Call Center software with great functionality

Before utilizing a call center software we provided our individual teams members phone numbers to the customers. This created multiple issues that were unsustainable as the organization grew. Customer complaints started to rise that we were not reachable via phone, that voicemails were not returned in a timely fashion or at all, and there was no data available to evaluate staffing performance and additional resource requirements. InContact solved the majority of these issues and we are now able to not only evaluate the points above, but also categorize the calls through dispositions used to improve call routings. However, there is no report that actually includes all three disposition fields. Only the primary disposition and the disposition comments are available in canned or custom data reports, the secondary disposition can only be reviewed for each call individually in the contact history report.

Pros

Our company upgraded to InContact a few years ago from TASKE. As the local system administrator for one of our sites that uses this software, I provide data reports to all teams tailored to their specific needs. The amount of raw data that can be extracted from InContact is enormous and is very helpful for operation and individual performance evaluation and optimization.

Cons

For our business unit having to transfer calls is not only inefficient, but also not seen as good customer service. There are no easy to use reports available, neither canned nor custom, that would allow simple evaluation of transferred calls that can be reviewed. Additionally, our main business unit running InContact is located in another time zone. Working with InContact Support, there is no way around some time zone issues when setting hours of operations for our local units. When I try to override our normal hours of operations to close the queues for lets say one hour between 2 pm and 3 pm CST, I have to set the end time to 4 pm EST. This would be less confusing if the override wouldn't display the close time incorrectly on my end then, as the notification and countdown will say that it is currently 2 pm and that the business unit is closed for 2 hours until 4 pm.

Nice inContact Call Center

My experience with the Nice inContact call center software has been that it is a high quality, high availability solution that meets most call center operational requirements and can be implemented in a timely manner.

Pros

The software, compared to legacy premise-based call center solutions, is considerably easier to configure and implement. Time to bring on new IVR and ACD solutions is a fraction of the time to do so in the traditional environment. Integration with CRM solutions for screen pop, IVR customer lookup, dialer list management, and other services can be easily configured and implemented in days vs. months. The software enables multiple media types (voice, chat, email, SMS, etc.) to be managed under a single platform and seamlessly routed to agents. Getting implementation staff proficient with the tool is another plus.

Cons

Functionality of some services is not as deep as a point solution (i.e. compared to a full function chat or email management service) but is more tightly integrated for multi-channel routing.

Excellent cloud technology solutions for our contact center.

There was a time I felt I was losing some control by giving up all the physical equipment in our contact center and moving everything to the cloud. I got over that fairly quickly when we started improving quality, production and survey scores and eliminating down time.

Pros

They have a solution for pretty much have a solution for any task or initiative you have in your contact center. You don't need to purchase every tool; you can purchase only what you need. Their engineers and technical manager are good at what they do and have helped us design solutions for a variety of challenges.

Cons

If you are new to cloud technology for contact centers there is a lot to catch up on. You will have to do some studying and training. Most of these tools are easy to use, but in some cases you need time to get used to using the technology. You need to ask a lot of questions and make sure your technical account managers fully understand your business so they can partner with you on designing tools and solutions that work for you.

InContact review

Overall positive experience. We've used InContact for over 5 years now and have been able to grow our business as a result. We were the first to launch the PC dialer and use it extensively every day to increase the amount of outbound call attempts we make on a daily basis. One thing that needs to happen is to find a way to reduce the amount of freezing that occurs within the platform. We experience this about once or twice a month, sometimes for short periods, but sometimes for longer periods of time which can negatively impact production. Also, continue to enhance the custom report tool. It's getting better with each release, but still has some room to improve.

Pros

Ease of use when it comes to skill buildouts, edits. Priority blending works well and helps us prioritize calls to out agents. PC dialer works well and eliminates that "pause" when a call is launched to one of our students

Cons

Freezing of the platform on occasion. Need ability to create agent profiles where you can add skills to a profile instead of adding skills to multiple agents. Too much time involved

Best in Breed

I'm a contact center executive who specializes in technology solutions. I've researched, compared, selected, and implemented both cloud and on-premise solutions ranging from under 20 seats in a single location to over 1,000 multi-lingual seats located across multiple centers and in multiple countries.

Pros

Rock solid infrastructure and up-time delivery.
Robust feature set with endless customization options.
Seamless scalability both up and down in the cloud.
Speed of implementation.
Community driven learning centers.
Overall flexibility of the platform.
Full redundancy to ensure no call drops even during outages and upgrades.
No in-house experts or external consultants required for administration.
Free updates and upgrades.
APIs for everything!

Cons

Upfront costs for implementation.
Not the cheapest solution.
No premise offering or solution.
Options can be overwhelming.

The call center I work at uses inContact for our phone system.

Overall it is a good product and simple to use. Easy to understand with little to no training as long as the person using it understands symbols on most basic office style phones.

Pros

This software is easy to use and straightforward. The way our IT department has it set up is with a extension/addon/plugin that makes it available from within Salesforce. This is great because it means we do not have to switch to another tab or window in order to control the call (i.e hold, answer, hang up, and transfer.) which means less hassle and we are able to help customers much more efficiently.

Cons

There is this strange issue were my inContact window would give alerts about being disconnected from the internet. I sent it to IT who were unable to resolve it and they received word back from inContact that it was not there issue either so it still happens to this day. This was not a huge issue until a recent update removed the OKAY button from these alerts so now I cannot dismiss them and have to wait for them to disappear on their own. This usually only takes under a minute. However while it is on the screen I am unable to do anything in my call which is frustrating.

Great for a small call center

My team manages a mini call center composed of 5 specialists that that handle incoming calls from our vendor network throughout the day. During high volume days, calls are looped among the specialists in order to avoid missing any calls and requiring a vendor to leave a voicemail. This software was easy for our IT department to transition between looped calls and standard call processes. I believe that this is software can grow with your company whether you have 5 employees or 500.

Pros

Mostly reliant software with great sound quality
Great call routing features and automation
Quality call recording options (useful for escalations or PIP)
Cost effective due to the entire company using the platform (may be expensive for smaller teams)

Cons

When system is down, missed calls are lost
System support can be slow at times
Reporting capabilities could be expanded (improved dashboards)

From Rocky to Rockin'

We've been with inContact since 2013. Our initial start was very rocky. We had several staff/contact changes at inContact, inconsistent/conflicting information and instructions, and poor documentation. Since then, inContact has completely turned this around. This is thanks in large part to the excellent efforts of our Technical Account Manager and his team. His support is excellent and response time is great. Updates made to the Knowledge Base and technological updates have all helped to make inContact something I gladly recommend. My only complaint is that their site is still not mobile friendly which makes it hard to make changes, such as our hours of operation, on-the-go.

Pros

Technical Account Manager's support has been excellent. Features work well.

Cons

Their interface needs to be responsive/mobile-friendly and reporting could be a little easier to use.

Successful business transformation through integrated contact centres

Pros

incontact is an excellent scalable platform for expansion/integration
incontact seems to be very much in touch with evolving customer needs
Customer support and customer communication is very good and sometimes surprisingly transparent
Integration of chat and email for a unified agent queue allows agents to work from a single platform
Integrated agent and phone application allows agents to work from home without specialized software on their home computers.
options

Cons

Customer support is usually so good that it's disappointing when inContact occasionally doesn't live up to it's own standard
I wish the company had a service centre in Canada although their service offerings port fairly well across the border

Thoughts of a Collector

Our company starting using InContact three years ago to begin managing the expectations and KPI's that we set for our contact center agents. I was brought in just for this purpose as a way to manage this platform and ensure we are getting the productivity that was promised. Not only has InContact performed as promise but I was also able to utilize the system to do other things such as creating new scripts to assist in collecting receivables timely. We were able to quantify the rapid increase in right party connects which help decreased the DSO significantly. We reduced headcount because the platform helped dictate the agent's day using the various campaigns. In the beginning our agents completed 25-40 calls daily, when we implemented InContact that increased to 140-200 calls daily. I would definitely recommend this to other companies!!

Pros

Ease of use, ability to adjust to our growing enterprise

Cons

Communication when there are known issues

Record employees for training purpose and performance. Able to find call recordings when complaints

You can use the system for performance and customer complaints.

Pros

Able to use the call recording system to train employee(s) on quality calls to the homeowner. I was also able to find calls when the customer would call and compliant about the employee. It is a GREAT back up system for complaints, you can call the customer back and tell them you listen to the call and the situation did not happen or it did happen. Use the call recording for performance issues with a employee. You can also let the employee listen to the call and rate it and have discussion of their findings on the call. Good training tool.

Cons

When the system was down and you could not record a call that was necessary to go over with your employee.

BUYER BEWARE: Make sure your read the fine print on contract and confirm 100% that the features you want do not have hidden costs

I spent a long time researching software solutions in the industry to create a full integration with our software platform. During the sales process, the sales person made statements that were not accurate. I was led into believing my costs would be constant per user and it turned out to be a lie. Upon our launch, we had scheduled to bring out their training staff to help train our employees. They sent someone who sat in our office for 2 days and was not able to help anyone. This person actually left early while he was there and every question that was asked, he did not have a response. He would have to call someone else. After we signed our contract, everything turned into $$$$ for this, $$$ for that. I have never felt so deceived in my life. The sales person even used the fact that he was having a child to coerce me to sign the contract with his relentless approach. I should have sniffed this out during the sales process. While they have some features that are nice, everything has started to unravel. I lost a client because of the number of dropped calls that they have had. When we were first launched, there were countless issues with the configuration that caused us to lose calls, voicemails and essentially tarnished our image to our clients. It was very clear that no one understood what I was sold because I have been around nearly every department possible at that company. Reseller, Affiliate, you name it. The most disturbing part of all of this was the convenient negligence from their sales team that I could get the same exact thing I was being sold by going through Ring Central directly. The sales person knew EXACTLY what I wanted. I was crystal clear because I knew this would be a problem. I am just warning you to make sure you are VERY careful with the purchase of this product. Don't be fooled by 90% off discounts on their contracts. It just lures you in and then they will nickel and dime you for every little thing.

Pros

Gives the flexibility to write you own scripts, if you have the knowledge to do so. Otherwise, you are paying.

Cons

Too long and complicated to set up
Too many random issues that we had to figure out ourselves
No mobile solution
SMS support is too pricey.

Constant Service Issues, Terrible Customer Support

While we like the reporting system much better than our last system (though it does have a bit of a learning curve), we have pretty constant service issues. While InContact guarantees a 99.99% uptime, that would translate to about 4 hours a year of downtime for us - we sometimes have 4 hours of downtime in a single week. It has gotten a little better since we started complaining more, but we still have at least one impacting event every week or 2, that lasts 20-30 minutes. The customer support is the worst I've ever dealt with. Some of them are nice, but clearly just don't have any idea what they're talking about, and some of them our downright rude. 1/3 of the time I call them, I know right away, based on their initial response, that there's no way they're going to be able to resolve my issue. Another close to 2/3 of the time, they take my info, ask me for info they could find themselves, and then create a case. They keep updating the case, until eventually the issue just kind of resolves itself, and then they close the case. Then, of course, the issue comes back 2 days later, and the process starts over again. I've even had a service representative flat out tell me my agents are lying to me, rather than treating the issue like it's InContact's fault - he also basically told me I was an idiot for "not seeing the obvious answer". We did, later, find proof that it was InContact's fault. For all of our service issues over the last several months, they did provide a credit due to the guarantee, but six months of refunds came out to be about 8% of one month's bill - not much of a refund for constant issues and headaches that cost our company sales and hurt our department's credibility. The script (InContact's Studio) is immensely and unnecessarily confusing, and if you can't figure out how to do it yourself, customer support will try for about 30 minutes and fail (hopefully not breaking anything else in the process), and then you have to call their professional services, which charges for every 15 minutes you're on the phone. Expect about an hour and a half call to add a simple "press one for this skill, press two for this skill" menu to a specific line. If you think about it, it's pretty genius - they actually make money by having a terrible customer service department and a complicated product, because then it forces you to pay exorbitant prices to get real help. Many of their other add-on softwares are also unnecessarily confusing, outdated, buggy, or a combination of all 3. For instance, their WFO software, Verint, is incredibly confusing. Three of our employees went to a week-long training (which we paid a lot for) right before I took this position, and none of those employees could really tell me how to use the software. They did, however, forward to me 2 separate guides for the software, which totaled nearly 1,000 pages. Even with the wide array of unnecessary and complicated options, I still couldn't customize it to my needs after working with it, and customer support for nearly a month. They are moving away from Verint, because the company that acquired InContact has a competing product, but this point still stands for their other softwares as well - InView is nice, but very buggy and finicky, and we couldn't get quick results from our Account rep there - Uptivity looks like it was created in the early 90s, and is also relatively confusing, and non-user friendly - their customer support is also horrid. The only reason we haven't switched already, is I'm finally starting to understand their Studio (after 9 months in this job), and I don't want to start over, and I'm worried that another company will be just as bad, or at least close. But it really hurts to pay so much for a poor service. As far as price, I don't have enough experience in the field to be a great judge on this, but in speaking with others about some of their add-on service quotes that they've given us, I'm quite sure that these at least are a pretty terrible deal.

Pros

Reports are much more customizable than our last service
The InContact website itself is relatively user friendly and straightforward, aside from a learning curve for the reporting.

Cons

- Poor Customer Service
- Buggy/Non-user friendly add-on products
- Constant Service Issues
- Complicated Script
- Expensive Professional Services

InContact Cloud Software

Overall the software gives us more functionality than what we had with our previous vendor. The user experiences is easy to adapt to on the front end, however, the back end scripting and set up can be more complex than what InContact would lend you to believe. I think it is a good product, that has great functionality, but that their support team leaves a lot to be desired. If you are in a small to medium contact center this would be a good product to use and scale with. They have a lot of add on functions that can grow with your company.

Pros

The call back feature has been a great asset, it allows us the ability to meet our SLA goals better and not have to expend more resources toward staffing. The reporting options in inContact will suit most organizational needs, however, the reporting feature through inView has been a better more customizable resource for us. Many of the items in inView are in beta, but it is exciting to see whats to come. Overall this product has allowed us to have more visibility into our customer bases, to be able to identify trends and understand truly what our customers are calling for, so that we can best address their needs.

Cons

The support staff has been less than stellar. Misinformation was provided on the front end prior to contract signing that cost us money on the back end. The implementation company that they used initially started out well, but the PM we were assigned wasn't very organized, didn't follow up well, didn't communicate needs well. I found myself often leading the calls, following up on open issues and requesting timelines for items to be completed. The training provided to support the back end such as script building and maintenance wasn't sufficient. It will require dedicated time and support to learn it efficiently enough to be able to maintain it without disrupting anything. I will say that it was a pleasure to work with the technical lead assigned to our implementation he was great at assessing our need and finding solutions to meet it. Dealing with our InContact assigned technical account manager initially was a struggle. They didn't seem to absorb a lot of information related to our account which caused some unnecessary errors related to our billing. It took a couple months to resolve that matter. The follow up from them has not been the greatest, albeit you get what you pay for. They do have an option for an account manager that provides more dedicated support which we are looking into.

Best Service

When you work with inContact, you feel like you are part of the team. It is a partnership, not a Vendor/Client relationship. From the Technical Account Manager to the Sales VPs, they are always wanting to know more about us as a company, how we are using the product, and what we would change. I enjoy every minute using inContact.

Pros

The Personal Connection Dialer is the best around. You will not find another dialer that can produce results of <1% abandonment rates. Our agents love more than any other dialer they've used as well.

Cons

WFM - we just started using it, so maybe when we get our hands dirty with it, we'll find some pros.

Ive been using incontact for 8 years now. The product is extremely easy to use and feature rich!

Pros

The product and interfaces are easy to use and understand. The amount of options and tasks that can be done are vast and it allows for major changes to made quickly. It allows for extreme flexibility and adjustments to business practices and processes allowing for significant cost savings and improved customer relations.

Cons

With so many closely tied systems and being cloud based it can be very difficult when there are outages or issues. It isn't as simple as restarting the servers and getting back online. At times outages can be vast and occur for quite some time as the right parties are engaged to resolve the issues.

We use InContact for many different functions, and are quite pleased with their performance.

Pros

Ease of use has been particularly important for us. Their functionality allows us to use data in new ways to become more efficient as a company. Additionally, our agents are able to seamlessly switch between taking calls and chats as incoming volume dictates. The Studio product allows us to make minor changes to IVR scripting and call routing without being experts in programming.

Cons

Some of the reporting functions can be difficult to maneuver or structure, but once you are familiar, there really are few problems that we deal with. It is just a matter of using the product and using it to its strengths.

NICE WFM

Overall, I think that NICE Workforce Management is the best WFM software that we have used.

Pros

NICE workforce management is very useful when it comes to both scheduling of associates, and managing time off requests. It allows you to see your teams all in one, and make modifications to their scheduling right from the same screen.

Cons

We have had some kinks with NICE over the few years that we have used it. We managed to iron them out, however, it was rather frustrating at the time when trying to work around issues with time off requests, and not being able to locate associates who were put into teams incorrectly by our WFM team.

The Tech and the Last mile

Maintaining a 24/7 Help desk for our organization

Pros

The features and functionality are thought out.
The amount of documentation they have available is very good
Flexibility in Scripting and its implementation in the real world is well done.

Cons

You should really push a Power BI based reporting engine for customers. We have developed one for ourselves in our company.
The scripting UI feels like still left in the previous century. Both the look and feel and usability. For e.g. to connect two objects you need PERFECTLY click on the arrow and drop on the other. And there is more!

Implementation is a Breeze

Truly a fabulous experience. Engaged team always willing and able to help.

Pros

Implementation from design to going live took only 90 days and we converted in a single day. Once installed - ease of use and ability to work from any location (web access) makes this a truly flexible solution that drives improved productivity and improves ROI.

Cons

Customization, if needed, can be done but can be complex to execute. As long as requirements are clear and communication is consistent - will be executed but any gaps in requirements may cause the outcome to be unexpected.