A customer wants an immediate and understandable response to their questions. However, there are many methods of providing support to customers. There are businesses who use only telephone support for customer service, whereas there are also businesses that have provided multiple methods of contacting customer service.
Understanding the differences between a contact center vs call center will enable businesses to select the appropriate model for their customer base, employees, and budget.
The Main Difference: One Channel or Many?
The main responsibility of a call center is to handle customer interaction via telephone. The agents in a call center will answer questions, solve problems, make sales calls, and assist with technical issues.
The contact center can provide support to customers through multiple channels such as:
- Phone calls
- Live chat
- Text messages
- Social media
- Messaging apps
The objective is to allow for additional methods of communication between the customer and the company. In some cases, depending upon the platform being utilized, the agent can see previous communications from different platforms.
How Each Model Works
Call Center: Focused Phone Support
A call center is most appropriate for organizations that primarily interact with their clientele via telephone, for example, those handling bookings, billing issues, ordering updates, and/or sales contacts.
Its structured design can provide for easier training and managing of incoming calls. Customers who would rather interact via chat or email, however, might find less available alternatives.
Contact Center: Connected Customer Support
A contact center unifies multiple communication channels within a single service model. This allows customers to select the channel they wish to use to communicate with the company, and agents are able to transition among those channels as required.
A customer could begin their interaction with your business through chat and then call you to speak to an agent. With a connected system in place, agents will be able to view the previous chat with the customer and therefore will not need to ask the customer to provide additional information that was already discussed.
Compare the Two Models
| Feature | Call Center | Contact Center |
|---|---|---|
| Main channel | Phone | Multiple channels |
| Customer choice | More limited | Broader |
| Setup | Often simpler | May need more tools |
| Best fit | Phone-led support | Multi-channel service |
Which Should Your Business Choose?
The right choice depends on customer habits and service goals.
A business that requires minimal customer service, can use a call center. Businesses that have customers using multiple channels such as email, chat and social media would most likely need to use a contact center.
When choosing between contact center vs call center, you should take into account how many calls you receive, how many staff members you have available to work, what your financial resources allow for, and which methods of communication are preferred by your customers. Additionally, you will want to determine if the software has the capacity to grow with your company.
Make Customer Access the Priority
When both models are implemented effectively, both types will be able to provide excellent service. The most important thing is that the model allows the customer to easily obtain support, solve problems, and hear that their concerns were heard.
Select a configuration that is appropriate for your customers’ requirements today, but which will allow you to grow into it in the future.