13 Best Call Center Phone Systems in 2024

Senior Writer: Supriya Bajaj

Date: February 27, 2024

Even after the evolution of chat and social media platforms, customers prefer to have real-time conversations and get their queries resolved. Engaging in direct conversations instills a sense of trust and credibility in their minds. A Salesforce research revealed that 89% of customers make repeated purchases while enduring positive customer service. Yet, offering phone support may turn out to be a time-consuming process and a costly affair if you don’t streamline the call center phone system.

This blog outlines the call center software features and the importance of a robust system. We have also curated the 10 best call center phone systems and their features, pros, and cons to help you pick the best call center software that aligns with your business requirements.

What Is Call Center Phone System?

Call center phone systems help streamline the entire operations of a call center and manage the high volume of inbound and outbound calls. With technological advancements and the evolution of cloud-based phone systems, routing and managing calls in customer contact centers have become automated.

As cloud-based phone systems operate over the Internet, you can manage calls from anywhere, anytime. Unlike traditional phone systems that rely on wires and cables, you don’t have to be at the desk to answer phone calls. So, you can set up distributed systems for employees willing to work from home or office.

The best thing about VoIP-based call center phone systems is that they don’t require special hardware installations at the business premises. It does not involve upfront installation costs like the modern systems, making it affordable and accessible for all businesses, irrespective of their scale and size.

Contact center software systems have the power to analyze data and deliver different insights, metrics, and KPIs. You can monitor them on their dashboard and make informed decisions about staffing, quality enhancements, market research, etc.

Expert Advice

"Each Business is unique, and so are its requirements. If you are exploring a phone system for call centers, the first step is to list your business needs and choose one that matches your needs. The call center industry is rapidly evolving, and a robust phone system is necessary for you to stand apart in the space."

Types of Call Center Phone Systems

Generally, there are three types of call center phone systems, and they include

1. On-premises call center phone systems,
2. Cloud-based call center phone systems,
3. Hybrid call center phone systems.

1. On-premises call center phone systems

As the name suggests, on-premises call center phone systems are installed within the business premises and have a dedicated server. This way, organizations can exercise complete control over their data. Yet, maintaining the on-premises infrastructure requires IT personnel and upfront investment.

2. Cloud-based call center phone systems

Here, the phone system is hosted in the cloud, and the functionalities are accessed through the Internet. The data is stored in the third-party server and does not require on-premise installations. So, they are affordable and cost-effective when compared to on-premise phone systems.

3. Hybrid call center phone systems

Hybrid systems combine the best of both worlds- on-premise and cloud-based call center phone systems. They are cost-effective and easy to set up and install, like cloud-based systems, while helping exercise complete control over business data.

13 Best Call Center Phone Systems to Consider

There are many call center phone system providers in the market, and you may have to invest some effort into selecting the best one for your business. We have curated the best call center phone systems, their features, pros, and cons.

1. CallHippo 

CallHippo is a popular VoIP call center solutions provider known for offering advanced call management features like call recording, call analytics, custom greetings, call queuing, intelligent routing, IVR systems, etc. CallHippo is easy to set up and install, and its interface is very intuitive. 

CallHippo also offers free local and toll-free phone numbers across 50+ geographical locations. It offers call analytics and extensive reporting so businesses can use the data to enhance performance. CallHippo is deployed by reputed businesses like Amazon, TechMahindra, Spotify, etc.

Key Features

• IVR system
• Automatic call distribution
• Auto dialer
• Call monitoring
• Skill-based routing
• Call queuing
• Call recording
• Advanced analytics

Pricing

• Bronze Plan: $16 per user per month
• Silver Plan: $24 per user per month
• Platinum Plan: $40 per user per month
• Enterprise Plan: $48 per user per month

2. Freshdesk 

Freshdesk is a cloud-based phone system from Freshworks that goes well with all organizations, regardless of size and scale. As it operates on the cloud, you don’t need hardware setup or installations at the premises. So, you don’t need an upfront investment to set up your phone system for the call center. 

Freshdesk helps you set up an omnichannel support system. You can solve customer queries through email, chat, phone, social media, websites, WhatsApp, etc.

It has collaborative features that promote shared ownership of responsibilities. Team members can access call logs, message history, and transcripts to deliver personalized customer support. Also, It is more affordable compared to major competitors like Zendesk

Key Features

• Call recording
• Call transcripts
• Call lifecycle information
• Intelligent ticket assignment
• Chatbot
• Team Inbox
• Omnichannel support
• Custom reports and analytics

Pricing

• Free plan
• Growth: $18 per user
• Pro: $47 per user
• Enterprise: $83 per user

You May Also Read: The 14 Best Virtual Call Center Software for 2023

3. Grasshopper 

Grasshopper provides a unified platform for call centers to streamline their communication. It has extensive call management features like call forwarding, custom greeting, call transfers, voicemail transcription, etc.

Grasshopper provides local, toll-free, and vanity numbers, and adding or removing numbers to your team is easy. So you can build as many departments and teams as you want inside your customer care center. Grasshopper lets you add extra numbers without changing the base subscription. It also lets you customize IVR systems’ greeting messages and menu options. 

Key Features

• Call forwarding
• Simultaneous call handling
• Custom reports
• Virtual receptionist
• Call transfers
• Voicemail transcription
• International calling
• Virtual phone numbers
• Call blasting
• Video and audio conferencing

Pricing

• Solo: $26 per month
• Partner: $44 per month
• Small Business: $80 per month

4. CloudTalk 

CloudTalk is a VoIP-based call center solution that helps automate call flows. It is appropriate for businesses of all sizes looking forward to enhancing their customer service quality. Using CloudTalk, you can get virtual numbers for 140+ countries worldwide. 

CloudTalk has several advanced features like call notes, call tagging, ring-on speakers, live call transfer, speech-to-text, smart dialer, agent status, contact tags, ring groups, etc. All these features help enhance the productivity of agents. 

Key Features

• Call queuing
• Call recording
• International numbers
• Personalized greetings
• 3-way calling
• Call scripts
• Conference calling
• Predictive dialing
• Intelligent call routing
• Omni channel support
• Multi-level IVR systems

Pricing

• CloudTalk Starter – $25 per user per month
• CloudTalk Essential – $30 per user per month
• CloudTalk Expert – $50 per user per month
• Custom

5. Nextiva 

Nextiva is a leading call system provider that offers advanced call management features, including IVR systems, Automatic call distribution, intelligent call routing, etc. It provides extensive voice, video, and messaging tools. You can customize greetings, the call flow, and the distribution mechanism to match your business requirements.  

Nextiva offers toll-free and local VoIP phone numbers across several countries. It also offers custom dashboards and reports with crucial metrics and KPIs. The data and insights from the dashboards help enhance the performance of the agents and call center functioning. 

Key Features

• IVR systems
• Auto attendants
• Call recording
• Call reporting
• Performance gamification
• VoIP phone numbers
• Voice analytics
• Intelligent call routing
• Custom dashboard
• Call flow prioritization

Pricing

• Essentials: $18.95 per user per month 
• Professional: $22.95 per user per month 
• Enterprise: $32.95 per user per month

6. RingCentral 

RingCentral is a popular, award-winning call center software provider known for offering a suite of communication features, including IVR, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, call recording, etc. It caters to businesses in several industries including, manufacturing, education, retail, healthcare, financial services, etc. 

RingCentral helps call enters to offer omnichannel support to its customers. With RingCentral, you can customize business hour settings, greetings, call routing strategies, etc. RingCentral guarantees an uptime of 99.999%, which testifies to the quality of its call center phone system. 

Key Features

• Call flow prioritization 
• Multi-level auto attendants
• Call filtering
• Cloud PBX
• Video conferencing
• Dial-by-name directory
• Team messaging
• Third-party integration

Pricing

• Essentials plan: $19.99 per user per month 
• Standard plan: $27.99 per user per month 
• Premium plan: $34.99 per user per month 
• Ultimate plan: $49.99 per user per month 

You May Also Read: How to Do a Call Center Setup?

7. TalkDesk 

TalkDesk is a robust call center management software known for delivering AI-enabled customer service. It has an extensive self-service strategy, omnichannel support, workforce engagement tools, custom analytics, employee collaboration, etc. These tools help automate the entire customer experience journey.

Talkdesk has extensive integration support and goes well with 70+ tools and platforms. It offers many tools, including APIs, SDKs, and no-code interfaces. It is compliant with HIPAA and GDPR. It also offers customer experience analytics, using which you can gain a 360D view of your contact center.   

Key Features

• Call recording
• Whispering and barging
• Intelligent call routing
• Custom recording
• Click-to-call
• Voicemail transcription
• Interactive Voice Response
• Call monitoring
• Caller ID
• User controls

Pricing

• CX Cloud Essentials: $75 per user per month
• CX Cloud Elevate: $95 per user per month
• CX Cloud Elite: $125 per user per month
• Experience Clouds: Custom pricing

8. Dialpad Talk 

Dialpad Talk is a cloud-based phone system provider and offers extensive call management features, including call recording, IVR, power dialer, call flow prioritization, voicemail transcription, etc. It is powered with AI features across all channels. 

Dialpad makes a transcript of the conversation between the customer and the agent and performs live sentiment analysis. It then offers insights, tips, and tricks for the agent to answer specific questions raised by a customer. From greetings and routing strategy to the dashboard and voicemail, all its features and functionalities can be customized. 

Key Features

• Call recording
• Real-time speech analysis
• On-call coaching
• Custom dashboards
• IVR system
• Agent scheduling
• Call routing

Pricing

• Standard: $15 per user per month
• Pro: $25 per user per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote

9. Twilio Flex 

Twilio Flex is one of the reputed contact center solution providers, and the best thing is that the entire platform can be programmed as per the business needs. So, businesses can use Twilio Flex irrespective of the size, scale, and industry of its operation. 

Twilio Flex can be integrated with Zendesk, Salesforce, ERPs, inventory management systems, etc. As it can be programmed and customized, you can update your existing customer care solution with advanced features from Twilio Flex. It is appropriate for businesses in healthcare, hospitality, financial services, real estate, retail, etc. 

Key Features

• IVR systems
• Intelligent routing
• Omnichannel support
• Call analytics
• Programmable system
• Dynamic customer interaction
• Voicemail
• Call recording

Pricing

• Free trial
• Per-hour pricing – Starts at $1.00 per active user hour
• Per-user pricing – Starts at $150 per named user

10. 8X8 

8X8 is one of the most sought-after call center software appropriate for global businesses. Leveraging the abilities of AI, 8×8 provides extensive features that support seamless routing of incoming and outgoing calls in a call center. 

8X8 offers extensive voice, texting, and video calling abilities from basic to advanced plans. 8X8 lets you choose multiple languages when you design the menu options, which are  appropriate for handling international calls.

Key Features

• Audio and video conferencing
• Call activity data
• Supervisor metrics
• Auto attendant
• Visual voice mail
• Meeting transcription
• Call barging and whispering

Pricing

• Express – $15 per user/month
• X2 – $24 per user/month
• X4 – $44 per user/month

11. Vonage

Vonage is a well-known provider of call center phone systems and cloud-based communication solutions. This platform is intended for companies of all sizes to strengthen and streamline customer service and sales processes. It is among the best call center phone systems with several advantages. 

It is among the unique call center telephone systems and offers many features that help organizations improve customer interactions, streamline procedures, and increase productivity.

Key Features

• Outbound dialing 
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
• Call recording 
• Real-time voice analytics
• Automatic Caller Distribution (ACD)
• Call queues

Pricing

• Mobile: $19.99/month/line
• Premium: $29.99/month/line
• Advanced: $39.99/month/line

12. Mitel

 Mitel is a leading provider of VoIP call center solutions that offers a variety of business-specific communication solutions. Their phone system for call centers is intended to increase general communication inside a call center environment, accelerate operations, and improve customer service. Mitel has a solid reputation for its dedication to boosting client experiences, increasing agent productivity, and guaranteeing scalability.

Key Features

• Unified communication
• Customizable dashboards
• Multi-channel support
• Automatic Call Distribution(ACD)
• Call recording 
• Queue management

Pricing 

• Pricing is available on request.

13. Aircall

A cloud-based call center phone system, Aircall is intended to improve and streamline client interactions for companies of all sizes. These call center phone systems features assist call center operations and communication requirements, focusing on enhancing customer service and increasing team efficiency. 

It is among the best contact center phone systems and is a complete solution for businesses looking to deliver great customer service while streamlining their internal communication procedures as customer demands continue to grow.

Key Features

• Call back scheduling 
• Call list management
• IVR/voice management 
• Real-time analytics
• Voicemail transcription 
• Call routing 

Pricing 

• Essentials: $30/user
• Professional: $50/user
• Custom: Available on request

Features of a Call Center Phone System

VoIP call center solutions offer advanced call management features like IVR systems, call recording, call barging, skill-based call routing, etc. These features help streamline internal collaborative activities and external communication services within a call center.

We have listed some of the important features you must look for when choosing your call center telephone system provider.

1. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system

An IVR system is an electronic menu that lets customers interact with an automated system before routing the call to the customer support executive. IVR system can be customized with responses to frequently asked questions so the call center team need not waste time repeating the answer multiple times. They can instead focus their energy on handling complicated queries and problems.

IVR systems interact with the caller through DTMF keypad tones, delivering customized messages and responses to customer questions. Having an IVR system helps manage incoming call volumes. The IVR menu can be customized based on the nature of the Business and the products or services you sell.

It navigates the customer through the menu and also collects relevant information from the customer. So, when the customer connects to the executive, they have the information and data handy.

2. Automatic call distribution (ACD)

The automatic call distribution feature helps receive incoming calls, sort them based on the customer information received through the IVR systems, and distribute them to the right agent. The best thing about ACD is that you can customize the distribution sequence and the criteria for routing the calls to the agent.

You can modify this sequence anytime based on the call volume and customer requirements. You can choose to distribute the calls based on location, performance, agent idle time, etc. This feature helps manage the large volume of incoming calls in the call center.

3. Intelligent call routing

Call centers use skill-based routing strategies to connect customers with the best available agents well-equipped to handle their queries and problems. Based on the inputs and responses from the customers received through the IVR systems, call center phone systems to route the call to the most qualified agent from the available pool of agents.

The agents are grouped and clustered under different categories like skills, department, experience, educational background, language, region, etc. Routing the calls to the right agent helps in the quick resolution of customer queries and so promotes a higher degree of customer satisfaction.

4. Call recording

Almost all cloud-based call center phone systems have a call recording feature. It is an important data point as the recorded conversations serve as the basis for training customer care executives. You can pick the best ones and benchmark them for quality. This feature helps enhance agent productivity and promote customer satisfaction. Beyond that, it can serve as proof in a dispute between a customer and an agent.

5. Call tracking

You can keep track of your agent’s performance using call center phone systems. This way, you can ensure that customers get a quick resolution to their queries and agents don’t feel burnt out in the process. Using call tracking functionality, you can keep an eye on the number of calls being answered, the performance of each agent, and customer satisfaction. When the agents know they are being monitored, they tend to give their best.

6. Power dialers

When you have outbound call centers, the power dialer automates the dialing process, so you don’t waste time and energy on manual dialing. The power dialer dials the next contact soon after the agent hangs up the previous call. You can use ML-based algorithms to automate picking contacts from the list. When we do so, the agents don’t have to waste their time and energy on selecting the next phone number and dialing them. If the customer or prospect does not pick up the call, they automatically pick the next number on the list.

7. Call barging and call whispering

If a customer asks the agent a question that he/ she is unaware of, call barging lets managers and supervisors drop in and answer the question. Call barging helps managers barge in across live calls between customers and agents. This feature is of great help when the agent is experiencing difficulties handling customer queries.

Call whispering helps supervisors drop in between live calls and send information and notes to the agent without disturbing their conversation with the customer.

8. Live call transfer

Most call center software providers offer a live call transfer feature wherein the agent can transfer the call to another agent without disconnecting the ongoing call. This feature helps when customers ask a not-so-relevant question to the agent. They can transfer the call to another department, supervisor, etc., without disconnecting it, which promotes a quicker resolution of queries and increases customer satisfaction.

9. Integration abilities

When integrated with CRM software and marketing automation tools, call center telephone systems help businesses deliver a personalized customer experience. These integrations help achieve a 360D view of the customer experience. Integrating your phone system with CRM software lets you access a customer’s call history, call logs, chats, transcripts, etc. When you choose a call center phone system for your Business, ensure they have extensive integration abilities.

10. Call analytics and reporting

The features listed in the above section is great, but to assimilate them and achieve the purpose, they must be monitored for performance. Call center phone systems help derive and monitor important metrics and KPIs like the number of calls received, peak call hours, location-based traffic, first-call resolution rate, agent performance, agent attrition rate, agent idle time, etc.

These metrics and data help make important decisions like staffing, agent scheduling, feature customization, etc., and deliver a personalized customer experience.

You May Also Read : 25 Top Call Center KPIs & Agent Productivity Metrics

Importance of Contact Center Phone System

Call center phone systems are crucial in streamlining external and internal communication. From increasing the efficiency of customer care operations to offering analytics, a robust contact center phone system offers many benefits.

Following are some of the key benefits of a contact center phone system.

1. Higher efficiency

As call center telephone systems help streamline the high volume of calls, they help businesses achieve a greater efficiency. The phone systems help automate the process of routing and call distribution. They automate repetitive, mundane processes and let the core teams focus on critical business operations.

2. Robust analytics

Call center phone systems offer robust data and analytics, including average call duration, volume, agent idle time, peak call hours, etc. The insights derived from this data can be utilized to enhance the call center’s performance and efficiency.

3. Affordable solution

Call center phone systems are a cost-effective way to manage a high volume of incoming calls. As they automate handling several calls at once, they help reduce the cost of operations.

4. Enhances customer satisfaction

Call center phone systems help route the customer’s call to the most qualified agent, helping customers resolve their queries at the very first stance. It also reduces the queue length and average wait time, promoting greater customer satisfaction.

How To Choose the Call Center Phone System?

As listed in the previous section, many call center phone system providers exist. When you have to choose one, the confusion is real. To help you sort this out, we have listed the set of features that you must focus on while you choose the call center phone system.

1. Business requirements

The first step in choosing a call center telephone system is identifying and listing your business requirements. You should consider the following.

• Expected daily call volume
• Number of agents needed
• Nature of calls
• Type of business

After identifying the requirements, choose one that goes well with your business.

2. Call management features

While choosing a call center phone system, the next step is to check for features like IVR, Automatic call distribution, call routing, call queuing, call scripting, voicemail, custom greetings, etc.

3. Cost vs. Worth

The next step is to check the pricing plans and subscription packages the service providers offer. Also, check for the hidden charges, demo, free trial, etc.

4. Integration abilities

Check for the integration abilities of the system. Choose one that goes well with other applications you may need for ERP, CRM, speech analytics, etc.

5. Remote working support

Your agents and workforce may expect remote working options. Check if the call center phone system provider support remote working and flexibility.

6. Compliance

As call centers handle customers’ sensitive data, it is important to check if the phone system complies with the data policies and regulations of the region in which you are operating.

Conclusion

Choosing a call center phone system requires careful evaluation of the service providers’ features, pros, and cons. It is a crucial decision as it may impact a wide range of parameters, including the quality of customer service, agent productivity, and business efficiency. A Salesforce study shows that 96% of customers agree that the quality of customer service impacts the credibility and trustability of businesses. So, you must remain patient and evaluate the crucial aspects of the service provider before choosing a phone system for call centers.

Explore Our Video : Call Center Phone System

FAQs

1. What hardware do I need for a call center? 

To run a call center, you need the following hardware. 

• Computer
• Internet connection
• VoIP system
• Headset

2. Do call centers use VoIP? 

Yes, most call centers use VoIP systems as they help streamline business communication and enhance agent productivity. 

3. What phone systems do call centers use? 

Call centers today rely on VoIP and cloud-based phone systems as they have the power to handle high-volume calls and deliver high-quality customer service. 

4. How does a call center phone system work?

Call center phone systems streamline incoming calls using advanced call management features. When a customer makes a call, the system greets them with a custom message, puts forth a set of questions, and routes the calls to the most appropriate agent based on the response. 

5. What kind of software do call center agents use?

Call centers use the following software solutions. 

• VoIP systems
• ACD 
• Speech analytics
• CRM
• ERP
• Predictive dialing

Supriya Bajaj

Supriya is a highly skilled content writer with over 8 years of experience in the SaaS domain. She believes in curating engaging, informative, and SEO-friendly content to simplify highly technical concepts. With an expansive portfolio of long-format blogs, newsletters, whitepapers, and case studies, Supriya is dedicated to staying in touch with emerging SaaS trends to produce relevant and reliable content.

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