A Guide to Choose the Best Contact Center Software for Your Enterprise

Contact centers come in different types and sizes. If we speak about the latter, then some contact centers believe in the philosophy of German-British statistician and economist Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, which is “Small Is Beautiful.”

Such contact centers employ a handful number of agents and customer service representatives and handle less volume of calls. They can manage their operations using basic and simple communication tools and software.

Next comes mid-sized contact centers that have a relatively higher number of agents and employees compared to small-sized contact centers. Even though such contact centers handle higher volume of calls from customers and stakeholders, they can manage their communication needs using a ‘pro-level’ contact center software solution, which is a much superior version than the ‘basic level’ software. It lies between the basic level and enterprise-grade contact center software.

The third type of contact centers are large-sized, enterprise-level contact centers that employ hundreds, even thousands of employees and agents. Such contact centers handle hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of calls every week.

Such contact centers need specialized equipment and software that can help them handle all incoming and outgoing calls in an efficient manner. To paraphrase Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates, enterprise contact centers need software that is a great combination between artistry and engineering.

This blog post discusses everything about enterprise-level contact centers, what is enterprise contact center software, how it is different from regular contact center software, what are the key features of enterprise contact center software, how to choose the best enterprise contact center software, and five best enterprise contact center software. Read on and thank us later.

What Is an Enterprise Contact Center?

An enterprise contact center is a centralized hub within a large business or organization that manages all incoming and outgoing communications across various channels such as phone calls, emails, web chats, social media messages, and more.

Enterprise contact center refers to the contact centers of large-sized organizations that handle hundreds of thousands of customer interactions from across the globe. The purpose of an enterprise contact center is to provide efficient and effective customer service, support, and sales assistance.

It serves as a point of contact where customers can reach out for help, information, or to make purchases, and where businesses can engage with their audience to address their needs and concerns.

What Is Enterprise Contact Center Software?

As the name suggests, enterprise contact center software is a software solution that’s specially engineered for enterprise contact centers.

It’s a centralized platform used by large organizations or enterprises to handle customer inquiries, support requests, sales inquiries, and other interactions efficiently and effectively.

It comprises a comprehensive suite of tools and technologies designed to manage and optimize customer interactions across various communication channels such as phone calls, emails, chat, social media, and more.

How is Enterprise Contact Center Software Different from Regular Contact Center Software?

When it comes to the difference between enterprise contact center software and regular contact center software, both are extremely different from each other as far as functionalities are concerned. Here are some major differences between enterprise contact center software and regular contact center software:

	Various Functionalities	Enterprise Contact Center Software	Regular Contact Center Software
1	Scale	Enterprise contact center software is engineered to handle high call volumes (thousands or millions of interactions) and support a large number of agents across multiple locations or departments.	Regular contact center software is usually suitable for small to medium-sized businesses with fewer agents and lower call volumes.
2	Location	Enterprise-level contact center software is equipped to handle the needs of organizations operating in diverse geographical locations. With multi-language support, enterprise contact center software enables seamless communication and interaction between customers and agents.	Regular contact center software tends to have limited language support features and it usually offers support for only a few languages or catering primarily to a specific geographic region. It is localized or regional and offers few language support features.
3	Agent Volume	Enterprise contact center software can handle hundreds or thousands of agents. It is designed to accommodate the needs of large organizations with extensive agent networks.	Regular contact center software can handle a handful to a few dozen agents. Regular contact center software is typically geared towards small to medium-sized businesses with more modest agent requirements.
4	Call Routing	Equipped with advanced call routing capabilities, all enterprise contact center software are tailored to the complex needs of large organizations. They enable complex and sophisticated call routing to multiple departments.	Regular contact center software provides basic call routing capabilities suitable for smaller-scale operations. It typically supports routing calls to a limited number of departments or queues with relatively simple call flows.
5	Security and Compliance	Enterprise-level contact center software places a strong emphasis on security and compliance. Such type of contact center software meets industry-specific regulations and offers high levels of security.	Compared to enterprise contact center software, regular contact center software may offer limited security features and compliance options. It includes basic security measures such as user authentication and data encryption.
6	Onboarding and Support	Enterprise contact center software provides personalized onboarding, training and workshops, dedicated account manager, and ongoing support.	Regular contact center software provides limited onboarding and support options. It cannot match the onboarding and support provided by enterprise contact center software.
7	Customization	Enterprise contact center software is highly customizable, allowing organizations to tailor the software to their unique workflows, business rules, and branding requirements.	Regular contact center software may have limited customization options, with pre-defined templates and configurations that may not fully meet the specific needs of larger organizations.

Key Features of Enterprise Contact Center Software

Enterprise contact center software solutions come equipped with a wide range of sophisticated features. Some of them are:

1. CRM Integration

Enterprise contact center software solutions easily integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and other business applications. This enables agents to access customer information, purchase history, and previous interactions, enabling personalized and efficient service.

2. Multi-Level IVR

Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system allows customers to interact with an automated system using voice or keypad inputs to route their calls to the appropriate department or provide self-service options.

3. Skill-Based Routing

When customers call an enterprise-level contact center, the enterprise contact center software routes calls to agents based on their skillset, language proficiency, or expertise. By doing so, it ensures customers are connected to the most qualified representative to address their needs.

4. Omnichannel Experience

Manage customer interactions across multiple channels like voice, email, chat, social media, and SMS. Seamless integration and management of interactions across various channels to provide a consistent customer experience.

5. Workforce Management Tools

Enterprise contact center software helps in forecasting call volumes, scheduling agents, managing shifts, and tracking attendance to ensure adequate staffing levels and optimize resource utilization.

6. Security and Compliance

Advanced security features in enterprise contact center software protect sensitive customer information and ensure legal compliance. Some robust security features include data encryption, role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, two-step verification, and more.

7. Self-Service Options

Enterprise contact center software solutions offer self-service options such as FAQs, knowledge bases, and automated chatbots to empower customers to find answers to common queries without agent assistance, reducing wait times and improving satisfaction.

How To Handpick the Best Enterprise Contact Center Software?

When it comes to investing in an enterprise contact center software solution, selecting the right one can make all the difference. Here are some proven strategies to help you handpick the right enterprise contact center software:

1. Know the Features You Want and Set a Reasonable Budget

Now that we have discussed the top features in enterprise contact center software, you can determine the features that would be best suited for your enterprise-level contact center software.

Determining the features would enable you to set a reasonable budget. That would prevent you from over-investing and under-investing in the contact center software.

2. Look For Reliable and Reputable Software Providers

You know the features you want in your contact center software as well as you have set a reasonable budget. It’s time to look for a reliable and reputable software provider. Take out your smartphone or switch on your laptop and type “best enterprise contact center software,” “top enterprise contact center software,” “most affordable enterprise contact center software,” and more. You can also look for top 10 or 20 software solutions available such as “10 best enterprise contact center software” or “best enterprise contact center software in 2024.”

You can also try some location-specific search terms such as “best enterprise contact center software in the US,” “best enterprise contact center software in UK,” “best enterprise contact center software in Canada,” “best enterprise contact center software in Australia,” and “best enterprise contact center software in South Africa.”

3. Visit Websites and Compare Features, Prices, Pros and Cons

After getting the results, click on some websites and compare features, prices, pros and cons, and more. Feel free to visit some software providers’ websites as it will help you get in-depth information about their software solutions, brand’s story, mission and vision, features, pricing plans, contact information, and more.

Also consider visiting some aggregators’ websites such as G2 and SoftwareSuggest to get a bird’s-eye-view on 10 to 20 software in one place and compare their features, prices, pros and cons, etc.

4. Call Software Providers and Avail Free Demo

After visiting some websites, you will find that some software providers’ software solutions are likely to meet your requirements. It’s time to shortlist those providers and call them one by one.

Ask them some insightful questions about their software such as the pricing plans, the frequency of payment, if they provide any financing options, and, of course, the free demo.

5. Try the Demo Version and Make Informed Decision

Introduce the free demo version of the enterprise contact center software to your customer service team.

Ask your representatives to use the software for the entire duration of the free trial and seek their honest feedback. If the software ticks all the right boxes, consider buying it without any delay.

5 Best Enterprise Contact Center Software

Here are the best five enterprise contact center software solutions that gained a lot of popularity in 2024 and are poised to keep up their performance.

1. HoduSoft

HoduSoft’s HoduCC enterprise contact center software is one of the best enterprise contact center software available in the market. HoduSoft’s HoduCC enterprise contact center software comes equipped with a wide range of features including Cloud-based collaboration, HD voice and video, Advanced Call Routing, real-time analytics, and seamless integration.

It has also bagged many prestigious awards including NXTGEN BPO CONFEX & AWARDS 2023, 2023 Excellence Award by INTERNET TELEPHONY Magazine, 12th Edition BPO Innovation Summit and Awards 2023, and more.

One of the best things about HoduSoft’s HoduCC enterprise contact center software is the wide range of pricing plans for different types of businesses and industries. The plans are highly customizable as per business needs. The best part is, the company provides a month-long free trial.

Some pros of HoduCC enterprise contact center software

5000+ plus concurrent calls and 2000+ seats
Attractive UI/UX
High-quality features
Omnichannel integration Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp
Integration with all major CRMs including SalesForce in addition to partnering with Zoho
Excellent track record and credentials
Extremely attractive pricing plans and month-long free demo

Some cons of HoduCC enterprise contact center software

Relatively new to the market

2. Nextiva

Nextiva is one of the leading enterprise contact center software providers in the world that bundles contact center as a service and unified communications as a service, which gives single bill for contact center infrastructure and telephony systems.

The contact center software provider offers unlimited calling throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its price starts from USD 17.95 to USD 23.95 per month per user. The price is charged annually. It provides faxing at no additional cost.

Some of the pros of Nextiva include:

Unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada
Free local and toll-free number
At least 1,500 toll-free minutes per month
Unlimited internet faxing
VoIP hardware available for sale or lease
Offers business numbers
Offers team collaboration tools such as one-on-one messaging and multiple group chat rooms

Some of the cons of Nextiva:

Live customer support could be better
No integration marketplace
Video calling restricted to 45 minutes per call
Limited SMS or MMS capabilities

3. 8×8

8×8 is an excellent enterprise contact center software provider that combines contact center, voice, video, chat, and enterprise API solutions. The enterprise contact center software service combines voice, video and chat tools with a cloud-based PBX system to create an all-encompassing communication solution.

The 8×8, all-in-one space for managing customer communication and cross-company collaboration. It allows businesses to develop rather complex systems for internal and external communication.

It provides public and private live-streaming of meetings through YouTube. Also provides access to integrations for HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Slack and more.

Some pros of 8×8 enterprise contact center software

Video and audio conferencing for up to 500 active participants
Shortcut to initiating calls
Access to popular integrations
Chat rooms and messaging for easy collaboration
Streaming of meetings through YouTube
Unlimited calling to at least 14 countries

Some cons of 8×8 enterprise contact center software

A bit pricey
App can be made better

4. Five9

Five9 is a completely cloud-based enterprise contact center software provider that’s replete with a wide range of features including automatic speech recognition, predictive dialer, click-to-call, validate callers, NLP-supported IVR, and more.

Five9 is one of the leading providers of enterprise contact center software. The California-based software company is publicly traded in NASDAQ and it leverages AI for a personalized customer experience.

Pros of Five9 enterprise contact center software

Call routing to agents
Agent Assist
AI Insights
Predictive dialing
IVR call flow

Cons of Five9 enterprise contact center software

Some customers reported implementation challenges
Takes a little longer to start
Some features are reported to be less user-friendly
Some parts of the system are still Java-based

5. 3CX

3CX is an enterprise contact center software provider headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. The company, which was started in 2005, is now one of the leading enterprise contact center software providers in the world.

The enterprise contact center software supports audio calls, live chat, video conferencing, instant messaging, social media platforms and inbound WhatsApp messaging integration. 3CX’s enterprise contact center software solution can be run on-premises, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution.

Pros of 3CX enterprise contact center software

Sophisticated features
The company is trustworthy and consistent in its service
Easy to use and scores high in user satisfaction
Highly programmable, flexible, and scalable

Cons of 3CX enterprise contact center software

It’s a bit complex compared to other platforms
Lacks some integrations and inbuilt reporting

All in All,

Selecting the right contact center software for enterprise-level operations is crucial for ensuring seamless communication, efficient customer service, and streamlined workflows. This blog post not only serves as a comprehensive guide to handpick the right enterprise contact center software but also lists five best options that are available in the market.

If you are looking for the right enterprise contact center software, make sure that you ask for the free demo version and use it till the entire trial period. At HoduSoft, we provide a free demo on our HoduCC contact center software. Contact us today to book a free demo.