7 Best Call Center Scheduling Software Solutions in 2024

Senior Writer: Supriya Bajaj

Published : January 24, 2024

Call centers experience varying call volumes, and it may not be viable to make manual predictions. Workforce planning is a major task in call centers as it impacts customer service quality. Salesforce Research shows that 77% of customers expect an immediate response when they approach a service center. 

So, for businesses to offer a timely service, proper workforce planning is essential. Call center scheduling software automates the task of scheduling based on expected call volumes and helps ensure that customer calls are answered promptly.

Read the blog to know the best call center scheduling tools, along with their features, pros, and cons.

What Is Call Center Scheduling Software?

Call center scheduling software helps schedule agent activity based on anticipated call volumes and agent availability. It optimizes the workforce allocation and helps ensure that there are sufficient agents to handle customer calls.

The call volumes, queue length, and agent availability are dynamic and subject to changes, so striking a balance remains complicated. Managing the schedules using pen and paper remains cumbersome and may not be accurate.

A perfect call center schedule ensures that your agents are neither burnt out nor too idle. Using call center scheduling software helps achieve this balance on a day-to-day basis. It is flexible enough to accommodate dynamic changes in agent availability while ensuring that the calls are handled effectively.

Pro-tip

Estimating call volumes, taking stock of agent availability, and planning an effective allocation involve complicated steps.

With CallHippo, Automate call scheduling, handling, and routing based on pre-determined, custom algorithms and raise your customer support quality to newer heights.

Start Your Free Trial

How Scheduling Software Can Benefit Your Call Center?

From cost optimization to enhanced customer satisfaction, robust call center scheduling tools offer a wide gamut of benefits. Here are other advantages.

1. Higher agent productivity

As explained in the previous section, call center scheduling software helps you prepare schedules by accounting for agent skills and experience. By allocating the right agent for the right task, it enhances agent productivity.

Also, the scheduling software automates the process of workforce management which in turn frees up manager’s productive time. They can spend this on performing core tasks.

2. Improves transparency

The call center scheduling tools provide a clear overview of the team’s schedule at a point in time. This helps agents know their schedules and plan accordingly. Doing so helps promote transparent schedules and avoid confusion.

3. Higher agent engagement

The call center scheduling software allows for fair distribution of work among agents. It helps reduce agent burnout and allows them to achieve a better work-life balance.

Also, the tools promote agent participation in the scheduling process by allowing them to update their availability, preferences, etc. This active involvement increases agent engagement and participation.

You May Also Read : What Is Workforce Management (WFM) And Why It Is Important?

4. High-cost savings

Overstaffing leads to unnecessary expenses while understaffing may result in burnout and higher overtime payments. Call scheduling tools help businesses achieve a balance and promote higher utilization of the available resources. By ensuring that you have the right skills needed to handle customer calls, they help save operational costs.

5. Enhances customer experiences

Call volumes vary based on several attributes like time, season, etc. Call center scheduling software forecasts the call volumes based on historical data. They prepare the schedules based on the forecasts. This in turn reduces the customer wait times and queue length.

Call center scheduling software helps businesses meet the call volumes at any point in time without chaos. Also, as agents are more productive and not burnt out, they handle customer queries more efficiently.

Did You Know?

"The Zendesk CX Trends show that 73% of customers prefer to go with the competitors if a business does not offer quality service. So, higher customer engagement from proper scheduling may turn into higher sales and business revenues."

6. Quick internal communication

Unlike manual schedules that demand email intimation and follow-ups, the call center scheduling software helps automate internal communication.

Top 7 Call Center Scheduling Software

Now that you are aware of the benefits and importance of using call center software, let us move ahead to understanding the top 7 tools. We have covered each of them in detail along with their key features, pros, and cons.

1. CallHippo 

When it comes to call center scheduling software, CallHippo ranks at the top as it offers an extensive array of call management functionalities. It helps businesses offer a seamless omnichannel experience, improve agent productivity, and lower operational costs. Beyond scheduling, it has other features, like IVR and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), that help automate call handling and routing.

If you are exploring a free call center scheduling software, CallHippo is a must-try.

Key Features

• IVR system
• Automatic Call Distribution
• Call queuing
• Agent performance monitoring
• Intuitive dashboards
• Live call transfers
• Time zone expertise

Pros

• CallHippo is easy to set up and can be quickly installed in just 3 minutes. 
• The customer support team at CallHippo is very responsive and well-equipped.
• CallHippo’s plans are affordable when compared to other call center scheduling tools. 
• CallHippo helps create a holistic experience as it can be easily integrated with third-party tools.
• On CallHippo, businesses can monitor agent performance with custom KPIs. 
• CallHippo pricing is very transparent and carries no hidden costs. 

Cons

• The mobile application needs technical upgradation as there are glitches. 
• As CallHippo functions over the cloud, it requires a stable internet connection. 

Pricing

• Basic – $0 per user per month
• Starter- $18 per user per month
• Professional – $30 per user per month
• Ultimate – $42 per user per month

2. Talkdesk 

Talkdesk is a popular call center scheduler and it has an extensive workforce management module. It has features that help achieve an optimal agent schedule without major manual interventions. The automated forecasting feature helps forecast customer demand and prepare schedules accordingly. The Talkdesk helps streamline task management effectively without manual intervention.

Key Features

• Powerful forecasting
• Skills-based employee scheduling
• Analytics and insights
• Omnichannel integration
• Agent chatbots
• AI-powered tools
• Omnichannel engagement

Pros

• Talkdesk workforce management solution helps manage remote teams efficiently. 
• Talkdesk allows easy movement of employees from office to remote without disrupting the regular call flows. 
• Voicemail transcription helps record the custom greeting message for voicemail.
• The automatic call distribution feature of Talkdesk helps connect the right agents quickly. 
• The self-service AI channel helps customers access quality support 24/7.
• The customer support is very responsive and helps sort queries quickly. 

Cons

• The reporting is very basic and lacks fine details.
• Accessing real-time contact details is complicated and this impacts conversation quality. 

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 industry packages

3. RingCentral 

RingCentral is a popular call center scheduling software that helps manage workforce allocation based on dynamic call data and employee availability status. It has features like IVR, text and speech recognition, and ACDs that help route customer calls to the right agent. RingCentral helps contact centers reduce operational and labor costs while achieving greater efficiency. 

Key Features

• Workforce optimization
• Supervisor tools
• IVR system
• Intelligent call routing
• Analytics and insights
• Call flow prioritization
• Call filtering
• Multi-level auto attendants

Pros

• RingCentral is available on iOS, Android, and Windows which helps businesses manage their remote workforce.
• RingCentral can be easily extended and new agents can be added quickly.
• The customer support team is very responsive and knowledged in handling technical queries.
• RingCentral has excellent features when it comes to internal communication.
• RingCentral features including call routing strategies, IVR, on hold music for business, etc. can be customized to a greater degree. 

Cons

• The call quality must be improved and there are call drops when the internet is spotty. 
• The pricing plans lack flexibility and it gets harder to renew or change the plans. 

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 

4. Workforce.com 

Next on our list of call center scheduling software is the Workforce.com. It is an integrated workforce management tool and helps manage the workforce and payroll processing in one go. It helps forecast the agents needed for each shift based on data points like call times and volumes and make appropriate staffing decisions.  

Key Features

• Employee onboarding
• Staff scheduling
• Performance tracking
• Payroll processing
• Integrated employee data
• Time and attendance management

Pros

• The dashboard, tracking, and scheduling features of Workforce.com are highly customizable.
• The bookmarking feature helps save information and retain it without intensive effort.
• Each agent can monitor their session independently and can request time off through the tool.
• The integration with the payroll system is very useful and eliminates manual work.
• The graphic interface is user-friendly and very intuitive.

Cons

• The geotag needs technical modifications to meet the desired purpose.
• The application takes longer to load at times and there are frequent errors with punch in/out.

Pricing

Contact sales

You May Also Read : Fundamental Rules of Workforce Planning in Call Center

5. NICE

NICE is a popular workforce management tool that employs AI to forecast workforce requirements and ML to plan schedules. As the entire process is automated, businesses can make staffing changes without much effort. The accuracy of prediction and staffing decisions can be enhanced by modeling different possible scenarios. 

Key Features

• Intelligent forecasting
• Employee self-service
• Mobile scheduling
• Scenario modeling
• Intraday forecasting
• Attendance tracking 

Pros

• The time off manager in the NICE workforce management module helps agents track their leaves effectively. 
• As it employs a robust algorithm, the forecasts are more accurate than other tools.
• The setup and initial data synchronization can be automated.
• As the monthly, weekly, and yearly data can be accessed in a consolidated manner, workforce management is easy.
• The reporting can be customized to business needs and the data can be easily exported to live dashboards. 
• NICE workforce management solution is appropriate for businesses functioning in multi-location, multi-skilled environments. 

Cons

• The learning curve is steep and agents require intensive training.
• The design is outdated and requires updates. 

Pricing 

• Essential suite- $135/month
• Core suite – $169/month
• Complete suite – $209/month

6. Assembled 

Assembled is a robust call center workforce management software that helps access staffing decisions and manage the performance of in-house and outsourced call centers. It helps optimize the workforce by creating data-driven schedules and gaining a consolidated view of the team’s performance. The data and schedules can be uploaded or downloaded on a CSV file in just a few clicks. 

Key Features

• Multi-channel forecasting
• Manual adjustments
• Queue-based forecasts
• Data export/import
• Trends report
• Staffing heatmaps
• Agent-driven scheduling
• Time-off management

Pros

• As Assembled makes forecasts based on data, it helps businesses make impactful strategic decisions.
• Assembled conducts workshops to educate its clients about the platform features. 
• It can be synced with Google Calendar and reduces manual efforts in scheduling and agent communication.
• The reports are comprehensive and have exhaustive data that help businesses make effective decisions.
• Accurate forecasting allows businesses to adjust agent decisions on the go.
• Assembled integrates well with several third-party tools like Slack, ZenDesk, etc. 

Cons

• Reporting and data take a little longer to load. 
• Assembled does not get along with many HR tools which in turn requires agents to place time-off requests in two places. 

Pricing

Contact sales

7. Cloudtalk 

Cloudtalk is a popular call center software with advanced features that automate call handling, routing, and monitoring. It helps businesses plan an optimal workforce allocation and maximize customer support efficiency across all channels. As it automates repetitive tasks, Cloudtalk helps reduce operational costs. 

Key Features

• Automatic Call Distribution
• Call recording
• Multi-level IVR
• Customer card
• Business hours
• Call queuing
• Call back functionality

Pros

• CloudTalk has a mobile application that helps businesses manage remote agents effectively. 
• CloudTalk is user-friendly and does not require training or additional support.
• CloudTalk can be easily integrated with the existing tech stack without major disruptions.
• The call quality is great and the uptime is high.
• CloudTalk offers customer support over email and they are very responsive.
• The pricing plans are affordable which supports small businesses and startups.

Cons

• The app logs off frequently and requires users to log in several times a day.
• The mobile application lacks important features and requires improvements. 

Pricing

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

How to Choose the Right Call Center Scheduling Software for You?

When it comes to choosing the right call center scheduling software, here is a list of criteria you must consider. 

1. Integrations

Call center scheduling software might not be a stand-alone tool that you will use. So, while choosing the software, you must check its ability to integrate with other CRM, sales, marketing, and payroll processing tools. 

2. Features and functionalities

Choose a scheduling software that has advanced technical features for data collection, forecasting, scheduling, and monitoring the workforce. Picking a tool that has robust features will save manual efforts and improve business productivity. 

3. Pricing

There is a wide range of tools available in the market when it comes to call center scheduling. The best tool would be the one that offers maximum functionality at an optimal price. So, when choosing the call center scheduling software, check for the balance between functionality and pricing. 

4. User-friendliness

While choosing a customer service scheduling software, explore its workflow. Choose one that is simple to use and easy to set up. The best ones would be those that agents can use without complex navigation and extensive training. 

You May Also Read : Call Center Management – 5 Best Practices, Trends & Top Providers

Conclusion

Scheduling a call center functioning through manual methods is a daunting task. Choose an appropriate call center scheduling software to automate the process of forecasting and workforce planning. 

Doing so offers a wide range of benefits including cost optimization, higher agent utilization, better employee engagement, and higher customer service quality. 

FAQs:

1. How is scheduling done in a call center? 

Call centers forecast call volumes based on historical data and trends and plan agent allocation based on the forecast. Efficient call center scheduling helps reduce manual efforts and achieve greater efficiency. 

2. What are the key features of call center scheduling software? 

Following are some of the key features of call center scheduling tools:

1. Multi-channel Forecasting
2. Workforce planning
3. Automatic hour tracking
4. Mobile scheduling
5. Supervisor permissions
6. Scenario modeling

3. What kind of scheduling software do call center agents use? 

Call centers use various kinds of scheduling software based on their industry demands. Some of them include predictive scheduling, self-service scheduling, real-time employee management, etc. 

4. What is a call center scheduler?

A call center scheduler helps businesses plan their workforce based on anticipated call volumes and agent availability. 

Updated : October 29, 2024

Supriya Bajaj

Supriya Bajaj is a senior content developer with immense experience in the VoIP telephony domain. With a deep knowledge of VoIP systems and emerging technologies in the field, she provides insightful and targeted content. Known for simplifying complex topics and her thought-leadership articles, Supriya delivers actionable content for both technical and non-technical audiences.

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