Call Management Software

We live in an increasingly digital world, which means customers have more choices than ever before when it comes to communicating with businesses. Text, video conferencing, email, and live chat alike provide a number of unique advantages for customers. And yet, most people still seem to prefer the phone call over all other forms of communication. In fact, Statista reports that in the United States, approximately 61% of customers prefer to talk over the phone to resolve customer service issues.

This may not be too surprising. After all, the telephone is a well-understood technology. Old and young, tech-savvy and tech-uninitiated, nearly everyone knows what to expect when they make a phone call. This familiarity, and the direct interaction of speaking with a live representative, helps the telephone remain relevant and preferred even when compared to newer customer-support channels. 

Unfortunately, what’s simple and comfortable for customers can be complex, time consuming, and expensive for businesses. Call centers face several challenges when handling telephone-based support. These include issues related to accessing relevant customer and product information, routing and prioritizing calls, staffing and training agents, and protecting sensitive data. To help ensure accuracy, cost-efficiency, and a positive customer experience, call centers depend on reliable call management software.

What Is Call Management Software?

Call management software provides a foundation for call management systems. These systems are designed to help call centers provide satisfying customer experiences at scale. Call management software primarily uses algorithms to route calls to the appropriate support agents. Additionally, this software acts as a central database from which agents may access caller history,  find solutions, get additional context, and integrate other communications channels to provide a truly omnichannel experience.

Call management software also helps managers and supervisors by providing big-picture insights. An effective call management system keeps an accurate tally of inbound and outbound calls. And, by incorporating reporting and  recording functionality, these systems help businesses identify trends, analyze agent success, and optimize the service they provide their customers.

How Does Call Management Software Work?

Call management software is a broad category of digital tools created to improve the effectiveness of call centers. These tools can take many different forms. That said, most call management software follow a basic set of processes.

When handling a call, call management systems utilize intelligent routing based on calling features and other parameters. These parameters may include position within the call queue, location, information acquired through interactive voice response (IVR) menus, and agent experience and availability. Call management software may also allow for customization, permitting callers and call recipients to tailor the call experience to better meet their needs.

Types of call management routing

There are a number of different methods call centers may employ to ensure effective call routing within their call management systems.

Time-Based

Time-based routing assigns calls to agents based on availability and time of day; calls outside of office hours may redirect to on-call agents or voicemail. 

Percentage

Percentage routing assigns calls based on the overall percentage being handled by a specific agent or team, ensuring that every agent is responsible for their share of the total. 

Skills-Based 

Skills-based routing evaluates customer issues and connects callers with agents who have the know-how and experience to provide an effective resolution.

Talk-Time

This form of routing prioritizes agents that have logged the least amount of client talk time, assigning them new cases first.

Rotary

Rotary routing assigns calls to available agents in order, ensuring that each agent manages a call before assigning another call to the first agent.

Fixed Order

Fixed order routing assigns calls based on agent lineup, starting at the top of the roster and moving down the list until an available agent is located. 

Custom

The best call management software solutions allow call centers to establish their own rules and parameters, such as redirecting valuable sales calls to the agent with the highest close rate. These management tools allow organizations to determine for themselves how to best prioritize calls, assign agents, and improve the customer experience and reach established goals.

Benefits of Call Management Software

Call management software provides several key advantages for call centers.

Cost Reduction

Call management software helps ensure that agents’ time is being used in the most efficient way possible. And, by providing those agents with vital resources to ensure quicker case resolution, call management decreases the costs associated with each individual call.

Precise Staffing

Detailed analytics and reporting provide call centers with reliable insights into the times with the highest, and lowest, call volume. This can be used to ensure that the right number of agents are available when needed, and that money isn’t being wasted staffing agents without justifiable call volume.

Improved Performance

Built-in recording features allow call center managers to better analyze their department, flag potential problem areas, assess agent performance, and identify training needs--as well as much more. Call management software can give call centers the insights they need to optimize their approach and improve business performance.

Decreased Lost Calls

Lost, missed, and abandoned calls are an ongoing problem for many call centers. Effective call routing helps ensure that the right agents are handling the right calls, quickly and appropriately, which significantly reduces the percentage of unsuccessful contacts and interactions.

Increased First-Call Resolution

When a customer reaches out to a call center, they hope to have their issue resolved as quickly as possible. Call management software provides essential tools and solutions so that agents can deliver effective solutions during the first interaction, without the need for further contact.

Effective Security

To better serve customers, most modern call centers store large amounts of customer data, including customer history, and their corresponding contact and payment information. Unfortunately, if this data becomes lost or damaged the customer experience ends up suffering. If this data is stolen, the customers could face dire consequences, which the company has few, if any, remedies to offer them. Advanced call management systems securely backup vital data, and employ strict security protocols, such as password protection, user access controls, and data encryption, to ensure that no unauthorized individual can gain access.

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

The ultimate goal  of call management tools is improving customer satisfaction. Whether they are calling a business or being called by one, customers want a seamless, low-effort experience that provides real value. Call management software makes this possible. 

Call Management Software for Outbound Call Centers 

When a business needs to contact its customers to provide information, ask questions, or find solutions, call management software helps ensure success.

Access to reliable, up-to-date information empowers outbound agents with the confidence they need to reach out to customers and leads. Effective routing helps ensure that concerns are being handled appropriately and by the agents best suited to address them. Recording and analytics solutions allow outbound call centers to improve their approach and optimize agent training.

But often, outbound centers need customizable, additional tools on top of those that  traditional call management softwares provide, if they are going to create important, lasting connections with their call recipients. Hiya Connect offers the tools and support to take your call center management to the next level.

What Is Hiya Connect? 

Before an outbound call center can effectively manage leads and customers, it needs to ensure that calls are getting through to consumers. Considering that 94% of unknown calls go unanswered, total caller transparency is a must. Hiya Connect is a full-service voice performance platform, giving outbound call centers the ability to go beyond traditional caller ID by displaying their company name, location, logo, and even a short description describing the purpose of the call.

Hiya also offers other call management solutions, including call tracking, analytics, and security tools. In the event that calls are being incorrectly labeled as spam, Hiya Connect allows organizations to dispute and resolve spam labels directly through the platform, with fast and simple reputational remediation. And, with more than 150 million customers across 40 different countries, Hiya makes it easy to more effectively manage calls around the globe.

Hiya: Integral Support for Outbound Call Center Management

Your customers want to make meaningful connections, and that means they want to interact with live agents on the telephone. Call management software helps ensure that your agents have access to the resources, information, tools, and expertise they need to deliver a positive customer experience. And, with Hiya Connect providing essential transparency and support for outbound call centers, you’ll always have what you need to build powerful customer relationships.

Want to learn more? Download our Call Center Metrics eBook, and start optimizing the right metrics for your business’s goals.