In the call center world we see and read about various call center solutions that can offer businesses unparalleled ‘this’ or improved ‘that,’ but how does the enterprise know what will work best? With a goal of resolving customer queries and providing exceptional service it is important to know what solutions do what. Well, today we will discuss two types of solutions many put in the same bucket yet they serve vastly different purposes.
I’m talking about the difference between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and call center software. This distinction is important for any business—so let’s dig in.
CRM’s roots are as a database, it has expanded capabilities but at its heart it is a way for companies to track and manage customer data. Functions of CRM include the following:
- Customer Reporting—This entails customer care, marketing and sales reports that offer management real-time transparency into daily customer related operations
- Marketing Automation—This function will segment customers and manage marketing campaigns via automation
- Sales Force Automation (SFA)—This will track interactions, business and sales as well as forecasting and performance analysis capabilities
Call center software on the other hands offers the call center a communication channel for client and customer interaction. These types of solution s make it possible for email, chat and social posts to turn into customer engagement. Functions of call center software include:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)—This provides customers with self-service options, and via speech and keypad can route a caller to a live agent if necessary
- Dialer—This automates outbound calling
- Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)—This queues and routes phone calls/interactions to the appropriate agent
- Computer Telephony Integration (CTI (News - Alert))—This function will integrate one’s communications with its other systems—such as, CRM) to offer the agent a holistic view at the customer
- Workforce Management—This maintains the proper number of staff as well as the particular skills at a given time to handle call volume
- Operational Reporting—This tracks key performance indicators (KPI) and offers a gamut of reports
- Quality Management and Monitoring—This tool provides the call center with the means to grade and coach agents through recorded customer interactions.
As one can see, while the two each offer vast benefits to the call center, I would consider them complimentary. In simple terms, call center software manages the communications side of things whereas CRM is responsible for customer history and sales. One without the other would be like ordering a peanut butter and jelly, hold the peanut butter.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi