With the fourth Industrial Revolution underway, most knowledge workers expect flexible work environments. According to a survey by Owl Labs, 70% of respondents stated they’d prefer to work in a hybrid or remote setting.

This means businesses must move their operations to the cloud to stay relevant. For customer service and support, this includes a cloud-based call center—something that’s flexible, scalable, and location-independent. 

And this is where virtual call center software comes into play. But how do you make sure the solution is as effective as it appears? 

In this blog post, we will discuss the top-notch virtual contact center solutions you can use to help you select the best option.

What is Virtual Call Center Software?

Simply put, virtual call center software is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to set up an effective contact center to handle customer interactions remotely. 

It comes with features like call routing, recording, and callback options, enabling agents to provide prompt and quality support from anywhere with a good internet connection.

As it is not heavily dependent on hardware, it can be set up easily, allowing customer service agents to work from anywhere. Plus, organizations can hire global talent and ensure round-the-clock support, ensuring happy customers. 

Key Features to Look for in Virtual Call Center Software

Virtual call center software directly impacts the quality of customer conversations and the productivity of your customer agents. Here are some must-have features to look out for in your next virtual call center platform:

Voice bots   

Voice bots use voice recognition and natural language processing (NLP) to provide instant, round-the-clock, and multilingual customer support. They can resolve common queries, offer self-service options, and direct complex, more nuanced queries to human agents. Voice bots allow businesses to provide personalized customer support while reducing costs related to hiring and training additional resources.

Metrics and reporting

Metrics and reports optimize your virtual call center's efficiency. By analyzing key performance indicators like call resolution rates, average handle time, and agent performance, you can identify bottlenecks in your contact processes and workflows. 

This data-driven approach empowers you to make informed decisions that enhance your overall operation.

Some specific features to look for include customer satisfaction score (CSAT), call recordings, real-time and historical reports, and so on.

Omnichannel support for agents

Nothing frustrates a customer more than repeating their issues to different agents and via different channels. With omnichannel support, you can ensure that your customers can not only reach agents through their preferred means—email, phone, WhatsApp, and more—but also sync all customer conversations into one place so all your customer service agents have access to previous conversations.

Call routing to qualified agents

Another feature to look for in your virtual call center platform is call routing. By routing calls to agents with the relevant expertise—whether that’s a feature, customer segment, or language—you can resolve issues at first contact without asking customers to hold or transfer them to others. 

Call routing also helps streamline your operations—for example, you can route calls to different customer service agents based on their shift timings, availability, and more.

Call recording

Traditional call centers have always practiced recording customer calls, and with good reason. It helps you evaluate an agent’s performance, fosters transparency between your business and the customer, and allows marketing teams to understand trends in customer behavior.  

So, taking this practice into your virtual call center with a call recording feature should be non-negotiable.

Live coaching

Real-time coaching creates a proactive learning environment where agents get immediate feedback on current interactions, increasing the efficiency and quality of customer service. Automated coaching tools ensure quality and compliance across all interactions on all channels.

When live coaching is made an integral part of daily operations, new agents can be trained directly on live interactions, minimizing onboarding costs and time. Call barging is another feature that facilitates quicker issue resolution and on-the-spot coaching.

Self-service chatbot

Another feature that can benefit your customer service team is a self-service chatbot. For common questions or requests, chatbots can provide immediate answers or send customers to the right help resources. 

AI-powered chatbots can even hold human-like conversations and respond to questions with contextual awareness. This ensures that customers have round-the-clock access to support and allows your human agents to focus on the more tricky customer requests.

Virtual Call Center Solutions at a Glance

Here’s a quick comparison of the top virtual call center tools:

Top 6 Virtual Call Center Software for 2024

Let’s dive into the finer details now—the features, limitations, and what customers say—so you can compare all aspects of these virtual call center tools and make informed decisions. 

1. Plivo CX 

Cloud-based Plivo CX is a web-based omnichannel virtual call center platform with features to streamline communications and elevate satisfaction. A perfect fit for retail and e-commerce stores, the platform enables customer service teams to provide top-notch support from anywhere. 

Also, it leverages Plivo’s award-winning global communication network, which delivers latency-free calls, reliable messaging and high scalability. 

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Moreover, it integrates with homegrown systems, existing CRM and helpdesk applications, allowing for a consolidated view of customer data and conversation history.

Plivo CX key features

• Omnichannel support: Set up various communication touchpoints, including AI-powered live chat, voice, SMS, email, and WhatsApp in a single Unified Agent Desktop. Customers can choose their preferred method of contact, while agents don’t have to switch between channels—a win-win for both
• Intuitive chatbots: Reduce your response time and offer customers 24/7 support with OpenAI-powered chatbots that can provide quick resolutions. You can also develop custom knowledge bases
• Live monitoring and coaching: Provide immediate assistance to agents and resolution to customer queries with real-time monitoring, coaching and barge-in features
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Automate basic inquiries and route customers to the appropriate resource (or agent) with pre-recorded messages and keypad options
• No-code workflow builder: This can simplify the creation of customer journey workflows, eliminating the need for complex coding. With easy-to-configure components and remote triggering capabilities, businesses can automate processes, streamline issue escalation, and ensure efficient skill-based routing
• Real-time reporting: You can also leverage Metrics & Reporting to gain valuable insights into your virtual contact center's performance. With additional coaching tools like call recording, barge, whisper, and CSAT collection, businesses can enhance agent training, monitor customer satisfaction, and drive continuous improvement

Plivo CX limitations

• Lacks tools to ensure consistent quality and manage agent productivity
• Excludes mobile access for agents who need to work remotely
• May not be perfect to handle a high volume of ticket-based support requests efficiently

Plivo CX pricing

Omnichannel (annual plans):

• Growth: $29 per user per month
• Business: $69 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Voice-Only annual plans

• Growth: $25 per user per month
• Business: $40 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Chat-Only annual plans

• Growth: $15 per user per month
• Business: $30 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Plivo CX reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (80+ reviews) 

2. Zendesk

While not a virtual call center per se, Zendesk has a variety of features closely connected to the virtual call center function, like omnichannel messaging channels and agent workspaces. It also provides other service-related features like a help guide builder, community forum, ticket management, and more.

Zendesk key features

• Unify all customer conversation data by bringing calls, chats, and emails to one platform
• Make the most of your voice calls—by embedding the call option in apps, downloading call transcripts, and more
• Route customer tickets to the right agents based on language, request type, and more 
• Respond quickly with AI chatbots and other automation capabilities

Zendesk limitations

• As Zendesk focuses on ticketed conversations over non-ticketed, impromptu ones, keeping track of conversation history can be difficult (G2)
• Lacks holistic collaboration tools that can make internal communication between agents challenging (G2)
• Does not facilitate conversational support for businesses
  

Zendesk pricing

• Suite Team: $69 per agent/month
• Suite Growth: $115 per agent/month
• Suite Professional: $149 per agent/month
• Suite Enterprise: Custom pricing

Zendesk reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (5845 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (3874 reviews)

3. Five9

Five9 is a Call and Contact Service (CCAS) provider that empowers businesses to provide seamless and convenient support experience. Features like omnichannel support, intelligent call routing, and genAI capabilities make it easy for customer service agents to provide top-notch support without depending on restrictive infrastructure.

Five9 key features

• Help agents work smarter with call recordings, real-time coaching, and agent performance data
• Allow agents to handle customer tickets through multiple channels—chat, email, social media, and even SMS
• Use call routing features like Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) and skills-based routing to send calls to the right agents

Five9 limitations

• Five9 possesses an outdated backend system—APIs and codebase—that might feel non-intuitive for some users (G2)
• It operates as a closed platform, preventing potential users from testing its features through product trials
• This platform shares similar drawbacks with Talkdesk, further limiting its appeal.

Five9 pricing

• Digital: $175 per user per month
• Core: $175 per user per month
• Premium: $235 per user per month
• Optimum: $290 per user per month
• Ultimate: $325 per user per month

Five9 reviews

• G2: 4.0/5 (388 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (462 reviews)

4. Aircall

Aircall is a customer communication platform that provides sales and service teams with business phone features like toll-free numbers, conference calls, call routing, and business text messages. However, as Aircall doesn’t support AI chatbots or other communication channels, you’ll have to pick other tools to perform those functions.  

Aircall key features

• Host conference calls with up to five people with Aircall’s VoIP feature
• Set custom schedules for each agent so they receive calls only during their working hours
• Get an overview of what the entire team is doing—who’s on a call and who’s free—with a team dashboard
• Integrate Aircall with CRM software and allow agents to access customer data and past interactions

Aircall limitations

• The platform provides limited customer support (Capterra)
• Aircall focuses solely on voice-based support, lacking the multi-channel capabilities of platforms like Intercom
• Its workflow designer is limited and lacks the flexibility needed for custom journeys

Aircall pricing

• Essentials: $40 per license per month
• Professional: $70 per license per month
• Custom: Custom pricing

Aircall reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (1040 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (420 reviews)

5. Talkdesk

Talkdesk is a Cloud Contact Center Service (CCAS) tool specially designed for large-scale businesses, typically retail and hospitals. Its features, such as omnichannel support, IVR, and voice calling, can be great for any customer service team. 

Talkdesk key features

• Sync the physical and digital history of retail customers with unified dashboards
• Make customer engagement seamless with multichannel support
• Automate customer service, operationalize AI and build no-code generative AI models using Talkdesk AI 

Talkdesk limitations

• Requires additional support software to manage and capture all customer interactions
• Relies on a third-party service for voice communication
• Lacks native omnichannel support capabilities

Talkdesk pricing

• CX Cloud Digital Essentials: $85 per user per month
• CX Cloud Essentials: $85 per user per month
• CX Cloud Elevate: $115 per user per month
• CX Cloud Elite: $145 per user per month

Talkdesk reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (2200 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (723 reviews)

6. Ameyo

Ameyo’s virtual call center software is widely used by agents who prefer the work-from-home (WFH) and work-from-office ( WFO) models. Supervisors can track and compare efficiency based on the number of calls handled, network failure, and call connectivity ratio for both these work models and make business decisions accordingly. This is a standout capability of Ameyo’s remote call center software. 

Ameyo key features

• Protect customer privacy with number masking
• Centralize data with a unified agent dashboard
• Follow up easily with callback management

Ameyo limitations

• Relies on unreliable third-party services
• Lacks transparent pricing tiers
• No trial available
• Offers only pre-configured integrations

Ameyo pricing

• Custom pricing

Ameyo reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (232 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.1/5 (96 reviews)

Manage Your Remote Teams With Plivo CX’s Virtual Call Center Platform

Virtual call centers can benefit small and large businesses alike, increasing agent productivity and customer satisfaction.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, omnichannel virtual call center solution that comes with foolproof security, try Plivo CX. It is loaded with all the cutting-edge features you need to take your call center to the cloud, including a single-window pane to manage omnichannel service operations, OpenAI-developed self-service chatbots, a no-code workflow builder and real-time reporting. 

Request a demo and explore how Plivo CX can help you set up a robust, round-the-clock virtual call center.