Cloud Contact Center Software
4.1/5 (114 reviews)NICE inContact is the cloud contact center software leader with the world’s #1 cloud customer experience platform. NICE inContact CXone™ combines best-in-class Omnichannel Routing, Analytics, Workforce Optimization, Automation and Artificial Intelligence on an Open Cloud Foundation. NICE inContact’s solution empowers organizations to provide exceptional customer experiences by acting smarter and responding faster to consumer expectations. NICE inContact’s DEVone developer program is an extensive partner ecosystem, providing applications from partner companies on the CXexchange marketplace that are designed to integrate with CXone.
NICE inContact is recognized as a market leader by Gartner, IDC, Frost & Sullivan, Ovum and DMG.
• Industry’s best-published SLA of 99.99%
• Industry's only guaranteed voice SLA
• 275,000+ cloud contact center agents
• 150+ countries
• 85 of Fortune 100 customers
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.
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.
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.
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
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 service operates in a carrier-grade, geographically redundant environment with guaranteed 99.99% availability
- Intelligent call suppression - Verifies if the business or individuals you are calling are on a tailored suppression list.
- Agent scripting - Build custom individual agent screens or scripts. Create decision trees and design your agents work flow.
- Multi-number hosted predictive dialing - Define custom retry option for up to 20 phone numbers.
- Message lay-down campaigns to dial contacts and lave automated messages without the need for agents
- Automatic call-back for customers who don't want to wait in the queue. You can also set up a scheduled callback at the customer's desired time.
- Integrate with custom built CRMs and third party solutions such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Oracle RightNow.
- Automated Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech is available in multiple languages
- Speech analytics software helps to identify top concerns and the most important calls based on specific criteria. Use custom call tags to categorize calls by customers' reasons for calling.
- Quality management tools include role-based scorecards with KPIs, integrated eLearning and coaching management, speech analytics, customized evaluation forms, synchronized audio and screens for recorded interactions.
- Smart Inbox™ delivers calls based on specific call data such as DNIS, ANI, call duration and direction.
- Workforce Management can be used to forecast customer demand and schedule and manage staff. Use real.time visibility into staff availability and call volumes, as well as historical workload trends to create optimal schedules.
inContact is an all-in-one contact center software solution that streamlines call center operations, improves agent productivity and maximizes the customer experience while significantly minimizing operational costs. Cloud-based, inContact allows contact centers to do away with pricey on-premise call center infrastructure, IT professional services for hardware, software and database administration and maintenance.
The software enables customers to communicate with contact center representatives via their communication channel of choice. Whether that’s a phone call, tweet or email, agents are able to handle customer interactions without having to switch between disparate systems, allowing for a seamless and delightful experience for all parties involved. inContact’s robust analytics and reporting capabilities give managers real-time insight into how many agents are on call versus available, the number of calls in queue, agent skill sets, and so on, so that adjustments, if warranted, can be made accordingly and quickly.
Some of inContact’s core features include multi-channel ACD (automatic call distribution), IVR (interactive voice response), ECHO surveys, predictive dialer and workforce optimization.
inContact enables multi-channel contact center communications via one universal queue, servicing various customer types depending on how they prefer to communicate – social media, mobile app, VoIP, SMS, phone call, chat or email. Its automatic routing system intuitively connects the customer to the most qualified agent, whether that’s one from the billing department, tech support, or who speaks a particular language. CRM integration gives agents full visibility into the customer’s previous interactions and transactions with the company, all in a single interface, eliminating the need to shuffle between systems or transfer the customer from one agent to another.
In contrast to premise-based contact center solutions, in the event of an operational interruption – such as flooding, heavy snow, and the like – inContact-powered call centers can function as usual by asking their agents to work from home, or wherever there’s an Internet connection, even route calls to other branches without negatively impacting the customer’s experience. Workflows can also be altered on the fly with a few clicks.
Customers nowadays are communicating with companies through various platforms – social media, voice, mobile applications, email, among others. Having the ability to interact with customers using their preferred communication medium without switching between applications is a capability provided by inContact to customer-facing agents, resulting in more efficient call resolution, more satisfied customers, and more cost savings.
inContact ACD’s skill-based routing feature directly connects customers to the most qualified agents and extracts critical customer data from CRMs like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics. This way, agents are equipped with necessary information even before they speak to the customer. With information and tools in one integrated system, representatives are better able to service customers, creating a more positive experience for both sides. The multi-channel ACD also allows agents to call back customers who are unable or unwilling to wait.
IVRs are primarily used to resolve customer issues as quickly as possible, either through self-service or speaking to a live agent. The inContact IVR solution fully integrates with the ACD software and can be programmed with relative ease through a drag-and-drop interface that supports on-the-fly adjustments, allowing you full control over how the IVR system handles inbound calls.
To minimize call handling time and improve agent productivity, the IVR gathers necessary customer information even before the customer reaches an agent, and the reporting tool provides visibility into the effectiveness of customer self-serve applications, which can then be improved to further increase customer satisfaction and cost savings. InContact’s IVR can also be used alongside your existing phone system, where phone numbers are rerouted to inContact and subsequently handled and managed according to the predefined rules you’ve set up.
Surveys and customer feedback are essential for contact centers to gauge the effectiveness of their customer-facing initiatives. The same are used to evaluate individual agent performance, provide kudos or coaching, and generate reports for a more comprehensive analysis, which can then be tapped to improve existing service processes.
The inContact ECHO customer satisfaction survey is a real-time solution offered to customers after each agent interaction, while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Aside from making customers feel appreciated, you get the benefit of accurate FCR (first call resolution) statistics to gauge if you’re meeting customer expectations or not.
When outbound agents are not enough to support call volume and satisfy service level agreements, inContact’s blended predictive dialer software switches inbound agents to outbound mode, and vice versa, depending on the need. This maximizes your available resources when managing various campaigns. The predictive dialer also allows agents to contact only those they need to contact via the intelligent call suppression functionality, instead of filtering people out by manually contacting them.
The inContact predictive dialer offers various dialing methods: predictive dialing, where multiple calls are placed per agent, the pace of which is dependent on agent headcount, list attributes and legal regulations; progressive dialing, which are tailored for business-to-business campaigns; preview dialer, a combination of automated dialing and customer information preview so that agents know whether to accept or decline a call; and message lay-down where customers are contacted and left with automated messages. Ten phone numbers can be configured for each contact, and customized retry options can be created for each number.
It’s been said again and again: The workforce is the backbone of an organization. An organization, however, is only as strong as its people. inContact’s workforce optimization software analyzes customer interactions with agents through voice, email and chat conversation capture, saves time through automatic schedule creation based on skill levels, work preferences and call volume forecasts, targets and improves KPIs (key performance indicators), addresses skill gaps and identifies the reason/s behind agent and customer behavior.
Ensuring consistent agent coaching through regular agent performance evaluation lets contact organizations improve overall customer satisfaction scores, realize goals and devise efficient solutions to operational issues and bottlenecks. inContact’s workforce optimization software streamlines this process by scheduling eLearning and coaching events, as well as assigning courses from the quality management portal.
inContact has ready-made integrations with CRM software like [Salesforce] (http://www.getapp.com/salesforce-application), [Oracle RightNow] (http://www.getapp.com/oracle-rightnow-application) and [Microsoft Dynamics CRM] (http://www.getapp.com/microsoft-dynamics-crm-online-application). Also, inContact has just recently unveiled its inCloud Developer Portal where developers gain access to well-documented RESTful APIs (application programming interfaces) and SDKs (software development kits), 120+ already available APIs, including those that will still be published, and tutorials and FAQs on how to best develop SDK solutions and REST-based apps.
Depending on the company’s size, inContact offers a subscription-based pricing model. Its pay-as-you-go approach allows organizations to cost-effectively scale capacity to demand.
Below are some frequently asked questions for NICE inContact.
NICE inContact offers the following pricing plans:
Starting from: $100/month
Pricing model: Subscription
Free Trial: Not Available
NICE inContact offers the following features:
NICE inContact has the following typical customers:
Large Enterprises, Mid Size Business, Non Profit, Public Administrations, Small Business
NICE inContact supports the following languages:
English
NICE inContact has the following pricing plans:
Subscription
NICE inContact supports the following devices:
iPad
NICE inContact integrates with the following applications:
Balto, Branch Messenger, Brand Embassy, Cherwell Service Management, Gong.io, IMIconnect, Inbenta, Salesforce Service Cloud, SpiceCSM, Zendesk
NICE inContact offers the following support options:
Knowledge Base, Phone Support, Video Tutorials
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.