Every time customers contact your business, they have a problem that needs solving. The longer it takes to address their concerns, the more frustrated they become. The call center ticketing system helps solve this problem by organizing customer inquiries and tracking their progress until resolution. This guide will explore the benefits of HubSpot help desk software, how it differs from traditional ticketing systems, and how to choose the right one for your business.
What Is a Ticketing System and How Does It Integrate with the Contact Center?
Call Center Ticketing System
Call center software is a technology solution that enables businesses to manage and optimize their customer service operations, primarily over the phone. It typically includes features and tools that facilitate handling incoming and outgoing calls, tracking customer interactions, and improving overall efficiency within a call center. AI can enhance these systems with features like intelligent call routing, post-call summaries, and automated quality assurance to further boost support productivity and effectiveness.
What Is a Ticketing System?
A ticketing system is a tool that helps businesses manage and track customer support inquiries through to resolution. When integrated with a call center, customers can submit support tickets through multiple channels, or contact center agents can manually create tickets while they’re on the line with a customer. The support teams can then track, collaborate on, and resolve these tickets in one tool.
Key Features of a Contact Center Platform and Ticketing System Integration
Brands can take control of the conversation and follow-up process if the contact center and ticketing system are seamlessly integrated. Managing follow-up conversations is essential to contact center operation, and ticketing system integration enables contact center agents to reduce resolution time and improve the customer experience. Some of the more advanced features beyond ticket management that come with a ticketing system and contact center integration include AI and automation. Agents can work more efficiently by automating tasks like ticket creation, ticket assignment, ticket routing, and issue escalation. In addition, a ticketing system can also pull in relevant customer data, which can be very helpful in resolving issues.
Omnichannel ticket routing. A ticketing system and contact center integration help you meet customers where they are, whether on chat, web forms, email, social media, or over the phone. It consolidates each channel into a single view to allow a support team to communicate with customers and solve their problems regardless of channel. Sound ticketing systems have several essential features that enhance customer support processes and empower support teams. Here are some of the key features to look for:
Ticket Management
The system should provide a centralized platform for managing customer queries, where agents can create, assign, and track tickets throughout their lifecycle. Agents should also be able to easily access customer information, conversation history, and any relevant attachments associated with the ticket.
Example: When a customer submits a ticket regarding a billing issue, the ticketing system captures all the customer details and assigns the ticket to a support agent. The agent can then view the customer’s previous interactions, such as previous tickets, enabling them to provide personalized assistance.
Ticket Status Tracking
Reliable ticketing systems should offer various status options to track the progress of each customer ticket. It helps prioritize tickets based on urgency, ensures clear communication with customers, and provides transparency in the resolution process.
Example: A ticket with the status “Postponed” can indicate that the support agent is awaiting additional information from the customer before proceeding with the resolution.
Ticket assignment and routing
Automated ticket assignment is based on predefined rules. It ensures that each ticket is routed to the most suitable agent or department, improving efficiency and reducing agent response times.
Example: The ticketing system can automatically assign technical issues or questions to a specialized technical support team, while general inquiries are directed to a customer service team.
Internal Tickets
These tickets are part of many ticketing tools, allowing agents to submit internal tickets when they face problems and get help from other agents. Internal queries are only visible to your agents and cannot be viewed by customers. Utilizing them can enhance collaboration, communication between agents, and productivity within the organization.
Internal Notes
Internal notes are a feature typically added to ticket threads to convey additional information about a specific ticket or customer. They can also be used as to-do lists or reminders.
(Macros)
Canned messages, or macros, are short, predetermined responses written in advance to help agents answer customers' questions with a single click. They’re typically used to answer frequently asked questions, save time, and provide accurate resolutions.
Predefined answers
Predefined answers serve a similar purpose as canned messages. However, predefined messages can be much longer, and you can also add attachments to them, which is impossible in canned responses.
Service level agreements (SLAs)
Service level agreements represent a contract between a service provider and a customer that defines the level of service that must always be provided. They typically cover the expected quality of service, how quickly the issue needs to be addressed, and the provider's responsibilities. Service-level agreements can also define internal business goals and metrics that must be met.
Example: A service level agreement could state that the software provider has to answer the customer’s queries within one business hour. If it’s not met, the customer has the right to compensation.
6 Reasons Why Every Call Center Should Use an Integrated Ticketing System
Call Center Ticketing System
1. Reduce Call Volume with Ticketing Integration
A ticketing system reduces call volume by streamlining communications. Call queuing is one of the most effective ways a ticketing system can reduce your call volume. This feature generally involves placing incoming calls into a queue until an agent can take them. Call queuing is common to all call centers, but good queuing software also prioritizes the calls and provides callers with an accurate estimate of the time they’ll be in the queue.
Automatic call distribution (ACD) reduces call volume by routing calls to specific agents based on predetermined instructions, department, tier level, and agent skill set. This process generally involves answering a series of questions, which the ticket system uses to generate a routing algorithm. ACD can also identify idle agents and increase their routing priority accordingly.
An advanced ticket system may be capable of Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), which connects the software to the telephone system. This feature provides agents with the caller’s account information before they take the call, including notes from previous calls. CTI can significantly reduce the average call duration since agents don’t need to spend time retrieving account information.
2. Handle Call Volume Changes like a Pro
A call center’s call volume can vary dramatically due to factors such as the time of day, the number of agents, and the number of campaigns the call center handles. An environment where all agents are always busy generates the most revenue in the short term, but it doesn’t allow time for activities that provide long-term benefits, such as training.
A ticketing system can allow you to effectively plan for downtime activities at a time when call volume is likely to be lower. These activities may include training for new agents and corrective action for experienced agents. Well-trained agents are essential for customer satisfaction and can better assume leadership roles in the call center.
3. Automate Customer Requests to Boost Productivity
A call center must provide current and prospective customers with a rewarding experience, which primarily involves answering their questions quickly and accurately. A ticketing system can automate many simple customer questions, eliminating the need for them to speak to a live agent.
This capability can give you a competitive advantage, especially in industries with poor customer service. An advanced ticketing system should include call routing that allows callers to enter the reason for their call into the system. This feature routes the caller to the most appropriate agent or self-service options, reducing wait times.
This helps you better provide callers with information in real-time, which is an expectation for many customers today. Furthermore, it can help smooth the transition between the automated system and live agents by eliminating the need for the customer to provide information more than once.
4. Deliver Seamless Cross-Channel Support
Today’s customers communicate with companies through various channels, including email, chat, self-service, and even SMS, and they expect a seamless experience across these channels. When customers call companies, they expect agents to know who they are, why they are calling, and that they emailed about the same issue a day before.
A ticketing system makes it easy to improve the customer experience and deliver seamless, consistent support across support channels. You can answer a phone call by asking, “Are you calling about the email you sent this morning?” You can respond to a chat by asking, “Would it be easier to talk it out over the phone?”
5. Improve Scheduling with a Ticketing System
Optimal scheduling is one of the most significant challenges for today’s call centers. This task can be accomplished manually with a few agents, typically no more than ten. However, as the number of agents in the call center increases above this number, software quickly becomes necessary for scheduling.
Scheduling is complex primarily because it depends on many factors, including expected call volume, key performance indicators (KPIs), requested shifts, and training sessions. A ticketing system can provide call center managers with the information they need to develop schedules within budget. This information includes each shift's login and logout time and when each agent will take a break.
6. Increase Employee Efficiency
Many call centers use a ticketing system’s reporting capability to increase employee efficiency. This process involves generating reports on each agent’s strengths and weaknesses so call managers can help them allocate their work time more efficiently.
Furthermore, it can shorten the learning curve of new agents by identifying areas where they require additional training based on the agent’s KPIs. Integrated phone support also boosts agent productivity. Time-saving tools like automatic ticket creation and customer profile screen-pops allow agents to focus on helping customers quickly, not searching for information or navigating multiple systems.
7. Obtain Reporting and Analytics Metrics Across Channels
Call data is essential for effectively managing a call center. All call center software provides collective information such as traffic and call volume, but managers must also understand how call data fits into multichannel operations. A multichannel ticketing system can help managers understand how to improve their phone support operations specifically and how it fits into a multichannel support strategy with centralized reporting.
Use ChatBees’ AI Customer Support Software to 10x Customer Support Operations.
ChatBees optimizes RAG with our AI customer support software for internal operations like customer support, employee support, etc. This software provides the most accurate response and easily integrates into workflows in a low-code, no-code manner.
ChatBees' agentic framework automatically chooses the best strategy to improve the quality of responses for these use cases. This improves predictability and accuracy, enabling these operations teams to handle more queries. No DevOps is required to deploy and maintain the service.
Try our AI customer support software today to 10x your customer support operations. Get started for free, with no credit card required. Sign in with Google and get started on your journey with us today!
How Does a Call Center Ticketing System Work?
1. Ticket Creation
The process begins when a customer submits a support request. This can usually be done through various channels like email, live chat, social media platforms, or contact forms. The customer provides information about their issue, such as a detailed description, contact details, and any relevant attachments.
2 Ticket Routing
Once a ticket is created, the ticketing system automatically assigns it to a support agent or a designated department based on predefined rules. This ensures the ticket is always directed to the most appropriate person with the relevant expertise to handle the particular issue.
3. Ticket Prioritization
Support agents can also prioritize incoming tickets based on predefined criteria. They can mark urgent or high-priority issues, allowing agents to address them promptly and ensure timely resolution.
4. Collaboration
Support teams often must collaborate to resolve more complicated issues and complex tasks internally. Robust ticketing solutions enable agents to communicate with each other, share their insights, and work together on finding efficient resolutions.
5. Ticket Escalation
In cases where a ticket requires escalation to a higher level of support, one of the significant ticketing features allows seamless handoffs. This ensures that the complex issues receive the expertise needed to resolve them faster.
6. Resolution and Closure
Once the support agent resolves the customer’s issue, they update the ticket status to “Closed.” The ticketing system keeps a record of the resolution for future reference.
How to Measure Your Call Center Ticket System
Call Center Ticketing System
Total Ticket Volume: Get the Big Picture
When assessing the performance of your ticketing system, start by looking at the total number of tickets your team handles daily or hourly. This number helps inform where to put your energy and how to schedule agents. For example, if your team typically resolves 50 tickets a day and that number suddenly jumps to 75, you’re likely to have a backlog problem.
Understanding where spikes in ticket volume are coming from can also help you improve your operations. For instance, if you identify that a recent product launch has caused increased tickets, you can investigate whether they all relate to one issue and communicate fixes to customers to reduce the volume quickly.
First Contact Resolution Time: Measure Your Initial Response
First-contact resolution time measures how long your team resolves an issue after a customer opens a ticket. You will compare this to internal and industry standards and past performance. Improving FCR can reduce the average number of times a customer has to contact support to resolve an issue, which enhances customer satisfaction and decreases overall resolution time.
Aggregate Ticket Resolution Time: Understand the Average
Aggregate ticket resolution time tracks the average across all tickets. If there’s a discrepancy between this metric and an individual agent’s average resolution time, you will want to know more about what that agent is doing differently. If this number is higher than your standard, you may have to rethink training, self-serve, the channels you have available, etc.
Net Promoter Score: Gauge Customer Satisfaction
Net promoter score asks how likely a customer is to refer your business to someone else within their network. Because this focuses on the customers' intentions rather than their emotions (like CSAT), you’re more likely to receive accurate answers less influenced by people’s current moods.
Direction of Importance: Understand Changing Customer Sentiment
The direction of importance measures how the customer feels about your business now and generates predictions about future feelings. Sometimes, businesses get a high NPS and still lose customers because the NPS is just about the present. To measure DOI, we ask, “Is the importance of our business/product increasing, staying about the same, or decreasing?”
First Response Time: How Quickly Does Your Team Acknowledge Requests?
First response time simply refers to how long your support staff takes to respond to your customer’s request. This number helps you answer questions like how many agents to schedule and when or how much automation can be leveraged.
First Contact Resolution: Solve Issues Faster
First contact resolution (FCR) differs from the first response time in that it calculates the percentage of support issues resolved by the end of the first contact with a customer. Strive to improve this metric for better customer satisfaction and reduced resolution times.
Individual agent performance lets you monitor how effective and regulation-compliant each agent is when responding to and resolving tickets. Tracking this metric helps you identify top performers, areas where specific agents may need more training, and how well your team adheres to industry standards and internal goals.
Agent Utilization: Measure Effective Time Spent on Tickets
Agent utilization tells you the ratio of time spent on tickets to time spent on other internal tasks. Aim for a higher ratio for a more effective team. If this ratio is low, agents could be burdened by time-consuming tasks that could be automated or that agents need to be trained on more efficient practices.
Ticket Volume by Channel: Assess Customer Engagement
Ticket volume by channel determines where customer engagement is happening by looking at where tickets originate, such as social, email, chat, voice, or SMS. Metrics will likely vary by channel. Use them to inform decision-making about the overall customer experience strategy.
Cost Per Ticket: Understand Ticketing System Expenses
Cost per ticket is a metric that gives you a granular understanding of how much customer engagement costs you, given your current systems. It is based on the cost of the staffing, technology, and other expenses involved in resolving a ticket. It is broken down per minute and multiplied by the minutes it takes to receive and determine a ticket.
Help Desk Staff Engagement Metrics: Build a Strong Team
Helpdesk staff engagement metrics help you build a robust and reliable team. When your workers are happy with their work, managers, and the company they work for, they’re much more likely to work harder, perform better, and be more loyal.
Average Resolution Time: Look for Patterns
The average resolution time from your call center ticket system should be low, or it could mean that your team needs to be more staffed or undertrained. Suppose the metric is based on the average time to fully resolve tickets, including opening and closing them multiple times. In that case, you can look for patterns in particular agents, training, or your knowledge base that might be causing barriers to efficient solutions.
SLA Success Rate: Track Compliance Over Time
SLA success rate tracks the percentage of incidents resolved within the agreed timeframe for completing the service.
The complaint escalation rate tells you how well your frontline agents are handling complaints. The lower the number, the better.
Number of Support Tickets: Assess Product Quality
The number of support tickets generally reflects the quality of your products or services and the self-serve support for those products.
Number of Tickets Backlogged: Monitor Unresolved Issues
The number of tickets backlogged pertains to customer support requests that remain unresolved during a particular period or beyond the usual response time you set. If this number is high or suddenly changes, you will be looking for a weak link in your system.
Ticket Volume by Support Channel: Inform Training Opportunities
Ticket volume by support channel informs you what additional training may be needed on a particular channel. Each channel is used differently, has different compliance regulations, and requires different training. If tickets are all coming through on voice and not on SMS, you might improve your ticketing system by making SMS more available since it can reduce staffing costs and improve customer experience.
Average Time in Queue: Keep Customers Happy
The average time in queue alerts you to the likelihood of dissatisfied customers. Research shows that most customers are unwilling to wait more than a minute on hold.
After-Call Work Time: Assess Post-Resolution Tasks
After-call work time tells you how long it takes to resolve an issue fully, even after the customer gets off the phone. If agents spend more than half the length of the call wrapping up and reporting, reexamining your processes is in order.
Abandonment Rate: Monitor Customer Drop Off
The abandonment rate refers to customers discontinuing their contact while waiting for an agent. If the percentage is significant, it may be worth exploring other channels for your customer engagement strategy.
Self-Serve Views to Ticket Ratio: Improve Knowledge Base Content
Self-serve views to ticket ratio tell you how many people tried to deal with their problems without an agent, gave up, and filed a ticket. Looking at which self-serve options customers choose most often and which they abandon can help you improve your offerings.
27 Best Call Center Ticketing System Software
1. ChatBees: The AI-Powered Support Tool for Internal Operations
ChatBees optimizes RAG with our AI customer support software for internal operations like customer support, employee support, etc.. This software provides the most accurate response and easily integrates into workflows in a low-code, no-code manner. ChatBees' agentic framework automatically chooses the best strategy to improve the quality of responses for these use cases.
This improves predictability/accuracy, enabling these operations teams to handle more queries. No DevOps is required to deploy and maintain the service. Try our AI customer support software today to 10x your customer support operations. Get started for free, with no credit card required. Sign in with Google and start your journey with us today!
2. HubSpot
If you're looking for powerful but easy-to-use call center software, look no further than HubSpot's VoIP software. Call customers directly from HubSpot’s platform and leverage features like call logging and analytics. You won’t have to worry about logging interactions — recorded calls are automatically logged on contact records in the HubSpot CRM database, which provides a comprehensive picture of customer needs, activity, and past interactions.
You can also opt for HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform. It bundles features from all of HubSpot’s products into a single platform. That means you get a 360-degree overview of your customer base via sales, service, marketing analytics, and all the other tools to seamlessly manage processes across multiple departments.
3. Dialpad Ai Contact Center
Dialpad AI Contact Center allows you to access all your customer interactions—regardless of channel—from a single app, accessible anywhere on any device. Dialpad is unique because its AI powers built-in features like hyper-accurate voice transcription, sentiment analysis, agent coaching, chatbot self-service functionality, and more, all in real time.
Dialpad also integrates with popular CX tools, like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk, tying them all together into a single pane of glass. Setting up a new contact center with Dialpad takes just a few minutes. You can also add and remove agents and manage phone numbers more quickly and easily right from your Dialpad account. This allows your business to scale quickly with DialPad.
4. Nextiva
Nextiva is easy-to-use contact center software that helps you connect with more callers in less time and with fewer agents. With Nextiva, you get features like IVR, automatic call routing, and call queuing. You can also optimize agent call flow, leverage virtual agents to automate interactions and streamline the caller experience.
5. Aircall
Speaking of Aircall, this cloud-based call center can help your support team transform customer experiences. This software includes some of the top features mentioned earlier, including IVR, cloud-based calling, call routing, and more. The software also boasts skills-based routing, call queuing, queue callback, live call monitoring, and call whispering.
With the call whispering feature, managers can advise teammates behind the scenes and make an impact right at the moment. This is great for the customer experience and training purposes as well. Aircall also has call center analytics so you can monitor your agents' performance, individually or as a team.
6. JustCall
A comprehensive contact center solution designed for customer-facing teams, JustCall delivers a productive experience for agents, sales reps, and managers. It offers a range of voice and SMS features, including call recording, SMS automation, live call monitoring, and post-call surveys. Agents also get a sales dialer and conversation intelligence capabilities to supercharge their inbound and outbound campaigns. JustCall integrates with 100+ CRM, help desk, and business tools, simplifying communications and workflows for contact center teams.
7. CloudTalk
CloudTalk is an innovative call center software that provides users with various unique tools. For example, its custom queue feature allows support teams to dictate where incoming calls will be distributed. CloudTalk routes inbound calls to agents best suited to solve the customer's issue. This eliminates call transfers, which can add friction to the customer experience.
Another customizable feature that CloudTalk offers is personalized voicemails. If your team is unavailable, customers can leave voicemails that agents can respond to later. That way, customers aren't stuck on hold waiting endlessly for your team to answer. Instead, they can simply leave a message, return to work, and wait for your team to reach out with a prepared solution.
8. LiveAgent
LiveAgent's call center solution is built directly into its multi-channel help desk, so you can help customers through any channel you choose. One of the only tools on the list that does not charge a per-minute usage fee is LiveAgent, which can be a cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized businesses that rely on phone support.
9. Bitrix24
A contact center built around your to-do list, Bitrix24 helps teams collaborate to get their work done. They offer a multitude of customer service channels, including rentable telephone lines, live chat, and email queues, that integrate into Bitrix24's task management software and CRM. Bitrix24 also offers an on-premise solution for industries that require or feel more comfortable hosting their data storage.
10. TalkDesk
A robust call center solution for enterprise teams, TalkDesk offers features designed to help big teams manage phone support quickly. From workforce management to industry-specific security features, TalkDesk provides teams with everything they need to deliver a consistent customer experience at scale.
11. Five9
Five9 combines everything your business needs to launch a complete customer service and sales call center. Focused on enterprise businesses, Five9 includes workforce management tools, predictive dialing, and CTI screen pops to help agents provide better service and take advantage of every chance to upsell.
12. RingCentral
RingCentral is a flexible cloud-based phone system that supports desktop and mobile users. One unique feature it provides is "RingOut," which enables one-touch calling from any phone or internet-enabled computer. Additionally, RingCentral has powerful call delegation and answering rules to ensure calls are routed to the right individual.
13. Dixa
Dixa is a simple-to-set-up contact center that runs entirely in a web browser. Featuring advanced call distribution algorithms and caller recognition, Dixa is a modern solution designed to improve the experience of both the customer and the contact center administrator.
14. Zendesk
Built on one of the most extensive customer service platforms, Zendesk offers a call center solution for businesses of every size. With automatic ticket creation, agents can use Zendesk's slick help desk features to help customers across every channel.
15. Avaya Contact Center
According to the Avaya website, over 90% of Fortune 100 companies use an Avaya product to manage their contact center. That's because it's been a heavyweight in the communications industry for years. With multiple advanced features in its standard platform, you can be sure you're getting an enterprise-level product when using Avaya's omnichannel contact center solution.
16. net2phone
Net2phone offers an interactive voice response system, or IVR, that allows your team to take fewer calls and your customer to resolve their issue automatically. Rather than having customers call you and wait on hold to connect with a rep, an IVR immediately responds to customers when they dial your support line. This digital assistant lays out various options for the caller and then solves the problem independently or automatically connects the caller to a human agent.
17. HappyFox
HappyFox is a help desk software that offers powerful call center capabilities. The platform integrates with Aircall and RingCentral to automatically record and assign calls to tickets inside the system. Its features include call scripting, custom ticket queues, and Service Level Agreement (SLA) management.
18. Channels
Channels is a call center software that allows you to respond to customers' calls via its convenient mobile app. You can set call distribution rules and integrate Channels with other software in your technology stack, including HubSpot, Zapier, Zendesk, and Shopify. Channels is an excellent choice for small companies just establishing a call center because it's specifically a phone system — and not a full-scale help desk software.
19. Freshcaller
Freshcaller is just one of Freshwork's diverse SaaS offerings; the company also offers customer success, IT, and HR software systems for enterprise companies. Freshcaller is a dedicated phone system that makes it painless and easy for international businesses to manage customer support calls. With Freshcaller, you can set up a multi-level interactive voice response system, respond to calls on the Freshcaller mobile app, and automate call distribution.
20. UJET
UJET’s robust contact center platform integrates seamlessly with your CRM and allows you to unify, contextualize, and improve the customer journey, all conveniently from your customer’s smartphone. One of UJET’s most popular features is SmartActions, which allows your customers to share photos, videos, and texts with a live agent to point directly to the problem rather than having to describe it.
Agents can also authenticate customers using an existing pin, passcode, fingerprint, or Face ID technology on the customer’s smartphone. UJET adheres to the industry's strictest privacy standards, and all customer information is stored directly in your CRM or private data repository.
21. Aloware
Aloware is contact center software built to supercharge sales/support operations with unlimited calling and texting. It can be integrated with your favorite CRM. Its cloud-based phone system, paired with Local Presence, enables SMEs to communicate wirelessly with their customers wherever possible.
Phone lines, ring groups, and inboxes can be configured to fit every business need. Aloware also comes with power dialing, SMS broadcasting, and contact automation tools. Managers can remotely monitor their team and supervise calls through its live dashboard. They also get clear visibility on call volumes, durations, and queues to manage day-to-day performance effectively.
22. Twilio Flex
True to its name, Twilio Flex is our list's most customizable and flexible call center software. To take advantage of this customization, you must be comfortable using Twilio’s workflow builder, Twilio Studio. While you don’t need to know how to code to use Twilio Studio, there is a learning curve. Nevertheless, Twilio publishes guides on how to set up some of the most popular call center features, including how to build an IVR tree.
23. Vonage
Vonage Contact Center is a cloud-based solution with core features like call monitoring, tagging, and a built-in auto-dialer. Additionally, Vonage integrates with Zendesk to create a more unified customer experience. Agent efficiency features include dynamic call routing, considering factors like agent skill and availability. Users can streamline call transfers with SMS options alongside traditional call transfers.
Customers can choose to receive a callback instead of waiting on hold. Supervisors can leverage Vonage’s conversational intelligence features to gain insights from customer interactions. These features include automated post-call transcription, summarization, and speech analytics. Real-time and historical dashboards provide supervisors and agents with data and trends.
24. Webex
Cisco's Webex multichannel call center system integrates video conferencing and audio calls. It can support on-site and remote employees. Businesses receive unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls included in their subscription. The auto attendant is a self-service option for callers and can route calls to agents.
The platform also includes a call barging feature, which allows agents to answer calls for colleagues who are unavailable or enables managers to join ongoing calls. Additionally, Webex’s basic plan allows for video conferences up to 40 minutes, while higher-tier plans support video meetings up to 24 hours.
25. 3CX
3CX users can deploy its call center solution with on-premise, hosted, or cloud-based options. It features web conferencing, enabling agents and supervisors to conduct virtual meetings with colleagues or customers while managing calls. For call center management, 3CX allows supervisors to utilize QA tools like post-call recordings and speech analytics to evaluate agent performance and identify areas for improvement or coaching.
With reporting tools, managers can also analyze data from calls and live chat interactions with some third-party integrations and add-ons to track daily operations, identify trends, and measure customer satisfaction metrics.
26. GoTo Connect
GoTo Connect offers a cloud-based contact center as a service (CCaaS) solution that integrates phone systems, video conferencing, and messaging functionalities. The platform provides various subscription plans for businesses of different sizes. The solution allows enterprises to customize call management with skills-based routing, ensuring calls are directed to the most suitable agent based on expertise.
Additionally, it offers hot desking functionality, enabling agents to seamlessly transition between workstations and answer calls from any device with an internet connection. Automatic call distribution spreads incoming calls based on agent availability to manage call volume and wait times. Beyond call management, GoTo Connect offers multichannel capabilities. This allows customers to interact with the contact center through various channels, such as phone, video, and chat.
27. CallHippo
CallHippo is a SaaS (software as a service) call center solution for inbound and outbound calling. The cloud-based telephony platform incorporates gamification elements, enabling teams to compete for rewards and achieve milestones. Agents can earn points for actions such as successfully resolving customer issues or exceeding call duration targets, with progress tracked on leaderboards for comparison against colleagues.
The tool features badges, achievements, and rewards to motivate users. Businesses can use post-call surveys to gather customer feedback after each interaction, while Smart Switch uses algorithms to manage call routing in real-time. CallHippo's call queuing lets agents answer calls in the order they arrive.
How to Choose the Right Call Center Ticketing Tool
Call Center Ticketing System
Assess Your Needs: A Crucial First Step
The first step in selecting a support ticketing system is determining your needs. There are many factors to consider, and your answers will help narrow your options. For starters, how large is your team? What’s your expected volume of incoming tickets? What channels will customers contact you from?
Do you have any unique requirements or needs for special features like automation or AI? Your answers to these questions will be the baseline criteria for selecting your help desk. For example, if you run a small support team that only handles limited email inquiries, you’ll only need a lightweight system. In comparison, a large enterprise team may require a robust solution with customization options and the ability to handle hundreds of team members.
Identify Key Features: What Does Your Team Need?
I touched on this above, but assessing your needs will help inform us of the critical features your team requires. Some examples of make-or-break features may include Ticket automation and follow-up, reporting capabilities, and integration options.
Omnichannel ticketing, SLA (service level agreement) management, and more. Based on your team's needs, I suggest listing required and “nice to have” features. Then, search for help desk software that checks off as many boxes as possible within your budget, which brings me to the next step.
Set a Budget: How Much Can You Spend?
It all comes down to money, of course. Setting a budget for your customer service ticket system will help narrow your options. You want to maximize value, meaning you get the most high-quality features for your money. I think help desk software isn’t the place to cut corners. If ever there was a place to stretch that budget a little, it’s here.
Why? Because it’s an essential tool for your team’s ability to satisfy customers. It’s not worth cheating on your help desk software if it means missing out on critical features and creating a bottleneck in your ability to help customers. That being said, it all depends on your needs, and if your needs are essential, you can take advantage of many free help desk solutions.
Consider Scalability: Will It Grow With You?
I think it’s critical to choose customer ticketing software that can grow with your team. Many solutions offer a free tier, which is excellent for smaller teams just starting out. However, it’s essential to consider your team’s growth trajectory when selecting the right option.
After all, you don’t want to choose help desk software that you’ll need to replace after only a year or two, which will result in lots of lost time in retraining and integrating a new system into your workflow. Service desk software like HubSpot is fantastic because it offers a free option to get you started and gradually increases paid tiers that expand upon feature sets to align with your growing business needs.
Test Multiple Tools: Find Your Perfect Match
I’ve been writing about and researching customer service software for a while now and found that the market is relatively competitive. What I mean is. Generally, the foremost service desk options are parity in features and capabilities.
So, how do you choose between solutions that offer the same features at similar price points? That’s where the fun comes in. Testing! Well, maybe it’s only fun if you’re a software nerd like me. Regardless, it’s essential to audition a few tools to figure out which fits your workflow best.
Use ChatBees’ AI Customer Support Software to 10x Customer Support Operations.
ChatBees optimizes RAG with our AI customer support software for internal operations like customer support, employee support, etc.. It provides the most accurate response and easily integrates into workflows in a low-code, no-code manner.
ChatBees' agentic framework automatically chooses the best strategy to improve the quality of responses for these use cases. This improves predictability/accuracy, enabling these operations teams to handle the higher volume of queries. No DevOps is required to deploy, and maintain the service.