Call center technology is a general term for all the technological equipment a call center uses on a daily basis to simplify inbound and outbound calls. Advanced contact center technology ranges from voice authentication to predictive dialers, which can boost employee productivity and enable them to provide premium customer support. Not only that, but businesses that implement new call center system technologies may see increased organization, profits, and efficiency in call management.

1) Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
An ACD is a system that routes incoming calls to agents automatically. Calls can be directed based on different policies like round-robin or skills-based rules. It’s the logic behind most call center applications.

2) Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
IVR lets callers interact directly with the phone system when they call. For example, they can get directed to the right department or access self-service information — no need for an agent. Unlike auto attendants, IVR systems are speech-based.

3) Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
CRM software stores your sales, customer, and business data. CRM systems are only as useful as the data that’s in them. It is the source of intelligence for screen pop and other useful CTI features. Training your call center staff on using the CRM properly is always the best practice.

4) Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
CTI facilitates communication between telephones and a computer. Unlike physical switching, these solutions manage calls through virtual interfaces. For instance, placing a call on hold, barge-in, transferring, and call parking would generally fall into CTI.

5) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
VoIP is the underlying technology that facilitates phone calls over the internet. It converts your conversation into data packets, and it sends them over the internet. VoIP serves as the foundation of a cloud-based call center.

6) Call recording
There will always be a need to listen to calls and train your team. Now it’s all done through the cloud. Recording calls lets call center managers coach employees, so they can improve performance. Likewise, it allows your team to recall previous conversations on-demand.

7) Mobile functionality
Mobile apps give call centers the option to handle calls on an agent’s cell phone. For most, this might be a backup option. Since VoIP isn’t location-based like landlines, any modern smartphone with a 4G or Wi-Fi connection will work. A mobile VoIP app is a useful technology to add more redundancy to your team.

8) Voicemail to email transcription
Voicemail to email can convert voicemails and send them to an inbox. This call center technology uses speech recognition to turn voicemails into text. From there, you can ensure your voicemails are returned in a timely and efficient manner.