- Zoho CRM: Best for scalability
- Freshsales: Best for user experience (UX)
- Bitrix24: Best for integrated communication
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Best for enterprise commerce
- Apptivo: Best for budgets
- Agile CRM: Best for automation
- HubSpot: Best for analytics
Updated: Oct 2, 2024, 2:41pm
A contact center customer relationship management (CRM) software serves as the nerve center for customer interactions in businesses. Acting as a digital bridge between customers and service agents, this software streamlines communication across multiple channels such as phone, email, social media and chat.
Organizations opt for the best contact center CRM to achieve a unified customer view, increase agent efficiency and drive customer satisfaction by providing timely, personalized responses. By consolidating customer data and interaction history, this powerful tool allows businesses to make data-driven decisions, enhancing the quality of customer service and giving them a competitive edge.
The Best Contact Center CRM Systems of 2024
Forbes Advisor Ratings
How To Choose a CRM Service for Your Contact Center
Choosing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution can be daunting for contact centers, where the choice can significantly impact operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The ideal CRM system should not only streamline the complex interactions between agents and customers, but also provide actionable insights to shape strategic decisions. Here’s a primer on features to consider in your quest for the right CRM service.
Consider the following features when choosing a contact center CRM:
- Data analytics and reporting: A granular focus on metrics, such as average handle time (AHT), first-call resolution and agent idle time, can help pinpoint inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement.
- Multichannel support: The ability to manage customer interactions across different channels (phone, email, chat, social media) from a unified interface can be a game-changer in delivering a consistent customer experience.
- Automated routing: Directing customer inquiries to the most qualified agents based on predefined criteria can not only optimize individual productivity but also enhance customer satisfaction.
- Scalability: As your contact center grows, your CRM should be capable of expanding in tandem, whether it’s the number of users, data storage or additional functionalities.
- Compliance management: Given the legal intricacies around customer data, having built-in compliance features to manage consents and data security can mitigate risks. This is especially important in regulated industries, such as those impacted by HIPAA laws.
- Customization and personalization: Tailoring the interface and automations according to the unique needs of your contact center is imperative for optimal performance.
- Integration capabilities: From telephony tools to third-party applications for payroll or ticketing, the ease with which the CRM integrates with other essential systems can reduce operational bottlenecks.
In addition to the features above, you may also want to consider:
- AI-powered insights: Machine learning algorithms can analyze historical data to forecast call volumes or suggest optimal staffing levels, offering a proactive approach to resource allocation.
- Self-service options: Features that enable customers to resolve simple issues through automated systems can free up agents for more complex inquiries.
- Skill-based routing: More advanced than automated routing, this matches customers with agents based on specific skill sets, potentially leading to higher resolution rates.
Methodology
To determine the best contact center CRMs, Forbes Advisor researched providers in the space and narrowed it down to the seven top providers. We analyzed these across five primary categories for a total of 39 different subcategories. The criteria were then weighted to favor features that matter most to small businesses. The best CRM software for contact centers had the best overall scores based on our methodology.
Here are the metrics we used to evaluate the top CRM services.
Pricing (20%)
For the pricing metric, our focus was not just on affordability but on delivering value for each dollar spent. Several key considerations went into the evaluation of this category:
- Transparency in pricing: Did the provider make their pricing information readily available to the public, aiding in straightforward decision-making?
- Subscription flexibility: We assessed the availability and terms of both month-to-month and annual subscriptions, gauging how each could cater to businesses with different operational timelines.
- Organizational rates: Are there flat rates that allow organizations to bypass per-user pricing, providing cost efficiency for larger teams?
- User limitations: An assessment was made on the maximum number of users allowed, as this could be a bottleneck for scalability.
- Trial and guarantee periods: The length and terms of free trials and money-back guarantee periods were also considered, giving us insights into the confidence level a vendor has in their product.
General Features (25%)
Beyond the rudimentary capabilities one might expect, the following key features were deemed particularly essential:
- Pipeline management dashboard: A centralized location for tracking customer interactions and sales processes can greatly accelerate decision-making. This dashboard brings all ongoing and potential deals under a single view, helping teams to prioritize opportunities and allocate resources accordingly.
- User customization: Allowing individual users to personalize their dashboards helps them focus on the tasks most pertinent to their roles. For example, a salesperson can prioritize lead generation metrics, while a customer service representative might want quick access to customer complaint history.
- Analytics and reporting tools: Beyond just numerical outputs, analytics can identify underlying patterns and trends in customer behavior. This data can then directly inform strategies, from targeted marketing campaigns to customer retention programs.
- Document management library: The advantages extend beyond mere storage. When standardized templates are easily accessible and version-controlled, it streamlines the entire document life cycle—from creation to archival.
- Open API and developer library: This feature opens the door for targeted functionality extensions. For example, a contact center can integrate a specialized chatbot or AI-based customer service tool designed for their specific industry.
- Email application integration: By integrating with platforms such as Outlook, CRM systems eliminate the need to toggle between different apps to manage email correspondence. This translates to fewer errors, less data redundancy and more efficient customer interactions.
- Telephony systems integration: Here, call logs, customer calls and voice notes can be automatically cataloged and matched with existing customer profiles. This leads to richer customer data, which can improve both sales targeting and issue resolution.
- Third-party automation integration: This isn’t just about saving time; it’s about optimizing entire workflows. By linking with external automation platforms, redundant tasks can be entirely offloaded from human staff, freeing them for more complex activities that demand critical thinking.
- Multicurrency support: When invoices, sales figures and financial reports are automatically adjusted for local currencies, it removes the burden of manual currency conversion. This is a must-have for businesses that operate across multiple countries.
- International formats for contact details: Properly accommodating international phone numbers and addresses is more than a courtesy; it’s an operational necessity. Incorrect or incomplete data can lead to failed communications, missed sales opportunities or even regulatory complications.
Contact Center Features (25%)
We looked for functionalities including call routing, call recording and autodial features. Call queue transfer capabilities were also under the lens, as these enable efficient handling of incoming calls by directing them to the most appropriate agents. Equally important in our analysis were call reporting analytics, as real-time data can provide invaluable insights into performance metrics and customer satisfaction. These features not only streamline operations but also empower contact centers to enhance service quality.
Additional Features (10%)
Our methodology put weight on specific functionalities such as the ability to generate quotes and estimates, task management capabilities, sales territory setup, sales and marketing automation and the availability of a client portal. For contact centers, we favored CRMs with call routing, call recording, autodial capabilities, queue transfer features and analytic reporting on call activities. These features help with operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
Service and Support (10%)
We inspected the availability of live chat, a quick and interactive way for users to find solutions. Phone support also came under scrutiny for its effectiveness in resolving complex issues that require immediate attention.
We also investigated the presence of a knowledge base, a self-service solution that allows users to troubleshoot issues without external assistance. Additional support channels such as community forums and social media support were considered to gauge the level of accessibility and collective problem-solving. Additionally, the option for a maintenance or service contract was evaluated.
Expert Score (10%)
The expert score is an editorial evaluation comprising four distinct categories. We consider standout features, focusing on their depth and impact on the UX. Value for money examines the alignment between cost and the benefits offered. Popularity is gauged through market adoption, user reviews and third-party endorsements. Ease of use explores how quickly a user can adapt to and effectively navigate the software.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the benefit of integrating telephony systems with a CRM in a contact center?
Integrating telephony systems with a CRM allows for quick access to customer information during calls, leading to more personalized interactions and potentially faster resolution of issues.
Do contact center CRMs typically offer call routing and call queue transfer features?
Many advanced CRMs designed for contact centers do offer call routing and queue transfer functionalities. These features help in distributing incoming calls to the most suitable agents, thereby improving efficiency.
Can I automate part of the sales and marketing process through a contact center CRM?
Several CRMs designed for contact centers offer automation tools that can assist in scheduling follow-up calls, sending out marketing material or moving leads through the sales funnel automatically.
Are real-time analytics for call reporting common in contact center CRMs?
Real-time analytics for call reporting are increasingly becoming a standard feature in specialized contact center CRMs. These analytics provide instant insights into call performance, agent efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Does a contact center CRM typically allow exporting of full contact data?
While it varies from provider to provider, many contact center CRMs offer the capability to export full contact data, which is useful for backup purposes or when migrating to a different CRM system.