Integrations and apps

An integrated call center connects inbound and outbound calling with a variety of other technologies to provide a better experience for customers and improve call center agents’ productivity while making their jobs easier. Integration does more than just help handle phone calls. It helps agents manage customer interactions across all channels, from inbound calling and phone support to text messages, chat and more. An integrated call center pulls in customer data from all over the business, from sales teams’ CRM inputs to the products a customer has shopped for, to give agents the information they need to help.

Call center integration streamlines operations by connecting technologies and communication channels into a unified system. This allows call center agents to manage customer calls far more smoothly, providing capabilities ranging from accessing customer data from various parts of the business quickly and easily to call monitoring for later training and assessment. An ideal solution enhances efficiency, provides agents with quick access to vital customer information and promotes a seamless customer experience across various platforms.

A customer relationship management (CRM) system manages and analyzes customer data and interactions to improve business relationships. A contact center directly handles customer interactions and service across various communication channels, such as incoming calls and emails.

The main difference is that a CRM is a management tool that a business may use to help improve a customer’s experience, while the contact center is one of the venues where that customer experience takes place. In fact, customer service agents working in a contact center often use data sourced from CRM systems in the process of assisting customers in need — anything from a phone number needed to call back after a bad cell connection to a customer’s purchase history.

A call center app is a software application that supports call center operations. It often includes features such as call routing; call recording; performance reporting and analytics; and integrations with other systems such as workforce management software, a CRM system or help desk software. Some apps may also offer capabilities for handling other channels like email, live chat or social media.

When a call center software platform is designed to integrate with your company’s data, it seamlessly connects to the platforms where that data is recorded and stored — like a CRM system — and allows call center agents to access relevant data to the customer interaction they’re engaged in. In some cases, the best virtual call center software can go even further, using artificial intelligence (AI) to surface the right knowledge base data at the right time so the agent doesn’t have to hunt it down.

The specific integrations that will be most helpful for a business will depend on the specific needs of that business. No two situations are identical, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer that’s right for every business. That said, there are a few integrations that will provide the biggest benefits more often than not, helping agents to perform better across the board.

In almost all cases, integrating your CRM within your contact center software is going to be helpful. When a customer calls for help, they want that help to be delivered as quickly and painlessly as possible. The more information your customer service agents have about individual customers who contact you, the more quickly they can solve customer issues. The CRM contains a wealth of information about the customer’s interactions with your brand, from start to present, and integration within the right call center software puts that info at the agent’s fingertips.

Also, integrating your call center solutions with unified communications and collaboration (UCC) platforms makes communication including video conferencing easy. Not only can customers converse with agents, but agents can communicate with colleagues across the organization to get support and information as needed.

Finally, bot and AI integration can be a supercharger for your customer service team as well. A chatbot presence means that you can provide a level of support for your customers 24/7/365 without demanding any more from your agents and staff. Integrating your bot instance within your call center software allows the bot to access more information and do more, while also providing agents with valuable information about what customers need, what they’re asking the bot and what they’re not getting from the bot.