The Out-Of-The-Box Guide On A Call Management Software

In this guide you'll find out: 

Know the basics of the call management system

The right call center management system outputs maximum results when the piece of the software meets both company's and consumer's needs. Here are the most relevant call management software features you need to have.

Top call management features that allow you to achieve the great contact center 

Whether your contact center is small or mid-sized, you would like to have a lot of comprehensive call management features. 

The most relevant and common call management software features

All call management software features are ultra-critical to achieving the desired results in both inbound and outbound calling. Of course, these comprehensive call management features are beneficial. Take a look at how these features perform in the practice:

Improve call management routing strategy with the advanced automatic call distribution (ACD) system

Times your callers dial the number and reach someone in a company and afterward wait for connection with the relevant person or department – is over. This time each business call connects to the agents with the relevant skills thanks to intelligent call routing. 

This ACD system of the contact center software allows you to guide callers through skills-based routing within one call. As a contact center manager, you build a caller’s map and then decide what kind of inbound callers require connection with certain groups of agents, considering priority-based routing or manager’s settings.

Take a look at how the ACD routing works as a part of inbound call management software:

• Choosing the call’s distribution to the specific groups of agents for round-robin call routing;
• Priority-based routing to the specific group of contact center agents regarding the inbound line priority for the groups of agents or particular agent;
• Effective call routing rules that take into account the call priority – VIP or ordinary contacts;
• Setting the presets regarding the agent’s competence, meaning skills-based routing;
• Option to process the inbound calls either with one or several contact center groups;
• Adding the rules for redistributing incoming calls based on qualified agent availability or to the additional international phone number;
• Adjusting rooting capacities based on actions during the IVR menu session.

Additional call management system settings such as time-based routing (call routing rules depending on the time of the day), call redirection (considering agent availability and settings), call scripts, and more.

The ACD system has all call management data regarding incoming calls for the manager’s efficient evaluation. It’s easy to always observe these data in real-time and historical mode, whether for ordinary or skills-based routing.

Call recording and call tracking are a part of the call management system

Want to track the performance of agents? With the option of the call recording, it’s pretty easy though. Customer interactions are accurately recorded and have time and duration marks. You could easily track the necessary recording and listen to and evaluate the conversation between the customer and the qualified agent.

A call management system nearly always has an interactive voice response system

An interactive voice response (IVR) call management system is one of the indications of the top business call center. Because of self-service and comprehensive call management features that enable a 5-star customer experience. 

That provides not only self-service yet better caller experiences through personalization. Give to consumers solve simple tasks using this system and leave to agents only the challenging inquiries. Here’s how the IVR system organizes the caller’s incoming calls:

• Identification of every caller with the help of your CRM and routing to the assigned agent;
• Make productive customer interactions faster by automatic routing strategies to the relevant agents or departments;
• Advanced call management needs satisfying through the option of the IVR callback when your queue is full; 
• Feature to set the business hours with the time-based routing during IVR sessions;
• Use the text-to-speech option to add your voice messages to the consumer’s IVR session to fulfill relevant self-service circumstances;
• Make your customers relax by adding the audio file while they are waiting;
• Call center analytics such as email reports about missed calls for managers and supervisors;
• This call management feature provides you with encompassing call management data on callers during the IVR sessions. And grants you to understand consumer preferences;
• The IVR system reduces your agent’s workload by allowing consumers to solve their tasks without the agent’s attendance. Further, increase the agent working time on the challenging issues. While agents take care of challenging inquiries your company’s revenue velocity increases, and the agent’s billable time is utilized rationally. 

Call management strategy that appreciates callers considering the time in queues

An automatic call distribution system will not bury your customers in a queue of uncertainty. On the contrary, this call management system will accurately organize the processing of each inbound call. The wise call queue settings allow you to personalize calls – consumers achieve the exact treatment, both new and regular: 

• Saving the time for callers by giving them a choice to decide whether to solve their issues via the IVR menu; 
• To wait for the free and relevant agent or provide a callback as soon as agent availability is possible; 
• Call management through the ACD will drastically improve customer experience by saving caller’s time and providing relevant rooting to agents. 

Call management is impossible to imagine without call control such as (hold, mute, transfer, hang up) options

The cloud-based call center solution furnishes you with modern call management and full control over the contact center’s activities. This is one of the most important contact center software for productive inbound and outbound calls. 

Agents whether in sales or customer service have a variety of options for working on the call. To improve control over the conversation agent has such features:

• Putting on hold. Agent achieves the inquiry from the caller and must complete operations to achieve a positive result. Thus if the time of the solution doesn’t exceed 2 minutes or so, the rep puts the consumer on hold. Additionally, agents can return to the on-hold consumers and return to the on-hold, if necessary. 
• Option to mute. In case the agent needs to have a brief word with the colleague, they are free to mute the call and then return to it as soon as the solution is found. 
• Call transfer. Transferring the call is a vital part of the contact center operation. Inquiries of the various difficulty require a transfer to a more experienced colleague or relevant department. 

Thus at the moment, agents achieve the inquiry that requires a deeper experience – the transfer of the call improves your call management strategy.

Inbound call management solutions performing with the call monitoring features

Managers and authorized supervisors must have the tools for encompassing and timely control over the agent’s inbound or outbound calls. Basically, with the help of a single platform, a manager or supervisor monitors live conversations in these 3 call monitoring modes:

• Hidden. Connection to agent’s live conversation without letting anyone know;
• Whispering. You can help agents in challenging situations while callers and any third parties don’t know this;
• Barging in. The kind of conference when everyone hears you, both agent and caller.

These inbound call management solutions at the manager’s disposal give fuller control over the performance of agents. 

Call management and CRM integration

Allows you to add the necessary contacts to the software’s database and make customer interactions and agent productivity more efficient and easy. Your agents will always see the consumer’s card and history of inquiries. Additionally, will be able to build the conversation from the very beginning.

Call management also includes real-time and historical reporting

Managers are at the top of the control when having this contact center software feature. In the essence, this is the blood and flesh of the call management data. Frankly, managers use reporting to track, pivot, and organize contact center operations. Let’s take a look at the most relevant of them: 

• Agent monitoring. Frankly, the manager is capable to track team performance through a real-time dashboard. In specific, the manager has a full picture of how many outbound and incoming calls are processed, the average talking time, and duration (Ready and Not Ready) for each agent.
• Call center analytics through the various features of the software such as ACD, IVR, Outbound campaigns, voice and non-voice channels utilization;
• Distribution call center analytics. One of the top features that shows inbound call final statuses – is the outcome. And provide you with the info about the telephony line’s utilization and provider’s fees.
• Agent’s adherence to the schedule, specifically log in, log out the exact time, and statuses (Ready and Not Ready) duration throughout the shift.

Thus managers with this call management feature have full control over the real-time and historical call management data. And capable to return to the particular contact center software report for the data.

Benefits of call management systems

Call management is an essential part of contact center software. isn’t the tip of the iceberg but the essence. What you achieve from this software is this:

• Keeping the important call management data by hand. Tracking the vital performance metrics such as abandonment rate, service level, talking time, etc. for future optimization and cutting the unnecessary expenses on customer interactions;
• Organizing the agent’s shift. Call management gives the option to optimize the workload. Specifically allows you to pivot and track the agent's activity;
• Intelligence about previous customer interactions. Because of smart call management, you can easily track the full communication history of the particular caller and get ready for the next;
• The functionality. ACD and IVR systems make tremendous work on reducing customers’ waiting times and routines in tackling ordinary inquiries. ACD will route the call to the relevant agent or department. While IVR will do the job of self-service and cut the expenses on mundane customer interactions. 
• The call management system is more cost-efficient. The software is working on you by allowing you to conduct outbound calls with the option to receive incoming calls around the globe. 
• The subscription per agent is worthwhile. For conducting with people across voice channels such as phone and non-voice channels such as SMS, chat, social media, and email; 
• inbound call management software can help you make more money. The more you tell – the more you sell. That’s why you need to talk more with prospective and qualified customers around the globe every day. The calling software is designed for faster and stronger communication. Additionally, eliminate missed calls with the contact center software.

Does your small or mid-sized business need a call manager system?

Entrepreneurs of small, mid-sized, or even enterprise-like levels always seek the opportunity to make communication with prospects and customers easy. That’s all the channels of communication work in one call center software solution.

1. Turn leads into customers. Whether the prospective consumer is ready for purchasing decision or wants to make an appointment – the software is here to help. It’s easy to satisfy the lead’s interests via phone, chat, social media, or email. Or arrange the appointment and discuss the face of a specific face.
2. The contact center team is happy to make work simpler. The days when a lot of sales reps and customer service agents should be gathered in the office for qualitative work are in the dawn.
   Today, the remote contact center software gives a choice to you to have the in-house or remote team around the globe. Think about savings on the rent, service, and travel time in case your agents work remotely. 
3. Keep consumers and acquire a new one. Your regular consumers are the core of your business, and you’ll do a hard job of keeping them satisfied. On the other hand, every business should consider acquiring more consumers. Thus the software establishes instant communication with both groups around the globe in a blink of an eye. 

How to spot a trustworthy service vendor with great call management features?

The choosing of the vendor is a serious move because you consider all the positives and negatives for the predictable future. Of course, reliability, and determination, especially, during business hours are ultra-critical for a successful contact center vendor. Take a look at what specifically is important to choosing the vendor:

Active and proven by the previous years of dedicated work. None of the managers with common sense wish to pick up the “fly by night” and try to give away with it in the business. 

Look for a company with a record. Thus the record is a great indication that the company is proven by years of successful business operation and is still active today.

Accountable. You should look only for the trustworthy vendors that surely implement everything they claim when you look for the software vendor. Each feature you have must be agreed upon, and the promise must be delivered. 

The business-necessary features. Whether you are in sales or customer service, you have concrete requirements for your business phone system regarding inbound and outbound calls. 

The vendor surely can recommend the must-have features for your company, whether it’s outbound calling campaigns or ACD and IVR adjustments. 

Support. Of course, the operational capacity of the management platform to work at peak hours, 7 days a week is the job of the trustworthy vendor. That’s why the vendor's team performance must be on the top level. 

Affordable pricing. Evaluate your budget and choose the best call center software solution based on advanced call management systems. Take the time to discover the software’s features, and evaluate the feature's pricing carefully. Then negotiate with the vendor about specifics. And after a careful evaluation makes a decision towards an affordable call management platform.

Take it easy in the process of the evaluation of all these features listed above and always make a decision only when the vendor is proven, trustworthy, and honest.

Your decisions before picking up a cloud call management system?

First of all, pinpoint all the activities you’ll have with your prospects and consumers. And define the channels you’ll establish outbound business communications and vice versa.

Set your business goals, and you’ll never have to ask for orders again. These goals include:

• Keeping in touch with consumers across a variety of the channels such as phone, SMS, chat, email, social media, etc.
• Nail the sales or customer service call within one call. Use an all-in-one cloud-based call center solution and increase the first call resolution metric to the maximum, you’ll save time and money for both you and the consumer.
• Increase the number of outbound calls to reach prospects and customers more efficiently. And always give a callback or proper treatment to all consumers or inbound calls to reduce to the minimum the missed calls. That's how the cloud-based call center solution establishes the 5-star customer experience.