19 per user per month, with a free trial available. The Service Creatio product is available at a rate of £11.41 per user per month.

Discover how Creatio CRM enhances call centre operations

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2. Freshworks

Ideal for: smaller, digitally-oriented enterprises seeking a comprehensive call centre CRM solution

Freshworks presents a robust suite for customer service, encompassing two principal products: Freshdesk, a ticketing platform, and Freshchat, which integrates bots and chat functionalities.

This all-encompassing contact centre solution features advanced capabilities such as inbound routing, call recordings, and post-call transcripts. To free up the agents, Freshworks employs AI-driven voice bots and speech-enabled Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems.

The CRM software is characterised by its intuitive usability and adaptability. Freshworks excels in its digital service offerings boasting multilingual bots and support for modern messaging channels.

Agents benefit from an AI-powered bot that recommends optimal resolutions based on case history, provides guidance for communications, and assists in crafting service replies. Additionally, conversational intelligence tools analyse sentiment and propose the best actions in real time, while a post-resolution quality coach evaluates interactions and identifies potential areas for training enhancement.

Key features:

• Omnichannel communication
• Voice bots
• IVR tools
• AI-powered automation and analytics
• Call scripting
• Seamless integration with marketplace applications

Customer rating:

Gartner: 4.4 
Capterra: 4.5 

Pricing:

Subscription rates range from £14 to $63.14 per agent per month. A free version of the tool is available.

3.  Zendesk

Ideal for: mid-sized and larger enterprises characterised by substantial interaction volumes and a pronounced digital footprint

Zendesk stands as a distinguished solution in customer service automation, known for its intuitive interface and comprehensive functionality. Renowned for its streamlined ticketing system, sophisticated automation tools, and omnichannel support, Zendesk facilitates the efficient resolution of cases and the delivery of exemplary customer service experience.

The platform offers omnichannel support, encompassing voice, messaging, chatbots, and portals, all underpinned by automation. AI-driven automations significantly enhance operational efficiency by streamlining customer responses, generating call summaries, transcribing conversations, and identifying overburdened channels. The IVR system adeptly gathers customer information, intelligently routes calls, and supplies necessary details without necessitating human involvement. The Voice API allows for the seamless integration of call buttons on websites, thereby simplifying user interactions.

Managers can oversee phone support through real-time analytics and call monitoring, leveraging these insights to enhance performance.

Key features:

• Omnichannel Agent Workspace
• Interactive voice response (IVR)
• Call routing and transfers
• Customer callback
• Task management
• AI-powered automation
• Customer callback
• 1,500+ apps and integrations

Customer rating:

Gartner: 4.2 
Capterra: 4.4

Pricing:

Zendesk Service CRM software is priced between £52.49 to $113 per user per month.

4. ServiceNow

Ideal for: organisations operating within telecommunications, media and technology, healthcare and life sciences, as well as the public sector, or those already utilising ServiceNow’s product suite

ServiceNow Customer Service Management is an integral component of an extensive suite encompassing employee experience (EX), customer experience (CX), and enterprise service management (ESM) solutions. ServiceNow is dedicated to refining customer workflows beyond mere front-office operations, perpetually accessing performance to elevate both customer experience and operational efficiency.

ServiceNow presents an array of robust self-service functionalities, encompassing knowledge bases, processes, communities, and chatbots. The platform is particularly proficient in case management, adeptly guiding agents through the entirety of the case lifecycle with features such as case progress tracking, activity summaries, detailed timelines, and SLA monitoring.

Advanced AI models are employed to forecast resolution times, thereby preventing potential bottlenecks and facilitating effective cost management. Workflows are constructed using low-code tools and modular components, with out-of-the-box solutions available for common service processes.

Key features:

• Agent desktop
• Case management
• AI tools for routing and case analysis
• Knowledge base
• Self-service options
• Low-code tools and Flow Designer for customization
• Integrations with external platforms

Customer rating:

Gartner: 4.6 
Capterra: 4.3

Pricing:

A custom quote can be prepared upon request.

5. Zoho CRM

Ideal for: B2B and B2C enterprises with straightforward customer service operations

Zoho Desk, an integral component of Zoho’s cohesive CRM suite, is designed to enhance quality of customer service. This is accomplished through the provision of omnichannel self-service and agent-assisted support, the identification of optimisation opportunities within service operation and streamlining of IT support functionalities.

Zoho’s suite of AI-driven tools augments agent efficiency by identifying pivotal terms and sentiments within tickets, thereby suggesting relevant knowledge base content. Additionally, AI technology also analyses ticket categories and identifies volume spikes, facilitating managerial adjustments to staffing level in response to evolving demands.

Zoho's call centre is seamlessly embedded within its Contact Centre offering, which is intricately integrated with the primary CRM software. This integration offers robust automation and monitoring capabilities designed to elevate the standard of your telephonic communications.

Customer service operations encompass SLA management, guided by rules-driven protocols and recommendations for next best actions. While Zoho is lauded for its straightforward deployment, user-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and configurability, users also highlight a demand for great feature depth and enhanced best practice guidance.

Key features:

• Case management
• Virtual phone numbers
• IVR trees
• Call monitoring and analytics
• Queue performance metrics
• Call notes
• Power Dialer

Customer rating:

Gartner: 4.3 
Capterra: 4.3

Pricing:

The pricing for Zoho's call centre service varies between £26 to $60 per user per month.

How to Select a Call Centre CRM

Selecting an appropriate call centre CRM entails several critical considerations:

• Identify your needs and budget: Begin by ascertaining the specific features and CRM integrations essential for your business, and establish your financial parameters accordingly.
• Evaluate scalability: Ensure that the CRM possesses the capacity to evolve in tandem with your enterprise, effectively accommodating future growth and escalating demands.
• Examine reviews: Delve into user reviews to gain insights into the CRM's performance, reliability, and support quality.
• Investigate success stories: Seek out case studies or testimonials from businesses within your industry to see how the CRM has facilitated their objectives and performance.
• Utilise free trials and access user experience: Leverage available trial periods to evaluate the CRM’s user interface and functionality, ensuring it aligns with your operational requirements in a practical, real-world context.

Transform Your Customer Service with a No-Code CRM Call Centre Solution

Enhanced through CRM integration, call centre software empowers you to meet the increasingly exacting expectations of customers and deliver exemplary service tailored to each individual case. Consequently, the selection of an appropriate call centre or a contact centre CRM can profoundly influence your business’s success. Service Creatio CRM stands out as a remarkably adaptable CX automation platform, capable of being customised to suit your specific requirements with minimal effort. Sign up for Creatio's free trial to experience the apex of automated service and achieve unparalleled customer satisfaction.