Selecting the ideal call center cloud software isn't easy: surging operational costs, aging infrastructure, and juggling multiple vendors are some of the challenges. Elements like scalability, integration, and customer support are important. 

Here, we are spotlighting five standouts: Plivo CX, Genesys Cloud CX, Talkdesk, Zendesk Support Suite, and Nice CXone. Each excels in providing crucial features like real-time analytics, AI-driven chatbots, and versatile multi-channel support. 

Must-Have Features in a Cloud Call Center Technology 

Let's dive into the essential features that separate outstanding cloud contact center solutions:

• Seamless omnichannel support: Service customers on channels they prefer with integrated interactions. Whether it's via phone, email, chat, or social media, the goal remains the same—uninterrupted communication. Look for a platform that centralizes these channels to empower meaningful customer engagements.
• Voice bot, Chatbot and Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Boost your team's efficiency by automating 50-60% of customer service requests with voice bots, chatbots and IVR. Creating automated frameworks to collect and handle customers’ queries, reduces agent workload and speeds up resolution times. Choose a cloud based call center technology that lets you design IVR logic flows, and automate bots using rule-based and conversational AI. 
• Routing: Smart routing is your ally, steering customer interactions smoothly to the right agent based on a matrix of factors, and ensuring every call becomes an opportunity for resolution and connection.
• Empowering tools for agents: Modern agents need modern tools—screen sharing, knowledge base access, and call recording are the hallmarks of an empowered customer support team
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Look for a cloud call center solution that allows you to automate the majority of your customer queries. Only the most complex queries that require human intervention reach your support agents. Even in that case, the AI should serve as a sidekick to your support reps, providing them with the necessary information that will help them to answer customer queries quickly and easily.
• Real-time monitoring: Real-time monitoring lets you see contact center metrics and KPIS of everything—calls, chats, emails—at once. With one central hub, you can provide live coaching to agents, spot trends, and satisfy customers.
• Reporting: Unlock hidden customer insights with comprehensive reporting features! Opt for a call center cloud software that helps you gain insights with historical reports, analyze recordings & transcripts for quality checks, and use performance data to give feedback to agents 
• Integrations: Your call center software cloud software should integrate with CRM, ERP, and other third-party apps for a unified view of customer data and streamlined operations.
• Scalability: Choose a cloud-based call center technology that innovates quickly, thus allowing you to scale your business requirements and not lag behind the evolving industry landscape.
• User-friendly software: Usability and customization should not be an afterthought. Opt for a platform that resonates with your team's expertise and can be tailored to your specific business needs, strategies, and workflows.
• Pricing and ROI: Choose a pricing model that aligns with your budget and usage patterns and offers higher ROI.
• Vendor reputation and support: Ensure your cloud call center solution is reputed, with stellar uptime and speed, even during software updates.

Top Cloud-Based Call Center Technology Solutions 

Now, let’s zoom in on the top cloud call center solutions and examine what they bring to the table.

1. Plivo CX

Plivo CX triumphs with a unified platform, where managing customer interactions is streamlined and intelligent. It focuses on simplicity and AI-powered automation to improve customer experiences and agent efficiency. 

Plivo CX’s cloud-based call center technology is ideal for medium and enterprise-level B2C and eCommerce brands with a multichannel presence.

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Plivo CX features

• Facilitates seamless omnichannel customer care by managing all interactions through a unified agent desktop and eliminates tool juggling
• Builds and deploys AI-powered bots to answer basic questions, deflect calls, and resolve simple issues, freeing up agents for complex inquiries
• Conversation analytics scores allow agents to gain real-time insights into customer emotions during interactions, allowing them to tailor responses and proactively address concerns
• Plivo CX integrates and holistically interacts with home-grown systems as well as popular CRM, ERP, and helpdesk systems for a unified view of customer data that interacts with each other
• Drag-and-drop workflow builder helps you build custom user journeys across all business communication channels thus streamlining customer interactions
• Smart routing feature to route calls, chats, and emails to maximize team efficiency, reduce resolution times, and improve customer satisfaction

Plivo CX limitations

• Does not offer features that aid in quality assurance and workforce management

Plivo CX pricing

• Chat only: $19/user/month
• Growth: $29/user/month
• Business: $69/user/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Plivo CX ratings 

• G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (80+ reviews) 

2. Genesys Cloud CX

Genesys Cloud CX is designed to forecast, collaborate, and automate, setting the stage for stellar customer service. It is used by enterprise organizations that need a deeper level of customer support, including helpdesk, contact center management, and digital channel management.

Genesys Cloud CX features

• AI-powered forecasting helps anticipate call volume and agent needs, allowing you to proactively schedule and optimize staffing, leading to better resource allocation and reduced wait times.
• Built-in collaboration tools like video conferencing and knowledge base access empower agents to deliver better customer service.
• Cloud IVR solutions designed to automate queries and facilitate self-service, thereby reducing the support team’s workload.

Genesys Cloud CX limitations

• Lack of features in Genesys Cloud CX makes it rank lower than their on-premise counterpart
• AI automation is outdated with the platform supporting only rule-based bot workflow builder

Genesys Cloud CX pricing

• Cloud 1: $75/user/month
• Cloud 2: $95 to $115/user/month
• Cloud 3: $135 to $155/user/month

AI Experience is available at an additional cost starting at $40/month

Genesys Cloud CX reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.3/5 (1000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 /5 (200+ reviews) 

3. Talkdesk

Talkdesk's cloud-based call center solution provides businesses with tools that optimize call routing, enable in-depth analytics, and streamline workforce management for enhanced efficiency and productivity. 

This call center software cloud platform is preferred by financial services and insurance, government and education, manufacturing, and healthcare and lifesciences that require workforce engagement management and employee collaboration in addition to omnichannel engagement. 

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Talkdesk features

• Agents can place calls directly from their helpdesk, CRM, eCommerce platform, or website, streamlining communication.
• Configurable multi-level IVR ensures callers are directed to the right support team.
• Real-time generative knowledge and automatic interaction summaries improve your customer support team’s productivity and reduce average handle time.

Talkdesk limitations

• AI capabilities for text conversation channels lack the competency of AI for voice 
• Features for chat channels added to provide omnichannel support lack finesse, for example, the messaging interface doesn’t have automatic refresh, which hampers productivity 

Talkdesk pricing

• Essentials: $75/user/month
• Elevate: $95/user/month
• Elite: $125/user/month
• Experience clouds: Custom pricing

Talkdesk reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.4/5 (2000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (700+ reviews) 

4. Zendesk Support Suite

Zendesk Support Suite provides mid-sized businesses with an omnichannel experience by combining ticketing and customer support capabilities. Known for its simplicity and ease of use, Zendesk's cloud call center software integrates with many third-party apps. 

If your business extensively uses multiple business sources for the flow of information, Zendesk is the contact center platform of choice. 

Zendesk Support Suite features

• Route inquiries across channels like phone, email, chat, and social media to the most qualified available agent based on skills and availability, ensuring efficient resolution.
• Efficient ticket handling feature allows your team to prioritize urgent tickets, thus ensuring prompt resolution of critical issues.
• Self-service hub where customers can find answers, ask questions, and connect with each other. This reduces agent workload and fosters peer-to-peer support.

Zendesk Support Suite limitations

• Issues with uploading and exporting data 
• Limitations and difficulties in implementing basic processes

Zendesk Support Suite pricing

• Suite Team: $55/user/month
• Suite Growth: $89/user/month
• Suite Pro: $115/user/month
• Suite Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Suite Enterprise Plus: Custom pricing

Zendesk Support Suite reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.3/5 (5000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 /5 (3000+ reviews) 

5. Nice CXone

Nice CXone is a cloud-based call center technology offering a clutter-free interface and detailed insights. The secure, robust IVR system and the user-friendly, browser-based Max agent interface allow agents to maintain focus. 

Typically, industries such as healthcare, telecom, and BPO (business process outsourcers) use Nice CXone. 

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NICE CXone features

• Session recording provides invaluable insights into customer interactions with comprehensive call, chat, and screen recordings. Enhance agent performance by identifying improvement areas, analyzing trends, and coaching agents.
• NICE CXone's CCaaS offers crystal-clear voice quality and global reach. Enhance customer satisfaction with flexible routing, real-time analytics, and workforce optimization tools.
• Schedule and route calls to agents intelligently with skill-based routing. Automate the process of forecasting call volumes and proactively assigning agents, minimizing waiting times and ensuring smooth operations.

NICE CXone limitations

• Initial setup, data transfer and implementation is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process that warrants extensive support
• Takes a long time to implement and deploy features 

NICE CXone pricing

• Digital Agent: $71/user/month
• Voice Agent: $94/user/month
• Omnichannel Agent: $110/user/month
• Essential Suite: $135/user/month

NICE CXone reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.3/5 (1000+ review)
• Capterra: 4.2/5 (500+ reviews) 

Scale your Business with Plivo CX’s Call Center Cloud Software 

Choosing the right cloud-based call center technology is critical. Beyond features, pick the solution that threads through your business operations seamlessly, empowering your agents and surpassing customer expectations. 

Plivo CX has a suite of impressive functionalities. Robust features such as a unified agent desktop, real-time conversation analytics score, transcription, drag-and-drop flow builder, custom APIs, integrations, and automation promise a fully realized eCommerce environment.

So why wait? 

Take the next step towards a cloud-powered future with Plivo CX. Sign up today.

Two myths about SMS marketing are that it's intrusive and expensive.

But is it intrusive?

With mailboxes flooded by marketing emails, now more than two in five consumers want to hear from brands through SMS. In fact, consumers from ages 25 to 54 prefer to communicate with brands via SMS over email. SMS is a viable marketing channel. 

Now, is it expensive? 

In this post, we will break down SMS marketing costs, all contributing factors, and how you can build a cost-effective campaign. 

TL;DR: Using CoEngage, you can send a text message in the US for as little as $0.0095 per SMS. More on this later. 

10 Factors That Influence SMS Marketing Costs

Many factors contribute to SMS marketing costs, majorly campaign size, location, and the provider you choose. Here are the top aspects that influence costs:

1. Location

Firstly, the pricing will vary depending on the location of the consumers you are targeting. For example, CoEngage users can send one SMS at a cost between $0.0095 and $0.013  to US consumers. There are additional carrier fees, which will be explained in the next point. 

2. Carrier Fees

Mobile carriers are service providers that deliver messages. Popular mobile carriers are AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. These providers charge a small price called carrier fees, which are added to the SMS cost. 

3. Message Type

If you opt to send an MMS with media images, videos, or GIFs instead of a text message, then the charges can go slightly higher. For instance, for CoEngage users, the cost of sending MMS ranges between $0.029 and $0.039.

 4. Target Audience Size

The more consumers you reach out to, the higher the cost. The pricing scales with the volume of the contact list. 

5. Message Volume

Beyond the contact list, the number of text messages you plan to send in a month also significantly impacts the overall cost. Providers offer different pricing plans based on message volume. Assess your expected volume in advance to choose the right package.   

6. Provider Charges

The cost of SMS marketing largely depends on the service provider you choose and the pricing plans they offer. Three common types of pricing models are:

• Pay-as-you-go: You pay based on message volume and features used.
• Subscription: You pay a flat subscription, which includes a fixed message volume and features in it. 
• Hybrid: You pay a flat subscription for a certain message count limit. After exceeding the limit, pay-as-you-go pricing is enabled, and you are charged based on the message volume. 

Compare the pricing models across different providers based on your expected volume and features. Find a provider with a pricing model that fits your budget and requirements.

7. Phone Number Type

SMS marketing rules are getting stricter to save consumers from spam. You would need a registered number for business text messaging. Below are three main phone number types that you can use for texting:

• Long code: Long code is your usual 10-digit number that looks like a standard phone number. Example: (415) 555-XXXX. Due to the familiar format, messages from these numbers look more personalized and are effective for smaller SMS messaging campaigns. They allow two-way messaging so they can accept replies from consumers.
• Short code: Short codes are typically 5 to 6-digit numbers assigned by carriers for sending and receiving SMS messages. They are often used for mass notifications, marketing campaigns, and customer support. Shortcodes are relatively expensive compared to long-code and toll-free numbers. 
• Toll-free numbers: Toll-free numbers are a hybrid between short codes and long codes. Toll-free numbers support two-way communication, allowing businesses to engage in interactive SMS conversations with their consumers. Toll free is more cost-effective than short codes.

Tip: With CoEngage, you can get a phone number toll-free for free. We are waiving off the toll-free registration charges for all our users. 

8. Keyword Costs 

An SMS keyword is any word or phrase your consumers can text back as part of a campaign. For instance, If you are planning a Thanksgiving campaign, you can ask consumers to reply 'Thanksgiving' keyword to learn more about the offers. 

SMS keywords are usually used for opt-ins and to get a heads-up from consumers if they are further interested in any particular campaign. SMS marketing providers often charge for the usage of any specific keywords.  

9. Customer Support

Another factor that impacts the cost of SMS marketing is the type of support you expect from the provider. SMS marketing providers offer different pricing plans, each with varying levels of customer support. For instance, basic plans usually provide no customer support, mid-level plans may have email or chat support, and enterprise versions can have onboarding or 24*7 support. 

10. Advanced Features and Customization Options

SMS marketing providers can also offer advanced features like segmentation, personalization, AI support, analytics, etc. These features help in designing an effective campaign. The catch is these features could be included in their existing pricing plans or may come at an extra cost. Check for the below features and their pricing before making the decision. 

• Does the provider allow the segmentation of users into smaller groups with specific attributes such as age, gender, location, purchase history, address, etc?
• Does the provider support automation to trigger SMS automatically at a predetermined time or in response to any user action?
• Does the provider have an analytics report capturing KPIs like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and opt-in and opt-out rates?
• Does the provider offer any AI features for campaign support?

Additional Costs To Consider | SMS Marketing Pricing

Below are additional features that can impact SMS marketing costs. While some of these features may be available in the existing pricing plans, some of them could be chargeable. 

1. Integration

Does the SMS marketing provider offer all the necessary integrations? A few must-haves are integration with other platforms like Customer relationship management (CRM)  tools, eCommerce tools, or other marketing tools. Are the integrations available for free, or do you need any enhanced functionality (which is chargeable)?

2. Compliance 

Does the SMS marketing platform follow all compliance and legal considerations? For example, in the US, businesses must follow the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It is a federal law to safeguard consumer privacy. It prohibits marketers from sending any marketing messages if the consumer has not given prior consent. The law also provides timings in which businesses can send marketing messages, i.e., between  8:00 AM and 9:00 PM local time. 

While the SMS marketing providers do not charge separately for compliance, it's important to assess different platforms to find which one is compliant. 

3. Subscribe List Maintenance

SMS marketing providers have a limit on the consumer list in different plans. For instance, the CoEngage starter plan captures 5000 contacts. On the other hand, the pro plan allows unlimited contacts.

4. A/B Testing and Optimization Costs

Another additional cost in the pipeline is the cost of testing campaigns before the actual launch. It includes sending sample emails with different subject lines and content to optimize the campaign before the launch. 

5. Response Handling Costs

Two-way communication or handling responses from consumers may incur additional charges. This includes maintaining opt-in/opt-outs and managing customer responses. If you wish to integrate these responses into your existing systems and store them in CRM or customer support platforms, it may further increase the costs.

How To Calculate ROI on SMS Marketing Campaigns

Calculating return on investment (ROI) for SMS marketing campaigns is assessing how much profit you gained against the investment made. 

The steps to calculate ROI are:

1. Determine total revenue: Find the total revenue generated by the campaign. For example, the number of conversions, purchases, etc. 

2. Define campaign cost: Sum up all costs associated with the SMS campaign. It includes SMS marketing platform fees and any additional expenses.

3. Determine net profit: Find your profit against the investment by subtracting campaign cost from the revenue.   

Net profit= Total revenue - Total campaign cost

4. Calculate ROI: You can calculate ROI with a simple formula.

ROI = (Profit/Campaign cost)*100

Let's understand with an example. You planned an SMS marketing campaign in which you sent promotional emails to 15000 contacts using the CoEngage growth plan (priced at $79 per month). Out of 15000 contacts, 800 consumers made a purchase of $50 each.

Total revenue = 800*$50 = $4000

Campaign cost = $79

Net profit = Total revenue- Campaign cost = $4000 - $79 = $3921

ROI = (Net profit/Campaign cost)*100 = (3921/79)*100 = 4963.29%

Plan Cost-Effective SMS Marketing Campaigns With CoEngage

CoEngage offers a generous growth plan for small and medium businesses with up to 25000 contacts at just $79 per month. And Enterprise versions with unlimited contacts started at just $199 per month. Get in touch with our team to design the most cost-effective SMS campaigns.

For more than a decade, contact centers have been integral in helping organizations and key stakeholders address customer needs and influence their perception of the company’s brand, products, or services. 

Undeniably, its role in delighting customers is growing, and at the same time, today’s contact centers have to adapt to changing customer behavior. 

Findings from a McKinsey case study show that more than half of B2C customers engage with five to six digital channels before they make a purchase decision or resolve a request. This means contact centers must use multiple digital channels to engage with customers. 

That’s where a multichannel customer care strategy allows companies to integrate multiple channels within the agent desktop, enabling contact center agents to handle multi-channel customer interactions. This saves them the gruntwork of spending unnecessary time logging into different systems to manage multiple channels separately. 

Throughout this article, we discuss the top providers of multichannel contact centers, their key features and cons, and help you decide which is best for your business needs. 

What is a Multichannel Contact Center? 

A multichannel contact center is a cloud-based customer service solution integrating different communication channels into one platform. It helps businesses and customer support teams assist customers through channels where the audience resides, including SMS, voice, email, and social media. 

Your customer service agents must be available on multiple channels to fulfill this demand and ensure quick, easy, and seamless customer service. 

What are the Key Features of a Multichannel Contact Center?

A multichannel dashboard

The dashboard is where your agents access the different communication channels, voicemails, call logs, and reports. The channels are usually located on the left-side menu. New activity triggers a notification that agents can click to go to the relevant channel, whether it’s voice, SMS, WhatsApp, or email.

During active calls, the dashboard displays customer interaction history, contact details, order history, and options to change channels.

Advanced dashboards also include AI tools that provide canned responses and educational resources from the company knowledge base to assist customer support agents.

Call queueing

Call queuing puts all the inbound calls into a virtual queue and creates a waiting list for your customer support agents. This allows for:

• More organized call management
• The prevention of agent burnout
• Insight into important customer service metrics like the average wait time

Agents can view who’s in the queue, how long they’ve been waiting, and the expected wait time before responding to a caller.

Advanced multichannel call center software has an automated callback feature that notifies callers when an agent can answer their queries.

Routing and IVR

Multichannel contact centers have built-in routing and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus. Automatic call distribution (ACD) automatically directs customers to the best-suited agents across different channels, depending on the issue. 

IVR lets customers self-resolve basic issues when call agents are unavailable or direct themselves to a queue, announcement, or agent based on their speech or dial tone.

Integrations with third-party apps

Multichannel contact centers integrate with CRM tools (like Zoho and Salesforce), team communication systems (like Slack), and information databases (like AirTable) for real-time flow of information between the contact center software and the other business systems your organization uses. 

Auto-dialer 

An auto-dialer automatically calls leads and analyzes their responses.nIf it detects a human, the call is transferred to an available agent. If it detects voicemail, a pre-recorded message is left for the lead to follow up on.

Why Set up a Multichannel Contact Center? 

Get advanced contact center insights

Multichannel contact centers offer analytics and reports that help you monitor:

• Queue activity 
• Customer behavior
• Team productivity 
• Call volumes
• Customer satisfaction levels

This information helps you understand how well your business is performing, which channels are more popular, and what problems are common among your customers. 

Improves customer service experience 

Salesforce reports that 90% of buyers believe a business's experience is as important as its products or services. Customer service is an important aspect of this experience.

With multiple communication channels, customers can choose the channel they prefer to contact your business, making customer service convenient and personalized. 

Improve agent morale and performance

Multichannel contact center software not only improves customer service but also simplifies the job of your customer support agents. 

A centralized dashboard summarizes all communication channels and customer profiles, enabling agents to respond to clients without monitoring multiple platforms or digging around for important information. Auto dialers and IVR menus are multichannel contact center features that reduce your team’s workload. 

The Top Multichannel Providers In 2024

1. Plivo CX

With Plivo CX’s multichannel customer service contact center, multichannel success is no longer overwhelming or an unachievable aspiration. 

If you’re an eCommerce brand on Shopify, Plivo CX lets you focus on multichannel journeys and provide personalized attention by unifying chatbots, live chat, SMS, and WhatsApp into one conversation. 

To enable businesses to deliver a cohesive customer experience at every touchpoint, Plivo CX has native voice capabilities, which means you don’t need to engage with third-party vendors for in-call features. 

As the best multichannel contact center provider, the additional capabilities of web and in-app chat embedded directly into your website or mobile application let customers interact with you directly while they shop and post-purchase. 

Key Features

• Inbound and outbound calling is complemented with data-driven routing (which directs callers to the most appropriate agent based on their information) and a programmable IVR for shorter wait times
• You also get toll-free numbers in 50+ countries and call recordings for training and quality assurance purposes
• SMS support that allows you to send messages while on call with a caller. You also get drag-and-drop workflows for proactive updates to reduce inbound support
• Offer WhatsApp support with automated responses to common questions and data-enhanced bot conversations
• AI-powered chatbots are capable of sending and receiving documents and photos for faster issue resolution
• Native integrations with nine popular third-party apps, including Shopify, Zendesk, Zoho, HubSpot, and Salesforce
• A drag-and-drop interface helps you build automated customer journey workflows

Limitations

• Lacks features related to quality assurance and workforce management

Pricing

• Growth: $19/user/month with 2000 chat sessions per agent and unlimited SMS
• Business: $39/user/month with 3000 chat sessions per agent and unlimited SMS
• Enterprise: 4000 chat sessions per agent and unlimited SMS. You’ll have to request a quote for pricing

Channels supported 

Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat

Plivo CX ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (80+ reviews) 

2. Gladly

If you’re looking to ditch tickets and transition your support reps into revenue drivers and growth champions, Gladly is your AI customer service platform for multichannel support.

Combine the strengths of your contact center agents and AI-powered personalized self-service to free your agents from redundant tasks and focus on creating loyal customers. 

Ecommerce and B2C businesses with an omnichannel shopping experience use Gladly to consolidate multiple contacts from individual customers and increase the response time. 

Key Features

• A unified dashboard shows every customer conversation in a single place regardless of the channel, offering agents a complete history of customer interaction
• AI features help you reply to messages, summarize conversations, and generate marketing copy
• Gladly Sidekick offers a personalized self-service experience across multiple digital channels

Limitations (G2)

• Overwhelming user interface 
• No dark mode or color-blind support
• For a small business with limited, implementing Gladly can be a cost-deterrent 

Pricing

• Hero: $180/agent/month with multi-channel communication, unified customer view, a centralized knowledge base, and more
• Superhero: $210/agent/month with customer reporting, 99.9% uptime, and premium support

Gladly CX ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (895 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (123 reviews)

Channels supported: Voice, email, SMS, social media, live chat

3. Kustomer

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If you’re in an industry like insurance that needs a unified communication system for cross-functional teams to collaborate and have visibility into the various customer interactions that different teams manage, Kustomer is an enterprise-level multichannel contact center solution for you.

With native integrations, teams get a real-time data stream which the business intelligence team uses to build their reporting. Whether through phone, SMS, email, or chat, you shouldn’t leave knowledge gaps with customer communication and Kustomer helps you do that with AI-powered customer service CRM. 

Key Features

• A timeline view displays each customer interaction in chronological order
• An easy-to-navigate, searchable, and SEO-friendly help center that you add to your app or website to reduce the burden on your agents
• KIQ Customer Assist is an AI tool that responds to customer queries in a conversational tone using only information from your knowledge base

Limitation (G2)

• Integrated tools like Shopify load slowly inside Kustomer
• Customer satisfaction surveys are sometimes missing and have to be searched for
• Frequent downtime

Pricing

• Enterprise: $89/user/month with multi-channel communication, voice provider integration, proactive service, and more
• Ultimate: $139/user/month with real-time user supervision, enhanced routing, real-time dashboards, and more

Channels supported: Chat, social media, email, voice, and SMS

Kustomer ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (411 reviews) 
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (56 reviews)

4. Gorgias 

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Gorgias is an AI-powered customer service platform for Shopify merchants—helping them become an omni-available brand. Automation allows you to provide responsive service on every channel, 24/7, for every question, without hiring extra agents. 

The suite of features, such as Helpdesk, autoresponders, and article recommendations from your help center, saves your team hours each week and offers a great experience for your customers. Your agents will spend less time answering questions, and with the article recommendations, your customers will save time following up. 

Key Features

• AI ticket management prioritizes, assigns, and tags every incoming ticket automatically
• Customer context, such as previous orders, subscription details, and reviews
• Canned responses for FAQs give your agents a headstart and standardize answers

Limitations (G2)

• Limited reporting features
• A steep learning curve
• Automation can be expensive 

Pricing

• Basic: $50/month with 300 monthly tickets
• Pro: $300/month with 2000 monthly tickets
• Advanced: $750/month with 5000 monthly tickets

Channels supported: Email, chatbot, social media, voice, SMS, and WhatsApp

Gorgias ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (507 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (111 reviews)

5. Help Scout

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Think of Help Scout as your unified platform for every customer, vendor, and partner conversation. Built for financial services, SaaS, and ecommerce platforms, Help Scout offers personalized agent support and self-service options for customers to find answers to their questions quickly and easily. 

Use AI to summarize conversations and improve your replies, automation to build customizable workflows, access customer data and their activity at a glance, and integrate with business sources to make your contact center agents’ life easier. 

Key Features

• A shared inbox where your team members collaborate and interact with customers across multiple channels 
• Collaboration features like assignments, private notes, and real-time collision detection ensure only one team member interacts with a customer
• A no-code help center with customizable colors and access control

Limitations

• Lacks support for SMS or voice (Website)
• Buggy workflow automation that doesn’t always work (TrustRadius)
• You can’t ask customers whether your knowledge base articles were helpful (TrustRadius)

Pricing

• Standard: $20/user/month with 2 shared inboxes and 1 knowledge base
• Plus: $40/user/month with 5 shared inboxes and 2 knowledge bases
• Pro: $65/user/month with 25 shared inboxes and 10 knowledge bases

Supported channels: Chat, live chat, email, and social media 

Help Scout ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4 / 5 (403 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (207 reviews)

Your Multichannel Contact Center Search Ends with Contacto

If you’re a small business or an ecommerce store looking to address customer needs and interactions over multiple channels and platforms, Plivo CX is your solution of choice. 

You get an easy-to-use agent for Windows and Mac, a drag-and-drop setup, toll-free numbers in 50+ countries, and SMS and WhatsApp support. Book a demo today!

Once you start using Plivo CX, focus on the popular channels among your customers to avoid getting overwhelmed.

10 Tips for Better Contact Center Management

Contact centers have become essential hubs for businesses aiming to offer exceptional customer service, and each contact center needs a manager to steer the ship.

Mastering contact center management is foundational for fostering a strong customer service team, providing an unparalleled customer experience, and ensuring agent satisfaction.

What is contact center management?

Contact center management focuses on the comprehensive oversight of the center’s operations, from the technologies used in a business’ service motion to the performance of its agents.

Contact center management is a balancing act of ensuring customers have a positive experience while optimizing the performance and satisfaction of agents, and it’s the responsibility of contact center managers to maintain this equilibrium, ironing out any operational wrinkles and guiding their team towards consistent excellence.

Key contact center roles and responsibilities

Contact centers thrive on the synergy between managers and agents, each playing an indispensable role.

What is a contact center manager?

The contact center manager acts as the captain of the ship. They are responsible for training agents, establishing performance metrics, ensuring high-quality service, and creating a positive, productive work environment. The contact center manager’s leadership shapes the overall effectiveness and reputation of the contact center.

What is a contact center agent?

Contact center agents are the ship’s crew, keeping the ship running as it should and acting as the direct link between a business and its customers. Day in, day out, contact center agents interact with diverse customers, answering queries, solving issues, and ensuring each individual feels valued. Their expertise and demeanor directly influence customer perceptions and satisfaction.

10 Tips for effective contact center management

Tip #1: Train agents regularly

A well-informed agent is a game-changer. Continuous training ensures agents are updated with the latest products, industry practices, and communication strategies.

Organizing regular training sessions, like monthly product updates or communication workshops, can bolster agent confidence and equip them with tools for success, enhancing overall agent efficacy.

Tip #2: Use data to make decisions

Data serves as the compass for contact center improvements. By analyzing key metrics such as call durations, customer feedback, or response times, managers can pinpoint areas that need refinement.

This data-driven approach is vital for crafting strategies for success in contact center management and ensuring both agent and customer satisfaction.

Tip #3: Create a positive work atmosphere

The correlation between agent morale and customer satisfaction is undeniable. By cultivating a supportive and engaging work environment, you motivate agents to perform at their best.

Celebratory gestures, like ‘Agent of the Month’ awards or team outings, can uplift spirits and reinforce a sense of community.

Tip #4: Keep communication open

A transparent communication framework is the backbone of efficient operations. It’s essential for agents to feel they can voice concerns or seek guidance without hesitation.

This can be achieved through regular feedback sessions, an open-door managerial policy, and promoting peer interactions, fortifying trust and camaraderie.

Tip #5: Use the latest tech

Incorporating cutting-edge technology can revolutionize contact center operations. Tools like CRM systems not only make processes smoother but also offer agents a wealth of information about customers, allowing for a tailored, efficient service approach.

Embracing current technologies is integral to the modern strategies for success in contact center management.

Tip #6: Set clear goals

As a manager, it’s important to offer transparency in how your agent’s performance is being measured, and to provide attainable benchmarks for success. Clear goals act as roadmaps guiding agents toward exemplary performance.

By defining these benchmarks and revisiting them periodically, managers can provide a structured growth path, catering to agent satisfaction and ensuring they understand their roles and responsibilities.

Tip #7: Listen to customers

Customers’ feedback is invaluable. By actively seeking, analyzing, and implementing their suggestions, contact centers can drastically elevate their service quality.

Regularly engaging your customers and requesting feedback can offer insights into customer satisfaction, guiding refinements and adaptations in your customer service strategy.

Tip #8: Sharpen your skillset

The world of contact centers is dynamic. To stay ahead, it’s imperative to foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptability.

Encouraging agents to attend workshops, partake in courses, or simply share knowledge can invigorate the workforce, driving both personal and professional growth.

Tip #9: Stay flexible

Adaptability is an essential skill for contact center managers. As technologies evolve and customer preferences shift, the ability to swiftly adjust and modify strategies becomes crucial.

A proactive contact center manager always keeps an eye on these trends, ensuring their contact center remains agile and responsive.

Tip #10: Trust your agents

Empowering agents to make decisions not only boosts their confidence but also accelerates issue resolution. Granting them a degree of autonomy, like offering on-the-spot solutions within certain parameters, can streamline operations and significantly enhance the customer experience.

Conclusion

Effective contact center management is an intricate blend of strategy and people skills. Prioritizing both agent and customer needs is the key to unlocking success and growth. Study these contact center management tips and they’ll serve as a comprehensive guide for anyone aspiring to elevate their contact center operations and outcomes.

Looking to level-up your customer service motion? Our cloud contact center offers a simple workspace for customer service teams that seamlessly combines your customer conversations with your existing systems.

Set up some time with us to share your business needs and get started with a free trial.

Other articles you might be interested in:

• Top 100+ Customer Service Statistics and Trends in 2023
• How to Deal with Angry Customers: 12+ Tips that Always Work
• How to Increase Revenue by Improving Agent Satistfaction

Top 100+ Customer Service Statistics and Trends in 2023

We’ve scoured reports from industry leaders and compiled a complete list of the most compelling customer support statistics that will up-level your customer service.

Table of contents:

• 15 key customer service takeaways
• What are customers willing to pay for
• How poor customer service impacts your business
• Creating customer loyalty through excellent service
• The importance of privacy in customer service
• How customer service varies by channel and medium
• Even more ways that customer experience impacts your business
• Links to studies

If you’re looking for more information on meeting the service needs of modern customers, don’t forget to check out our other content:

• Leadership Talk: The Modern State of Customer Support
• How to Deal with Angry Customers: 12+ Tips that Always Work
• Cloud vs. Traditional Contact Centers: 5+ Reasons to Embrace Cloud-based Technology

15 Key Customer Service Takeaways

When customers are willing to pay more for good service

16. ​​​​A significant 63% of Gen Z individuals are willing to pay a premium for a quality mobile experience (PWC).

17. Among those with an annual income under $50,000, 50% express a willingness to pay more for exceptional customer service, compared to only 19% who are unwilling (Hyken).

18. In a group of people earning over $100,000 annually, a substantial 66% state their willingness to pay more, while nearly 15% express unwillingness to do so (Hyken).

19. Nearly 70% of customers are open to paying more for a convenient experience (Hyken).

20. More than 40% of customers are willing to pay extra for the convenience of same-day delivery (PWC).

21. Convenience in delivery is a priority for over 90% of customers, who are willing to pay extra for this service (Hyken).

22. Only 15% of customers are willing to pay more for engaging design, and 12% would do the same for a great atmosphere (PWC).

23. A notable 72% of organizations have a clearly defined customer success strategy in place (Regalix).

24. Nearly 80% of business leaders affirm that customers spend more (34% on average) when they receive a personalized experience (Segment).

How poor customer service impacts your business

25. After encountering more than one negative experience, approximately 80% of consumers prefer doing business with a competitor (Zendesk).

26. It takes a total of 12 positive customer experiences to compensate for a single negative one, according to Ruby Newell-Legner’s “Understanding Customers.”

27. Across all industries, there is a 38% gap between customer expectations and actual service delivery (Hyken).

28. Only one in five consumers is willing to forgive a bad experience at a company with customer service rated as “very poor.” However, nearly 80% are forgiving if they rate the service team as “very good” (Qualtrics XM Institute).

29. A significant 78% of customers have abandoned a purchase due to a poor customer experience (Glance).

30. Approximately 70% of the customer’s journey is shaped by how the customer perceives their treatment (McKinsey).

31. If a problem is service-based, a customer is four times more likely to switch to a competitor (Bain and Company).

32. 61% of customers indicate they would switch to a competitor after just one bad customer service experience (Zendesk).

33. For 72% of customers, explaining a problem to multiple people results in a bad customer service interaction (Zendesk).

34. A noteworthy 79% of high-income households avoid brands for at least two years after a negative experience (Zendesk).

35. If they receive unfriendly service, 60% of customers would cease buying from a brand (PWC).

36. A staggering 96% of customers leave a brand due to poor customer service (Hyken).

37. When employees lack knowledge, 46% of all customers stop doing business with a brand (PWC).

38. Globally, 59% of consumers believe that companies no longer understand the human element of customer experience (PWC).

39. A significant 95% of customers share a bad experience with others, while 87% share a good customer service experience (Zendesk).

Creating customer loyalty through excellent service

The importance of privacy in customer service

50. A significant 88% of individuals trust companies that commit to not sharing their personal information without permission (Salesforce).

51. An overwhelming 92% of customers value companies that grant them control over the information collected about them (Salesforce).

52. Social media is employed as a data collection and analysis tool by 23% of businesses (Gartner).

53. An impressive 79% of customers are willing to provide relevant information about themselves in exchange for personalized interactions that immediately recognize and understand their needs (Salesforce).

54. For 56% of customers, sharing personal information in exchange for improved service is acceptable (Salesforce).

55. A solid 90% of people are more inclined to trust a company if it has a robust privacy policy (Salesforce).

56. A majority (63%) of customers would be more open to sharing their data if they truly value the service (PWC).

57. A significant 61% of customers feel that they’ve lost control over how their personal information is used (Salesforce).

58. Only 40% of customers trust brands to securely and responsibly handle their personal data (Segment).

59. Just 27% of customers have a complete understanding of how companies utilize their personal information (Salesforce).

How customer service varies by channel and medium

60. For 67% of customers aged under 40, the preferred mode of communication is texting (Hyken).

61. Chatbots are employed for customer service by 67% of organizations (Salesforce).

62. Among customers over the age of 40, the easiest means of communication for 66% is through telephone and email (Hyken).

63. Social media (preferred by 12% of customers) and websites (preferred by 10% of customers) rank as the least-preferred customer engagement channels (Regalix).

64. Agent consoles or computers are utilized for managing the majority (54%) of customer calls (Salesforce).

65. Simple issues could be addressed through interaction with a bot, according to 69% of customers (Zendesk).

66. An impressive 98% of customers make use of FAQ, help centers, or other self-service online resources (Zendesk).

67. Digital channels are the preferred mode of engagement for 57% of customers (Salesforce).

68. In comparison to in-store purchases, 53% of customers prefer buying products online (Salesforce).

69. On average, 35% of consumers find the self-service option highly important (Emplifi).

70. For simple matters, 65% of customers prefer self-service options (Salesforce).

71. Contacting customer service through social media is considered convenient by 67% of customers (Zendesk).

72. A substantial 76% of clients expect to receive a response within 24 hours when contacting a brand on social media (Sproutsocial).

Even more ways that customer experience impacts your business

73. Customer experience is a critical factor in purchasing decisions for 73% of clients (PWC).

74. A remarkable 90% of consumers trust a company that they’ve rated as “very good” to cater to their needs (Qualtrics XM Institute).

75. For 70% of customers, the awareness of sales interactions by service agents is pivotal in retaining their business (Salesforce).

76. The expectation that businesses know their unique needs and expectations is held by 63% of consumers, and 76% of B2B buyers share the same expectation (Salesforce Research).

77. Providing cutting-edge digital experiences is seen as necessary by 59% of customers to maintain their business relationships with companies (Salesforce).

78. Including personalized consumer experiences can improve your online conversion rate by approximately 8% (Trust Pilot).

79. An overwhelming 88% of customers today have higher expectations compared to the past (HubSpot).

80. While nearly 76% expect consistent interactions across departments, 54% believe that sales, marketing, and customer service teams don’t share information (Salesforce).

81. Understanding their unique needs and expectations is desired by 73% of customers (Salesforce).

82. A significant 76% of customers expect to engage with a customer representative immediately upon first contact with a company (Zendesk).

83. A friendly, welcoming service defines industry success for 48% of U.S. consumers (PWC).

84. A quick response to the initial inquiry impacts the choice of the company to buy from for 89% of clients (Zendesk).

85. The speed at which their problem is resolved defines good customer service for 69% of consumers (Zendesk).

86. For almost 80% of American consumers, the most important elements of a good customer experience are speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service (PWC).

87. Company employees have a significant impact on the experience for 71% of customers (PWC).

88. The experience a company provides is as important as its products and services for 80% of customers (Salesforce).

89. 87% of companies believe that customer success programs have aided clients in adopting products and services (Regalix).

90. Customer support having access to the status of their most recent order is expected by 64% of Baby Boomers (Epsilon).

91. A satisfying experience with a company is reported by 77% of customers (Hyken).

92. Sales reps who understand their goals are more likely to be chosen by 84% of customers (Salesforce).

93. Poor quality of product or service leads a 34% decrease in continued customer purchases from a brand (Morning Consult).

94. The experiences with one industry influence the expectations for others for 62% of customers (Salesforce).

95. Loyalty is driven for 63% of customers when they receive a discount within an hour of interacting with a brand (Segment).

96. Personalization is attractive to 90% of customers (Epsilon).

97. A 5% increase in customer retention results in more than a 25% increase in profit (Bain & Company).

98. On average, customer service agents only ask for a customer’s name 21% of the time (Glance).

99. The pandemic has raised customer service expectations for 48% of clients (Zendesk).

100. Despite technological advances, 55% of customers believe we will still need support agents for positive customer experiences (PWC).

Enhanced customer service with PlivoCX

Looking to level-up your customer service motion? Our modern cloud contact center offers a simple workspace for customer service teams that seamlessly combines your customer conversations with your existing systems.

Set up some time with us to share your business needs and get started with a free trial.

Other articles you might be interested in:

• Leadership Talk: The Modern State of Customer Support
• How to Deal with Angry Customers: 12+ Tips that Always Work
• Cloud vs. Traditional Contact Centers: 5+ Reasons to Embrace Cloud-based Technology

References:

• 15 Customer Self-Service and Experience Stats To Know (2020) – Vanilla Forum
• Emplifi Consumer Expectations Report
• Zendesk CX Trends Report 2022 – AI and automation
• Connect employee engagement with performance – Gallup
• Americans Have Increased Their Impulse Spending by 14% in 2022 Compared to 2021, According to Annual Survey Commissioned by Slickdeals
• Customer journey needs statistics
• Customer Onboarding Statistics 2020
• Customer Service and Business Results: A Survey of Customer Service from Mid-Size Companies
• Customer Service and Customer Experience Report
• Customer service is worse than ever and so is consumers’ rage
• CUSTOMERS 2020: A PROGRESS REPORT
• Employee Motivation in the United States
• Experience is everything: Here’s how to get it right
• Global State of Customer Service
• Global study: Consumer engagement best practices for 2020
• Local Consumer Review Survey 2020
• New Epsilon research indicates 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences
• Prescription for Cutting Costs
• State of customer success
• STATE OF SERVICE
• The State of Customer Service in 2020
• The Value of Online Customer Loyalty and How You Can Capture It
• What Are Customer Expectations, and How Have They Changed?
• WHAT DRIVES BRAND LOYALTY TODAY
• What is the impact of customer service on lifetime customer value?
• Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020
• The State of Customer Service in 2022 [HubSpot Data]
• Salesforce Report: Nearly 90% Of Buyers Say Experience a Company Provides Matters as Much as Products or Services
• Zendesk CX Trends Report 2022 – Challenges
• Salesforce State of the Connected Customer 4th Edition
• Live Chat Exposes a Fatal Flaw in Your Go-to-Market
• Zendesk research: customer satisfaction
• Zendesk CX Trends Report 2022 – Growth Areas
• The social media customer service statistics brands need to know in 2022
• Forrester’s US 2022 Customer Experience Index: Nearly 20% Of Brands See Drop In Customer Experience Quality – Forrester

Within a Cloud Contact Center where hundreds, if not thousands, of tickets flow in, managing angry customers isn’t a simple task.

Successfully navigating these situations, however, plays a critical role in fostering customer loyalty and reducing friction.

Dealing with Angry Customers

Imagine you’re a customer support agent in a bustling Cloud Contact Center. The phone rings, and on the other end is a disgruntled customer, venting about an unresolved issue they’ve faced multiple times. The pressure is on to pacify them and find a solution, all while maintaining the image and reputation of your company.

To sail smoothly through the stormy waters of customer complaints, we must take a look at what makes a customer angry in the first place.

What Makes a Customer Angry?

Every customer is different, with unique preferences and pain points. However, there are some common threads that seem to ignite frustration among the majority.

Understanding these can give agents a proactive edge in tackling issues even before they escalate. Here are some typical triggers:

1. Unresolved issues: When a customer faces the same problem repeatedly without a clear resolution, it can lead to mounting frustration.
2. Long wait times: We’ve all been here — nobody enjoys waiting, especially when they need immediate assistance. For customers seeking urgent support, prolonged waiting periods can heighten their agitation.
3. Miscommunication: When promises don’t match deliverables, it’s a recipe for disappointment. Miscommunication can stem from ambiguous terms, misinformation, or even language barriers, leading to a mismatch in expectations.
4. Feeling undervalued: Every customer, regardless of the size of their purchase or the frequency of their engagement, wants to feel important and valued. If they sense indifference or a lack of respect, it can rapidly sour their experience.

Understanding these triggers and the underlying concerns of your angry customer is a crucial step toward resolution.

How to deal with angry customers: 12 tips

Now that we’ve covered why your customers might be angry to begin with, we must take a look at how to resolve their frustrations.

Fortunately, there are time-tested and proven methods for dealing with upset customers that can turn a negative customer experience into a positive customer experience.

Tip #1: Listen Actively The foremost step is to listen. More than a solution, sometimes the customer just wants to be heard. Let them share their grievances without interruptions. For example, say, “I apologize and understand your concern. Please tell me more about your issue, so I can best help you.”

Tip #2: Empathize with Their Situation Show genuine concern for their issues. A simple statement like, “I’ve been there,” or, “I can imagine that was frustrating,” can bridge the gap between the company and the customer.

Tip #3: Stay Calm and Professional No matter how heated the situation, maintain your cool. Responding with calm reassures the customer. Instead of saying, “You’re wrong,” you might say, “Let’s find out what went wrong.”

Tip #4: Use Positive Language Focus on what can be done rather than what cannot. Instead of “We can’t immediately process your refund,” say, “We will process your refund within 48 hours.”

Tip #5: Offer Solutions, Not Blame Shifting the blame doesn’t help. Focus on finding a viable solution for the customer. Offer them a workaround if an immediate solution isn’t available.

Tip #6: Apologize Sincerely An honest apology can go a long way. “I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience you’ve faced,” conveys empathy and acknowledgment.

Tip #7: Offer Follow-Up Check-ins After resolving an issue, make a note to follow up with the customer after a day or two. This shows proactive concern and might prevent future grievances.

Tip #8: Stay Informed Know your product or service inside out. If you’re unsure about something, tell the customer, “Give me a moment. I’ll find out for you.”

Tip #9: Offer Alternative Solutions If a direct solution isn’t possible, offer alternatives. “Although X isn’t available right now, may I suggest trying Y?”

Tip #10: Stay Patient and Don’t Take Offense It’s essential to remember that the customer isn’t angry with you, but with the situation. Patience can help in understanding the core issue better.

Tip #11: Seek Feedback Post-resolution, request feedback. Simply asking “Is there anything else I can help you with?” or “How can we serve you better next time?” can provide key insights.

Tip #12: Document the Interaction Ensure that every interaction is logged and available for review down the line. This will help in future communications and will serve as a reference for recurrent issues.

More tips for dealing with angry customers

Bonus Tip #1: Avoid Over-Promising It’s crucial to set realistic expectations. If you cannot guarantee a resolution within a specific timeframe, don’t promise it. Instead, give a timeframe you’re sure you can meet, and if possible, try to exceed that expectation.

Bonus Tip #2: Use Their Name Personalize the conversation by using the customer’s name during the interaction. This small touch can make the conversation feel more human and let the customer know they’re not just another ticket number.

Bonus Tip #3: Continuous Training The world of customer service is constantly evolving. Regularly train your team on new tools, techniques, and soft skills. This ensures they’re always prepared with the latest knowledge to handle a variety of situations.

Reduce Customer Friction to Create Loyalty

Resolving a customer’s issue promptly can transform their experience from frustrating to fantastic. It’s all about the approach and perspective. A satisfied customer not only sticks around but also becomes a brand ambassador, spreading positive word-of-mouth.

Conclusion

Dealing with angry customers can be challenging, but with the correct approach, it can be turned into an opportunity to cultivate customer loyalty. Patience, empathy, and a problem-solving mindset can provide even the most irate customer with a positive customer experience.

Looking to level-up your customer service motion? Our cloud contact center offers a simple workspace for customer service teams that seamlessly combines your customer conversations with your existing systems.

Set up some time with us to share your business needs and get started with a free trial.

Other articles you might be interested in:

• How to Reduce Customer Friction and Remove Common Hurdles
• Leadership Talk: The Modern State of Customer Support
• Simple Ways to Improve the Ecommerce Customer Experience

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Telecommunications fraud costs billions of dollars each year — estimates put global losses from telecom fraud between $25-40 billion annually — and every business is a potential victim. That’s because every organization uses telecom services — voice calls, SMS, even website click-to-call — which means they’re targets for sophisticated criminals looking to exploit vulnerabilities and rack up unauthorized charges.

Types of telecom fraud

What constitutes telecom fraud? There are many common types of telecom scams.

1. SMS pumping: This involves sending high volumes of SMS messages to premium rate numbers owned by the fraudster. They make money off the interconnect fees paid by the operator.
2. International revenue share fraud (ISRF): Fraudsters hack into business PBX systems or cloud services and make expensive international calls that terminate on high tariff destinations. The revenue is shared between fraudsters.
3. SIM box or SIM farm fraud: This uses SIM boxes with multiple prepaid SIM cards to terminate international calls as local calls, bypassing international rates.
4. Subscription fraud: Getting postpaid connections using fake identities to make calls and default on payments.
5. PBX hacking: Gaining access to enterprise phone systems to make unauthorized calls.
6. Robocalls: Illicit robocalls may use your numbers without your consent, harming brand reputation.

Telecom fraud prevention

Fighting fraud takes the combined efforts of governments, carriers, cloud providers like Plivo, and businesses. A number of tools and techniques are available from each of these entities to detect and mitigate telecom fraud.

✔ Government measures

At the government level, in the last couple of years we’ve seen a mandate for the use of the STIR/SHAKEN framework for caller ID authentication to verify originating numbers and identify spoofed calls in the US and Canada. Information from STIR/SHAKEN gives individuals more information about whether they should pick up an incoming call.

Governments can take other measures as well. In addition to making it harder to spoof phone numbers, the UK government plans to ban cold calls on all financial products, and ban SIM farms, which criminals use as a way to bypass legitimate communications platforms to send thousands of scam texts at once. In India, officials are working on a bill to mandate that the identity of a person sending a message or calling be visible to the receiver irrespective of the platform used for communication.

✔ Carrier measures

At the carrier level, US carriers have mandated businesses register their brands and use 10-digit long codes (10DLC) for application-to-person texting over long codes — regular 10-digit phone numbers. Similarly, toll-free numbers must be verified before being used for texting, and short codes have to meet carrier-mandated conditions when they’re set up. All of these measures are designed to mitigate unwanted robocalls.

Carriers have several other tools at their disposal.

• Real-time fraud management, in which carriers use AI and ML to analyze call patterns and identify fraud immediately through rule-based scoring.
• Fraud analytics, which uses historical data to identify fraud trends, high-risk periods, and fraud hotspots through geospatial analytics.
• Blockchain, in testing now by some operators, may provide immutable caller ID verification between networks.

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✔ Service provider measures

Cloud providers help combat fraud by offering geo permissions to disable call routes to countries and regions in which a business has no presence, thereby avoiding potential ISRF. Plivo, for instance, lets you filter calls to specific countries and continents, and block high-risk voice network groups.

Service providers also offer tools businesses can use to lower the risk of fraud. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a critical tool for keeping unauthorized individuals out of company accounts and away from company resources.

✔ Customer measures

As a business you can adopt several practices on your own to counter telecom fraud:

• Work with telecom providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN caller authentication and trace back spoofed calls originating from your numbers.
• Use CAPTCHA as appropriate to deter bots from exploiting systems.
• Conduct regular dark web scans to check whether any numbers you use are being sold to scammers.
• Deploy tools to block high-risk traffic identified through telecom fraud analytics.
• Have your application server or content delivery network set rate limits by user, IP address, or device identifier, to prevent sending more than 1 message per n seconds to the same mobile number range or prefix. You can also limit call duration or the number of concurrent calls.
• Monitor customer complaints about receiving robocalls/spam from your numbers.
• Require 2FA for all account and data access. Confirm users’ email addresses and/or phone numbers before enrolling them in 2FA.
• Audit telecom invoices frequently for unusual spikes.

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✔ Individual awareness

All of those techniques can cut the risk of fraud for businesses and limit risks for their customers as well. However, individuals still have to stay alert and cautious to avoid being targeted by fraud that slips past all of the defenses. Number spoofing may be the most common scammer technique, in which fraudsters mimic legitimate numbers to socially engineer victims. Advanced telecom analytics solutions can help detect unusual calling patterns associated with these scams, providing an additional layer of protection.Another is Wangiri fraud, where scammers call phone numbers and hang up after one ring to bait recipients into calling back premium rate numbers. The more cautious your customers are, the less likely they are to become victims of telecom fraud.

Stay safe out there

Telecom fraud has been around for about as long as the telephone itself. As calling technology changes and evolves, so do scammers’ techniques. Businesses need to take advantage of layered fraud prevention provided by governments and carriers and continuously refine their own anti-fraud practices. With proactive participation from the business side, carriers can often trace, flag, and block fraudulent telecom activity being conducted over your platforms and numbers.

Plivo is committed to complying with all national and carrier regulations and best practices reducing telecom fraud. Our goal is to help you keep your customers safe from phone scams while controlling unauthorized telecom charges.

Cloud contact centers are revolutionizing how businesses serve customers, offering enhanced flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency compared to on-premise contact center solutions.

Read on to explore the differences between cloud and on-premise contact centers, cloud benefits, and to determine if cloud technology is the right fit for your business.

What is a Cloud Contact Center?

A cloud contact center is a centralized online platform hosted by a third-party service provider, accessible over the internet, which manages both inbound and outbound customer interactions across various communication channels.

Unlike traditional on-premise contact centers, cloud contact centers enable agents to access the system from anywhere with an internet connection, while the vendor handles system administration and maintenance.

What is a Traditional On-Premise Contact Center?

A traditional on-premise contact center relies on physical infrastructure located within a business’s premises. It involves owning and managing the hardware, software, and networking components required for customer interactions.

With traditional, on-premise contact centers, agents are required to work from the designated facility, limiting flexibility and scalability.

Key Differences: Cloud vs. Traditional Contact Centers

The main difference between cloud and traditional contact centers comes down to where they reside — in the cloud or on-site.

However, this distinction has far-reaching implications that shape the overall efficiency, scalability, and adaptability of these contact center models.

Benefits of Using a Cloud Contact Center:

1. Anywhere, Anytime Accessibility: Cloud contact centers allow agents to work remotely, enhancing flexibility and job satisfaction while reducing overhead costs associated with maintaining a physical facility.
2. Predictable Costs: Monthly subscription models of cloud contact centers facilitate accurate financial forecasts, eliminating unexpected expenses for hardware repairs or upgrades.
3. Scalability: Cloud-based solutions offer the flexibility to expand or contract resources as needed, allowing businesses to accommodate fluctuating demands without substantial investments.
4. Omnichannel Approach: Cloud contact centers seamlessly integrate multiple communication channels, providing agents with a holistic view of customer interactions and enabling efficient problem resolution.
5. Quick Deployment: Cloud solutions are rapidly deployed without the need for extensive installation, resulting in shorter setup times compared to traditional counterparts.
6. Stress-Free IT: Third-party providers manage maintenance, updates, and integrations, freeing up internal resources for core customer service tasks.

Considerations for Traditional Contact Centers:

1. Sunk Cost Fallacy: Businesses heavily invested in on-premise systems may resist change due to sunk costs. However, focusing solely on past investments overlooks the benefits of modern cloud technology.
2. Control and Security: Some businesses prioritize on-premise setups for data security and customization control. However, cloud contact centers are enhancing security measures and customization options.

Choosing the Right Contact Center Solution for Your Business

Choosing between cloud and traditional contact centers hinges on your business’s unique requirements, goals, and constraints. Here are some scenarios where a cloud contact center could be the optimal choice:

1. Rapid Scalability: If your business is poised for growth and needs to swiftly expand its customer support operations, a cloud contact center offers agility and scalability.
2. Flexibility: For businesses that need to adapt quickly to changing customer demands and industry trends, the cloud’s flexibility allows for swift adjustments.
3. Limited Resources: Smaller businesses with restricted time, internal resources, and IT expertise can benefit from the ease of deployment and maintenance offered by cloud solutions.
4. Multichannel Approach: If your business intends to engage customers through various channels, a cloud contact center’s omnichannel capabilities streamline communication and problem-solving.
5. Advanced Features: Cloud contact centers provide access to cutting-edge technologies, from AI-powered chatbots to sophisticated analytics, enabling enhanced customer experiences.

Conclusion

The evolution of contact centers from traditional on-premise setups to cloud-based solutions signifies a transformation in customer service. Cloud contact centers offer unprecedented flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency, empowering agents to provide exceptional experiences regardless of their physical location.

If you’re ready to transition to a cloud contact center and position your customer service operations for success in the digital age, Contacto makes automation and omnichannel communication simple.

Set up some time with us to share your business needs and get started with a free trial.

Chatbots have been making waves in the customer service industry, providing a range of advantages that can enhance the customer experience by reducing customer friction, increasing revenue, and alleviating pressure on human agents.

From providing 24/7 availability to offering personalized recommendations, chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the way businesses interact with their customers.

What is a Chatbot?

Put simply, a chatbot is a computer program designed to quickly respond to and assist customers with their questions. Whenever a customer initiates contact through a communication channel, a chatbot will attempt to identify and resolve the customer’s issue by offering solutions to common problems.

Modern chatbots like Contacto’s can even be configured to trigger customized workflows dynamically based on customer responses, enhancing your business’ ability to gather relevant information from your customers before they connect with an agent.

Benefits of Chatbots

We’ve compiled 10 benefits of chatbots, and tips for how you can use automation to enhance the customer service experience, while also alleviating pressure on customer service agents, increasing revenue, and creating repeat business:

1. 24/7 Availability: Chatbots can provide 24/7 availability to customers, which is not always possible with human agents. This means customers can receive immediate assistance, regardless of the time of day or night. This can increase customer satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of negative reviews or customer churn due to unaddressed concerns.
   
2. Quick Response Times: Chatbots are capable of responding to customer inquiries in seconds, providing instant answers and minimizing the waiting time for customers. This can reduce frustration and increase overall customer satisfaction, while also freeing up customer service agents to handle more complex issues.
   
3. Cost-Effective: Chatbots can help companies save on labor costs, as they can handle a large volume of customer inquiries simultaneously. This can allow companies to allocate their resources more efficiently and effectively, while also reducing the need to hire additional staff to handle customer service inquiries.
   
4. Reduced Pressure on Human Agents: Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues. This can reduce burnout and turnover among customer service agents, while also increasing the likelihood of positive customer interactions.
   
5. Improved Context for Issue Resolution: Chatbots can gather information from customers and provide context to customer service agents before the customer is transferred to a human agent. This can help agents provide more efficient and effective solutions, as they will have a better understanding of the customer’s issue before the interaction begins.
   
6. Increased Revenue: Chatbots can increase customer engagement by providing answers to questions that prospective customers may have while evaluating your product. This can increase revenue and customer loyalty, while also improving the overall customer experience.
   
7. Multilingual Support: Chatbots can provide support in multiple languages, making it easier for companies to expand into international markets. This can increase customer satisfaction and reduce language barriers for customers.
   
8. Consistent and Accurate Responses: Chatbots can provide consistent and accurate responses to customer inquiries, reducing the likelihood of miscommunications or misunderstandings. This can increase customer confidence in the company and its products or services.
   
9. Improved Data Collection: Chatbots can gather customer data and provide insights into customer behavior, preferences, and pain points. This can help companies improve their products or services, as well as their overall customer service strategy.
   
10. Creating Repeat Business: A positive customer service experience, facilitated in part by chatbots, can create repeat business and increase customer loyalty. Customers who have had a positive interaction with a chatbot are more likely to return to a company for future purchases or services.

So we ask the question again: what is a chatbot? A chatbot is a useful self-service tool that is evolving the modern customer service experience by providing 24/7 availability, reducing the pressure on your human agents, and decreasing the time to ticket resolution for your customers.

The Importance of Self-Service in Customer Support

In our recent Leadership Talk on the Modern State of Customer Support, Plivo’s head of support Renu Yadav highlighted the importance of self-service tools:

“Self-service options are a great way to reduce the number of queries coming to support agents and allow them to focus on more complex problems. I also think that it is important to build an extensive FAQ section so that customers can easily find answers to common questions.

I also think that chatbots and AI can be valuable tools for customer support. They can provide instant, 24/7 support for simple inquiries or issues, and they can also gather initial information before escalating more complex issues to human agents.”

How PlivoCX’s Chatbot can automate your customer service

PlivoCX’s modern chatbot leverages advanced automation technology to enhance the customer service experience for businesses of all sizes. With features like 24/7 availability, quick response times, and multilingual support, Contacto’s chatbot is an excellent example of the potential that this technology can bring to your business.

By embracing chatbot technology in your contact center, companies can provide better customer service, reduce costs, and increase revenue, all while freeing up their human agents to focus on more complex tasks.

With the rapid advancements in AI technology, chatbots are only going to become more sophisticated and capable of handling even more tasks, making them an essential tool for any modern business looking to stay ahead of the competition.

So why wait? Start exploring the benefits of chatbots today and see how they can revolutionize your customer service experience.