What to Look For in a UK Contact Centre Software Platform

Choosing the right contact centre software platform can feel like a daunting task, particularly with so many providers competing for your attention. From established platforms to newer, specialist solutions, the options can vary considerably in terms of functionality, support, flexibility and cost.

Before comparing providers, it’s important to understand what your business actually needs. The right platform should support your customer service strategy today while also giving you the flexibility to adapt as your contact centre grows.

So, what should you be looking for? Core capabilities such as robust data security, UK and industry-specific compliance, genuine omnichannel communication, intelligent call routing and clear reporting and analytics should all be high on your list. These features can have a direct impact on both customer experience and the efficiency of your teams.

That said, choosing a contact centre provider is about much more than the features included in the software. You’ll also want to consider the level of customer support available, how easily the platform can scale, its ability to integrate with your existing systems, reliability and uptime, ease of use and whether the pricing structure offers good value as your requirements change.

In this guide, we’ll compare some of the leading contact centre software providers and explore the key factors UK businesses should consider when assessing their options. By looking beyond the feature list and considering the bigger picture, you can make a more informed decision and choose a platform that is well-suited to your organisation.

MaxContact

MaxContact is a UK-built contact centre software platform designed around outbound calling, inbound customer service and digital engagement. Its platform combines features such as smart dialling, omnichannel communication, conversational analytics, AI agents and reporting, making it particularly suited to businesses that need to manage high volumes of customer interactions while maintaining compliance.

One potential consideration is that MaxContact offers a range of packages and standalone products, which means businesses may need to carefully assess which combination of features they require. While this provides flexibility, organisations looking for a straightforward all-in-one platform may find the range of options requires additional evaluation before implementation.

Highlights:

• Smart and predictive dialling
• Omnichannel communication
• UK-focused compliance and support

Pros:

• Strong outbound calling and dialling capabilities
• Broad range of AI and analytics features
• Flexible packages for different requirements

Cons:

• Multiple packages and standalone products can make choosing the right solution more complex
• Businesses primarily looking for a simple platform may not need all of the available functionality

ConnexAI

ConnexAI provides an all-in-one contact centre software platform combining omnichannel communication, AI, workflow automation and analytics. The platform supports voice, email, texting, social media and live chat, while its Athena AI technology provides capabilities including speech analytics, AI agents and automated customer interactions. ConnexAI also offers more than 40 integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) and other business systems.

However, the breadth of functionality offered by ConnexAI means that businesses may need to spend time configuring the platform around their specific workflows and requirements. Organisations looking for a simpler contact centre solution may find the platform has more functionality than they immediately need.

Highlights:

• Omnichannel communication
• Speech and customer interaction analytics

Pros:

• Strong focus on AI and automation
• Extensive reporting and analytics capabilities
• Integrates with existing CRM systems

Cons:

• Broad range of functionality can make implementation more involved
• May offer more features than smaller teams require
• Pricing is less straightforward to assess without discussing requirements with the provider

Genesys

Genesys offers omnichannel communication solutions, including text, chat, email, standard phone call, WhatsApp and Facebook for contacting consumers.

However, Genesys also tends to be less transparent about the cost of using its software solutions. This not only leads to a negotiation process before implementation, but could also leave you wondering whether a competitor secured a better price than you did, and when your contract is up, it will be time to renegotiate.

Highlights:

• Omnichannel communication
• Unified experience across channels

Pros:

• Broad range of features available
• Works for bigger teams

Cons:

• Lack of transparent pricing, requires negotiating and contracts
• A broad platform that could take away from reliable voice and dialling features

Five9

When researching contact centre software providers, it’s important to explore what integrations they offer to understand what would be available if using their platform. Five9 offers an array of integrations with common Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Something to be aware of is that on the admin backend, Five9 still uses legacy technology, which can make the user experience feel a little clunky and outdated – especially when switching between consoles to fully manage the system.

Highlights:

• Integrations
• Outbound dialling
• AI virtual agents and chatbots

Pros:

• Offers broad CRM integrations
• Reliable solutions

Cons:

• Outdated user interface that may be difficult to use
• Smaller clients may not be treated as a partner

Avaya

If you’re already using Avaya and its on-premise hardware, then continuing to do so may be the path of least resistance. Additionally, Avaya provides omnichannel communication and AI solutions.

However, Avaya users may be held back by having to use Avaya’s own gear and by continuing to deal with problems that other, more cloud-native platforms avoid, such as slower feature updates. Plus, if you’re new to Avaya, then Avaya’s hardware may make integration a difficult process.

Highlights:

• Catered to those already utilising Avaya hardware/systems
• Scalability

Pros:

• Integration options
• Omnichannel communication

Cons:

• Clunkier user interface
• Don’t have top-rated customer service
• Difficult for brand-new users to implement

TCN

TCN is renowned for its compliance expertise and ability to simplify adherence to complex regulations. Its contact centre software platform, Operator, also provides industry-leading features like text messaging, conversational analytics, customisable Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and more – all within one interface. Plus, TCN continuously rolls out new solutions, including its most recent release of state-of-the-art AI-powered tools such as SmartAMD. Clients also praise TCN for its straightforward and pay-per-use pricing model that features no contracts.

Although TCN’s user experience is incredibly intuitive, some advanced rule settings may take some time to master. However, many clients have stated they value the ability to become TCN power users and learn how to do everything they want within the platform for themselves. Additionally, TCN’s customer support is highly praised for its quick response time and involvement from the implementation phase and onward.

Highlights:

• AI solutions
• Unified platform, no toggling between different systems
• Easily accommodates small and large businesses
• Attentive customer care

Pros:

• Compliance experts
• Pay-per-use pricing with no contracts
• Comprehensive features available within one simple interface
• 24/7 customer support with no service tiers

Cons:

• Some advanced settings may be difficult to use at first

How to choose the right contact centre software

Whether you’re asking yourself, “What are the leading cloud-based contact centre solutions?”, “What features should I look for in an AI-powered contact centre platform?” or anything in between, rest assured that there are plenty of great software options available to you.

For more information on how to choose the right contact centre software platform for your business, check out Your Comprehensive Guide to Contact Centre Software, which covers everything you need to know in your search. And, if you’re wondering how TCN would fit into your operations, request a demo to talk to one of our experts today.