Today, there are several CRMs for you to choose from, each specializing in different industries and positions. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have become crucial in almost every sales industry, making call center CRMs even more important. Call center CRMs specialize in managing calls and providing actionable advice for your representatives.
So, should my call center use a CRM? And what features should you focus on if you plan on investing in one? We’ve uncovered everything you should know before deciding to upgrade your call center workflow.
If you’re interested in a CRM that assists your call center, book a demo with one of our specialists. We’ll walk you through our workflow and see how it can elevate your productivity.
What is a Call Center CRM?
A call center customer relationship management (CRM) system is designed to elevate your call center. It has specific features you can use to track your calls and measure success — statistics that would be difficult to log manually.
How a Call Center CRM Differs from a Standard CRM
Call center CRMs differ from standard CRMs in their focus on call-related functionality. They house vital statistics that are used to measure how effective call representatives are. Standard CRMs do track customer interactions, but depending on the CRM, you might only get message management or email management.
Before purchasing a CRM service, it’s important to note how you interact with your customers. If you aren’t calling your clients, then a call center-focused CRM might not be the right choice for your business. However, if you are making or receiving calls every day, having a CRM focused on maintaining and strengthening your relationships can make your customer journey mapping easier.
Key Features of Call Center CRM Software
While every call center CRM is different in the number of features and the ones they prioritize, every call center CRM should offer these benefits to start:
Automatic Call Logging
If you set up integrations with your dialer, your call center CRM should identify each call and log its basic metrics (call length, disposition, transcripts, summaries). When the integration is set up, the data is automatically sent to your CRM for it to digest, so you don’t have to.
If the CRM you choose can’t integrate with your dialer, consider options that allow for seamless information transfer. Otherwise, you’ll have to upload every call into the system, which adds another step that can muddle your process.
Caller ID Integration
Your CRM should keep track of every client who has called or contacted you. If your call representatives have logged them within your system, the next time they call, their name should appear as soon as the call begins.
That way, you can easily navigate to their information and recall the details of the previous conversation.
Some CRMs even allow for automatic caller ID, which updates your system with the necessary fields as soon as your client says them in the call. Depending on whether the CRM uses an AI assistant, you won’t have to put it in your CRM manually.
Call Recording and Agent Notes
Whether you’re uploading your calls or there is an integration within your CRM, you shouldn’t have to worry about missing information from a call because they will record all the call information either as an audio file or via transcription.
Your call representatives should be able to create their own notes for each lead they interact with. This keeps everyone on track when interacting with the lead.
Omnichannel Contact History
While your client interactions can mostly be through phone calls, you should be able to record correspondence outside of calls. As a lead management system, a good CRM should note down every interaction — every phone call, SMS, email, etc.
Calls are just one part of the ecosystem you should create to increase your team’s efficiency.
Real-Time Reporting and Dashboards
If you are uploading your calls as soon as possible or have an integration set up, your CRM should generate reports automatically and display them to you. These reports should give you a general idea of how the calls have been going and direct your next steps.
How Call Center CRM Integration Works
Your CRM should work harmoniously with your dialer or VoIP phone system. If you’re sending your calls to your CRM manually, you’re already behind your competition. Your dialer should send all calls to your CRM, so it can analyze them and provide an in-depth analysis to help your workflow.
Ideally, you shouldn’t need to do anything since it will take the data automatically. This allows your call representatives and agents to do what they do best instead of focusing on repetitive, time-consuming tasks.
Inbound vs. Outbound Call Center CRM Setups
Generally, there are two types of call center CRMs you can invest in: inbound and outbound. Inbound calls are calls received, while outbound calls are calls sent. While the CRMs are similar in how they evaluate calls, the insights they provide are different.
With inbound calls, customers usually call because they saw an ad or looked up your company to answer a specific question, so inbound call center CRMs focus on supporting clients and solving their problems.
Outbound calls focus on lead generation via calling, so managing a larger lead list is essential for these CRMs.
Ideally, your CRM should have elements of both inbound and outbound, but you need to evaluate your business to see what is a priority.
Benefits of Using a CRM in Your Call Center
Are you looking to improve your workforce engagement management? Without a CRM at your disposal, it’ll be hard to keep track of everything you and your agents are doing. But if you’re still stuck on the fence or aren’t sure if a CRM is right for your business, here are just a few of the many benefits of using a CRM for your call center:
Faster Handling Times and Agent Efficiency
When you’re using a CRM to facilitate your interactions with customers, it becomes easier to see where each lead is coming from and how to care for them effectively. Instead of sending the information to managers, your agents and call representatives can upload it directly to the CRM and move on to the next call.
Call center training will also become an expedited, intuitive process, and no more jumping between managers. Everyone remains informed through the CRM interface.
Better Customer Experience Through Context
The main focus of a CRM is to provide the best customer experience for your clients. With a CRM, you can dive deeper into your conversations and insights you would only get through hindsight and call analysis.
A CRM shouldn’t just catalog your calls for you. It should provide the necessary context you need to adjust your workflow and care for your customers.
Stronger Lead Management
Especially if you work in sales, lead management is essential for scheduling follow-ups and tracking payments. Improper lead management leads to clients being unintentionally dropped, resulting in lost sales.
CRMs keep track of every lead, showing exactly where they are in your process and what the next steps are for those clients. A good CRM should organize the users' schedules and keep them updated on their leads so they won’t miss anything.
Data-Driven Coaching and Performance Reporting
The best part about CRMs is the valuable, non-biased advice based on your calls. Once it has gone through your calls, you are given statistics that frame where your process needs to be adjusted. For example, if you’re losing a customer right before the pitch, it might be time to change how you posture yourself before the call.
Types of Call Center CRM Systems
There are a few different types of call center CRM systems you can invest in. The best options will have elements of each type of CRM, but you should determine which one is a priority for your business:
Operational CRM
An operational CRM focuses on the day-to-day tasks of an agent or call representative. The primary focus is to streamline the customer journey and keep your customers engaged with your products and services.
With an operational CRM, it logs all customer interactions and guides you in your next call with the client. This way, you can implement those changes to your workflow instead of having to comb through the data yourself.
Analytical CRM
The purpose of an analytical CRM is to review data from customer interactions and derive insights from it. These CRMs base their analysis purely on the statistics and transform them into an effective strategy for your business.
However, this type of CRM doesn’t account for variables that lack statistics. The context comes from agents and call representatives, so always ensure they have the skills to implement the recommended workflows that work for their process.
Collaborative CRM
Collaborative CRMs focus on the collaborative nature of a business. Especially if you’re working with multiple teams, a collaborative CRM creates a space where everyone is aware of where others are in their workflow.
No one will have to go hunting for information since it’ll all be in one convenient place. Customer relationship building isn’t just a front-facing issue; it’s on the entire team to create a customer journey that keeps them coming back.
How to Choose the Best CRM for Your Call Center
Choosing the best CRM for your call center will depend on what you prioritize in your workflow and your business goals. These goals might evolve, but here’s what to consider before purchasing or changing to a new CRM:
Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Here are a few questions you need to answer before you purchase or switch:
- What are your company’s goals?
- Who will be primarily using the CRM?
- What does adding a CRM do for your business?
- Are there any CRM features you are prioritizing?
- Does your current CRM or workflow fulfill your needs?
- How long will it take for the CRM to be integrated into our workflow?
These should color your view on what a CRM could do for your company.
What to Look for in Call Center CRM Software
We recommend seeking CRM software that integrates with your calls and uses AI to provide assistance and advice when needed. The best CRM for call centers seamlessly transfers call data from your dialer, so your agents and call representatives won’t waste time on menial tasks.
With an AI virtual assistant, agents and call representatives can offload even more repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Today, AI agents have become essential in quickly diagnosing issues and offering actionable solutions for your business.
Of course, the best solution is a platform that connects dialer, CRM, and AI agents with visibility at every stage.
Why HookedCRM is Built for Call Centers
HookedCRM is the perfect solution for call centers. We’ve combined a simple calling workplace, CRM, and an AI assistant catered to you and your business. You won’t have to move from platform to platform to discover the valuable insights you seek — everything is housed in one location.
Interested in using Hooked for your call center? Book a demo with us today, and we’ll show you how we can fit into your process without interrupting your flow.
