Inbound call centers have been bombarded with an influx of growth over the course of the pandemic and are continuing to grow as remote work grows in popularity.
To keep up with demand, virtual call center services had to increase their performance and improve their professionalism.
Today we’ll dive into the best inbound call center services to help you decide which will suit your business’s unique needs.
Table of Contents
What are inbound call center services?
Inbound call center services are primarily responsible for handling incoming phone calls from customers who have inquiries about a business. Growing businesses need to manage the answering of calls with a team of professional agents who can help answer and/or direct all incoming calls.
Inbound vs Outbound call center services
Inbound call centers
- Provide customer support
- Answer calls from inbound sales
- Provide help desk services and technical support
Outbound call centers
- Focus on telemarketing services
- Outbound lead generation
- Customer Surveys
- Appointment scheduling
Why should I use Inbound call center services?
Clients and customers will always need to speak with a representative when they have inquiries regarding a product or service. Therefore implementing call center software helps your dedicated call center agents keep your customers satisfied.
Businesses choose inbound call center services when they need to manage and route incoming calls. The customer care team helps company growth and improvement within the organization.
Another benefit of choosing an inbound call center software is that it can raise your customer service standards.
Call center services to integrate with your business
When looking for an inbound call center solution, you may be looking for it to include the following features:
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system technology that allows businesses to incorporate a voice response system of pre-recorded messages for their customers to interact with before speaking to an agent. This tool helps route callers to the appropriate party.
When you call a customer support number and immediately get greeted by an automated response, you connect with an IVR.
Product & technical support
When customers call looking for support, product and technical support agents answer questions that individuals may ask. Agents also can route calls to other support members who specialize in providing the help needed.
Help desk services
Customers call and report problems or concerns to help desk services, a dedicated team that answers questions and assists when something goes awry.
Help Desk Services keep track of problems that arise and create reports for future improvements.
Live chat/triage
Triaging is the process of identifying an incoming call by its urgency and topic; this process helps clarify the inbound calls to better distribute to agents.
Much like IVR, incorporating a live chat system into your business cuts down on calls by offering an easier chat option for customers, who are more likely to get a speedy response.
Payment and order processing
Including payment and order processing services in your business will streamline sales by granting agents the power to take and process payments for inbound sale orders.
Payments and order processing services also assist customers with questions regarding payments and billing.
Upgrades and renewals
If your business offers subscription-based products or services, integrating upgrades and renewals is in your best interest.
Upgrades and renewals deal with inquiries regarding subscription-based products and services and assist customers with renewals, promotions, or cancelations.
Virtual receptionist
Your business may benefit greatly from a virtual receptionist, which guarantees zero customer calls go unanswered.
Virtual receptionist software helps resolve customers’ needs, including scheduling appointments, routing callings, or routing the call to a specific agent or department.
Salesforce or other CRM integration
Suppose your team is already familiar with CRM software like Salesforce. In that case, it may be in your best interest to integrate an inbound call center directly into the CRM software you are already using. In the case of Salesforce, the best native app to use for answering inbound & outbound calls, texts and video calls is Fastcall.
Automatic caller information
Trust that your inbound call center service will choose an appropriate phone number to display on a recipient’s caller ID with automatic caller information. Automatic caller information works to decrease agent error and increase efficiency.
Reporting
It’s in your best interest to ensure that your inbound call center offers reporting services to maximize its efficiency.
Call monitoring
Call monitoring is the ability to listen in on employee phone calls. Of course, this allows for constant improvement among reps and learning opportunities for those just starting.
Call monitoring will also help your business develop and provide a consistent support experience.
Call recording
It’s wise to consider if your business would benefit from a call recording service with your inbound call center service. Call recording provides businesses the opportunity to record calls for later consultation or learning purposes.
With these features available to you from inbound call center software, below are the best services to consider for your business.
8 Best Inbound Call Center Services
Fastcall
What it does:
Fastcall is an online phone and SMS system for companies using Salesforce. It’s easy to support, to train, and to use at a great price.
Fastcall helps sales & service teams be more efficient on the phone, SMS & video calls via a Salesforce native app.
Fastcall has outbound and inbound calling features and eliminates the need for time-intensive manual tasks with features like instant phone call/SMS logging and voicemail drop.
Best for:
Fastcall is best for companies using Salesforce with 20-200 users, but it can also scale with larger businesses to provide effortless inbound & outbound communication while using Salesforce.
Pros:
- Works directly in Salesforce as a native app
- Very simple, intuitive and easy to use
- Very responsive customer support
- Interactive voice response (IVR) and auto call distribution features
- Phone AND SMS messaging in one place, as well as video calls
- The best pricing
- See exactly who called, link it to clients/customers, access reporting
Cons:
- Only works with Salesforce
Pricing:
Fastcall offers prospective buyers the first 14 days 100% FREE. Once businesses fall in love with Fastcalls features and reliability, they can choose from annual or monthly pricing packages starting at just $24/mo.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Five9
What it does:
Five9’s primary goal is to provide users with a contact center software. Features include an intelligent dialer, on-screen caller info, and intelligent routing with agent-caller matching.
If your business requires a big, complex tool with powerful capabilities for anything you can think of, Five9 is the battleship of call center services.
Best for:
Throughout all industries, businesses, small and large, reap the customer service benefits that Five9 provides through their contact center solution.
Pros:
- Omnichannel call centers
- Simple pricing
- CRM integration
Cons:
- Too expensive
- More capabilities than most companies need
- Complex to use
- A few reviews mention extended downtime and poor Salesforce integration
Pricing?
Five9 offers four different pricing tiers aimed at fitting into your business no matter what size. Pricing packages include valuable features and start at a core plan up to an ultimate package; prices are not previewed on their website, request a quote for more information.
Discover all pricing options → here.
RingCentral
What is it?
Ring Central is a cloud communication solution for those looking for a reliable inbound call center service. Users of RingCentral experience a better inbound calling solution that quickly and accurately connects callers for first contact resolution.
Providing users with features that include automatic call distributor, interactive voice response, and skills-based routing businesses are enhancing their customer experiences one call at a time with RingCentral
Who/what it is best for:
RingCentral provides all-sized businesses with software that helps efficiently optimize customer service for teams around the United States.
Pros:
- Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
- CRM integrations
- Omnichannel feature
Cons:
- Difficult user interface
- Reports of poor call quality and application slowness
What’s the price?
For RingCentral, contact center businesses can choose from three pricing tiers offered at monthly and annual rates. Pricing packages start at $19.99/user/month and reach $49.99/user/month.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Nice
What is it:
Operating in 150+ countries with 390,000+ agents, there’s plenty to say about Nice, an cloud-based inbound call center service. With features that include omnichannel routing, customer analytics, and workforce engagement, Nice helps to enhance the customer experience for all businesses who choose their software.
Nice is making leaps and bounds to enhance its abilities to provide every customer an extraordinary experience driven by their mission centered around customer loyalty.
Who/what it is best for:
Nice provides a top-notch contact center for small and midsize businesses (SMB), enterprises, and government organizations.
Pros:
- Call scripting and scheduling features
- CRM integration
- VoIP
Cons:
- No free trial period
- Pricier than competitors
- Very basic Salesforce integration
What’s the price?
Nice does not offer pricing on their website; yet, plans usually start at $90/user/mo. To benefit from Nice’s cloud contact center solution, request a quote to get a price that works for your business.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Genesys
What it does:
Genesys focuses on providing customers with personalized experiences empowering business owners to stay in tune with customer demands and continuously satisfy customers.
By offering features that include inbound and outbound calling, voice services, AI and automation, and automatic call distribution, Genesys made our best inbound call system list for going beyond just a call by making it an experience.
Who/what it is best for:
Genesys targets small and midsized businesses in financial services, government, healthcare, and retail to simplify their customer experience across multiple channels.
Pros:
- All-in-one interface
- Multiple languages supported
- CRM integration
Cons:
- Limited reporting
- Not many Salesforce reviews
What’s the price?
One of the benefits of Genesys is their flexible pricing options, allowing you to pick the tier that is perfect for your business; with plans ranging from $75/mo to $140/mo find what’s best for your business on their website.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Talkdesk
What it does:
As a browser-based contact center solution for all sized businesses, Talkdesk helps companies unlock full customer service potential with features that include call routing, VoIP calling, and call routing and scripting.
Focused on the continual innovation of their software, Talkdesk is always looking to improve and grow with your business and offers multiple analytics and insights with CRM integrations.
Who/what it’s best for:
Whether your business is small or large, your customer service team will benefit from integrating Talkdesk’s features.
Pros:
- CRM integration
- Omnichannel features
- User-friendly
Cons:
- Complicated reporting features
- Android app not offered
- Reviews mention poor customer service
What’s the price?
Talkdesk offers tiered pricing packages starting at $65/seat/mo; contact Talkdesk to get a free quote regarding the package you are interested in.
Discover all pricing options → here.
8×8
What it does:
8×8 empowers agents, employees, and customers with a top-of-the-line cloud contact center solution allowing ease to reenter customer-employee interactions. Fueled by omnichannel routing, 8×8 also provides predictive dialer, IVR, and call and screen recording.
Never miss a beat with customers, and provide them the best experience possible to fuel the growth of your business and strengthen your team.
Who/what it is best for:
Everyone can benefit from a better customer contact center solution, and 8×8 targets small and large businesses looking to improve their customer support teams.
Pros:
- CRM integrations
- Great customer service
- Workforce management features
Cons:
- No virtual receptionist feature
- Limited customizability
- Basic Salesforce integration
What’s the price?
Small businesses can benefit from 8×8 Small Business Phone System plan starting at $12/user/mo. Larger businesses can look into the All-in-One Voice, Video, and Chat package offered at $24/user/mo, or the Advanced Call Handling and Analytics package at $44/user/mo.
Discover all pricing options → here.
3CX
What it does:
Businesses want their customer’s calls answered quickly and effectively, which is why they trust 3CX as their call center software for inbounding calls. 3CX’s cloud-based software increases customer satisfaction through a supportive global workforce with call workflow and CRM integration.
Train your staff, record calls, and create excellent reports with 3CX all the while saving on your next phone bill.
Who/what is it best for:
Designed with employees who work from home in mind, 3CX offers a call center solution for remote small and midsize businesses (SMB) and enterprises alike.
Pros:
- App-free web conferencing
- Live chat
- Excellent integration
Cons:
- No SMS messaging
- Lacks VoIP connection
What’s the price?
3CX offers businesses with 12 users or under the first year free. For businesses with more than 12 users; prices start at $1.27/user/mo for the Standard package, and reach $2.32/user/mo for the Enterprise package. These prices do not reflect the base price offered for each package, we recommend looking on their website for more information.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Wrapping it up
Now that all is said and done, it’s time to think about your business’s needs and how an inbound call center service can support those needs.
If you realize your business needs to find a great CTI solution that will integrate directly with Salesforce, Fastcall provides that expert service at an affordable price.
Check out Fastcall’s website for the dozens of five-star reviews from real-time customers, and consider signing up for a free trial today, so you can start improving your business tomorrow.
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