Sam Dadofalza

The best Five9 alternatives improve call center operations with a robust ticketing system, international calling capabilities, unified communications features, and omnichannel engagement tools. They offer solutions at affordable rates or flexible subscription plans. After assessing different customer service and contact center platforms, we came up with our top Five9 alternatives: : Best overall for companies…

Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) tools offer rich features and support mobility, but they come with serious risks that cause damage to a company’s reputation and operations. Cybercriminals hack phone systems to listen to calls, steal confidential information, and extort money in exchange for not leaking data. To avoid falling victim to these cyberattacks, beware of VoIP security…

The interactive voice response (IVR) containment rate, a call center metric, refers to the percentage of calls the IVR system successfully handled without assistance from a human agent. A high IVR containment rate means the system was able to resolve customer concerns, reducing the burden on the human workforce and improving the overall call center…

Average handle time (AHT) is a call center metric that measures the time needed to address a customer’s concern. To create a positive customer experience, businesses strive to reduce AHT and speed up request resolution. The best ways to reduce AHT include creating an efficient call routing strategy, offering proper training to agents, and equipping…

Business communication systems, like voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) platforms, store large volumes of sensitive data in the form of texts, faxes, voicemails, and call recordings. To prevent data breaches, service providers follow different types of compliance standards, preserving the integrity of information. The requirements, imposed by the government or industry associations, outline the protocols for collecting, using,…

Vonage is a unified communications platform equipped with basic call management, unlimited team chat, and video conferencing capabilities. However, many companies look for Vonage alternatives because essential tools (e.g., call recording and internet fax) are offered as add-ons, increasing subscription costs. Its integrations and video meeting features are also limited. Based on our research, these…

CloudTalk is a call center solution equipped with unlimited call queueing and international numbers, ideal for teams that want to strengthen customer support for a global audience. While it’s an excellent tool, it lacks omnichannel support, robust auto-dialers, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and native workforce engagement features. Its pricing is affordable, but you’ll easily…

Call masking, or number masking, refers to the voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) feature that hides phone numbers to protect the call participants’ contact information. Aside from promoting privacy, this tool lets companies establish a local presence, as it displays a local caller ID, making call recipients more responsive. Different organizations use number masking in everyday communications, including…

A softphone is software installed on a computer or a smartphone allowing the device to make and receive calls online. It benefits businesses in many ways, including cost savings, reduced need for equipment, and remote work support. The robust features of softphones help teams efficiently manage calls, including call transfer, visual voicemails, and video calling….

Call tracking is the process of assigning unique phone numbers to ad campaigns to determine which marketing tactics are driving the phone calls. Aside from helping businesses measure the effectiveness of strategies, call tracking software offers robust customer data, including their location and demographics. Here, we answer the questions “What is call tracking?” and “How…

While Talkroute is a great virtual phone system, it doesn’t allow bulk call-in lines and lacks robust unified communication (UC) features and integrations. Its subscription plans are in the higher range compared to other call management solutions. If these are major considerations, look at the best Talkroute alternatives. We reviewed dozens of phone systems based…

Dialpad is a unified communications (UC) platform equipped with call management tools. However, its metered international calling, minimum user requirements, and limited video meeting capacity are deal-breakers for some businesses. The best Dialpad alternatives provide robust collaboration capabilities, global communications features, and flexibility for solopreneurs at an affordable price. Based on our research of dozens…