Best Call Center Scheduling Software Shortlist
Here are the top 10 call center scheduling software I’d like to highlight out of the 17 I cover in this article:
- 2. Talkdesk — Best call center scheduling software for reducing administrative efforts and improving the worker experience
- 7. NICE Workforce Management — Best call center scheduling software for customized plans and ultra-tailored implementation
If you have a call center, sales department, or support team for your organization, you probably have a list of benchmarks your staff needs to meet. From answering calls within 20 seconds to resolving issues and tickets within four minutes, best practices make the difference between a satisfied customer and one that never buys from you again. But how can managers help empower their teams to improve? The answer is call center scheduling software.
If you’re wondering what call center scheduling software does, how it supports manager responsibilities, and how it can transform workflow and processes for the team, check out this overview of the best call center scheduling software available today.
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What Is Call Center Scheduling Software?
Call center scheduling software is a service that managers can use to automate basic tasks for their teams and respond to changing conditions on the floor. With more control over the schedule for the call center, managers and business leaders can create more agility, flexibility, and independence within the structure of their teams.
When it comes to workforce management, you can expect call center scheduling software to feature scheduling at scale, short-term staffing forecasting, and real-time management so that you can make optimal staffing decisions.
How I Selected the Best Call Center Scheduling Software
Are you wondering why these call center scheduling software made the list? To build the top 10 here, I evaluated a large selection of software for essential basic features and positive user ratings.
Once I determined the top choices, I honed this list even more using a series of selection criteria, which you can see below. Comparing how each platform stacked against one another, I drew on my years of CX Lead experience to pinpoint exactly what modern organizations need from their call center software.
Before reading this summary of the top scheduling software options, you might want to explore call center scheduling more in-depth. If so, you can head directly to the FAQ at the bottom of this article to learn more. Then, you can come back to the top and take a look at the call center scheduling software options with a little more context.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best call center scheduling software for this article:
Usability
When I explore new software for the workplace, I’m looking for solutions to pain points and other everyday problems that actually resolve them without creating more complexity in the workflow. Software that’s easy to integrate, learn, and use is essential. A simplified interface and intuitive user navigation are among the key elements I look for in usability.
Standout Features
Scheduling software isn’t the same thing as inbound call center software. While inbound call software may focus on call distribution and data collection, scheduling software is an internal tool for team management. I chose software options that focused on enhancing team performance and communication throughout the levels of your organization.
Software Integrations:
Call center scheduling software is definitely not the only tool you’re using to streamline your workflow. From design thinking tools for the product creation team to email management for the marketing team, you never know which tools need to share the same data. I chose call center scheduling software that integrates with as many tools as possible to provide you with maximum flexibility.
Pricing:
Because you might find yourself using multiple tools to improve workflow and business decision-making processes, your budget probably only has enough room to allow for so many software integrations. The options on this list are those that would add the most value to your organization at each price point.
Overviews Of The 17 Best Call Center Scheduling Software
You can use the simple overviews of each tool below to understand how they stand out from other call center scheduling software. Many of these tools can also accommodate a variety of industries, including staffing needs for hospitals, hotels, restaurants, retail, and other service-related industries.
Deputy
Best call center scheduling software for one-click schedules
A web-based workforce management solution, Deputy delivers simplified scheduling, time tracking, and communication to streamline administrative tasks. With this tool, you can minimize callouts, maximize employee retention, and get more visibility and control over nearly every aspect of your business.
The highly intelligent Deputy AI initially works off the data you provide about employee availability, skills, and shift requirements, but it’s also learning about your business needs and forecasting high-volume days. It can even help you adjust to changes on-demand with updates sent directly to staff phones.
Deputy has broken down their tools into two categories: scheduling and time and attendance. You can choose to work with only one solution or combine them both for more comprehensive management. Deputy can handle small businesses, as well as enterprise-level organizations with more than 250 employees.
Deputy Standout Features and Integrations
Features include automated scheduling tools, labor compliance, time tracking, time clock app, mobile app, instant updates, notifications, team communication, real-time data and analytics, AI optimization, deputy app for shift availability, and mobile capabilities.
Integrations include ADP, Gusto, Quickbooks, Clover, Airwatch, DropBox, ePOSnow, Bamboo HR, Equals, and iPayroll.
Pros
- Can handle multiple locations
- Comprehensive visibility and overviews
- Simple and easy to use
Cons
- Missing some integrations
- Geofencing tool could use work
Talkdesk
Best call center scheduling software for reducing administrative efforts and improving the worker experience
While Talkdesk offers a comprehensive CRM platform, their workforce management tools are a unique solution to help you optimize staffing and scheduling decisions with minimal effort. You can anticipate customer demand with automated forecasting and ensure skills-based scheduling to get the people you need to improve overall service levels.
One of the best tools from Talkdesk ensures open communication between management and customer service/sales agents. With a 24-hour chatbot, you have access to a streamlined workflow that will automatically update approved changes to the schedule. Utilize the CRM features to better organize your service centers while empowering scheduling managers.
Talkdesk is a great tool for any SMB or enterprise-level organization with an in-house customer service team, sales team, or call center. They even offer packages purpose-built for specific industries, including financial services for insurance, financial services for banking, healthcare for providers, and retail.
Talkdesk Standout Features and Integrations
Features include omnichannel support, quality management, interaction recording, agent assist, smart agent chatbot, knowledge management, adherence monitoring, analytics and insights, automated scheduling, intelligent forecasting, and a mobile app.
Integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, Microsoft Teams, Now, Dynamics 365, Zoom, HelpScout, Zoho, and Outreach.
Pros
- Comprehensive reporting on in-house teams
- Easy to track users
- Simple user interface
Cons
- Occasional downtime for updates
Shiftboard
Best call center scheduling software for union and labor board compliance
Shiftboard is versatile scheduling software that can handle a number of business challenges, including employee retention, union compliance, labor cost management, workforce flexibility, fatigue management, and even scheduling during pandemics.
One of the standout features of the Shiftboard platform is its ability to handle union compliance, preventing penalties and grievances that can cost time and money. With transparent decision-making, comprehensive rules coverage, proactive compliance, and robust proof of compliance, you can mitigate risk through violation detection and audits.
Shiftboard may specialize in unionized organizations but they’re built to handle enterprise-level organizations across a variety of industries, including energy, staffing, corrections, healthcare, warehousing, and manufacturing.
Shiftboard Standout Features and Integrations
Features include schedule automation, auto-block violations, schedule generation, track employee accommodations, employee shift volunteering, swapping, bidding, and declining, mobile access, schedule visualization, notifications, and labor demand planning.
Integrations include UKG, Ceridian, Workday, ADP, Oracle PeopleSoft, SAP, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics, Workato, and Power BI.
Pros
- Ideal for massive staffing projects
- Multiple view options
- Reduces administrative burden
Cons
- Could use more efficient notification system
- Some aspects are not customizable
Workforce.com
Best call center scheduling software for instantly optimized schedules
Whether you choose drag-and-drop scheduling or use a template to create your weekly calendar, Workforce.com eliminates the need to create schedules from scratch and helps you ensure that every shift is perfectly staffed.
When you integrate your CRM with this call center scheduling software, Workforce.com can use call data like the volume of calls, average call times, and the skills of your agents to accurately forecast who you’re going to need for each open shift. With deeper insights and reports, you can also find the best times for employee training and development.
The Workforce.com scheduling tool specializes in hospitality, retail, and healthcare for both operations and human resources departments. Whether your organization is big or small, this scheduling app can help prevent both callouts that lead to understaffing and inaccurate predictions that cause overstaffing.
Workforce.com Standout Features and Integrations
Features include process automation, dashboards and reporting, schedule creation tools, schedule management, employee leave management, user access, user role access, employee information, reporting, a mobile app, shift planning, and paperless onboarding.
Integrations include ADP, UKG, Gusto, Oracle, Workday, Paycom, Ceridian Dayforce, Square, and Paychex.
Pros
- Great customer support
- Spot gaps in the schedule right away
- Multiple view options
Cons
- Can be slow on mobile
- Too many email updates
Sling
Best call center scheduling software for management of multiple locations
If you’re a manager who’s running teams in multiple locations, Sling is here for you with tools and features that fit your needs, including allowing your employees to clock in from anywhere with geofencing to prevent unapproved workspaces, location-based scheduling that provides addresses for employee routes, and location-specific communication for targeted chat groups.
It can be complicated to run a business with more than one brick-and-mortar location, but with simplified timezone tools, you know exactly when and where you are for every store. Sling also provides location-oriented tools that are contained in a single place, including to-do lists, task tracking, chats, and time clocks.
Sling makes it easy for national and international businesses to streamline multiple location scheduling and management on one platform across a number of industries. They service those in retail, hospitality, lodging, healthcare, entertainment, call centers, caregiving, emergency services, education, and nonprofits.
Sling Standout Features and Integrations
Features include labor cost analytics, time clock, communication tools, task management, location management, employee documentation, mobile time tracking, announcements and notifications, labor compliance, and employee breaks and time off requests
Integrations include Toast, Shopify, Square, Gusto, Harbortouch, ADP, Restaurant Manager, and POSitouch.
Pros
- Convenient team communication for docs and photos
- Quick scheduling on-the-fly with instant updates
- Affordable free and low-cost plans
Cons
- User experience isn’t as intuitive
- Automated wording and titles can be confusing
Assembled
Best call center scheduling software for creating SLA-proof scheduling
If you want to level up your customer service with better quality and agent availability, Assembled offers a call center scheduling software that delivers the tools to make it happen with automated scheduling, intraday changes, and flexible self-scheduling capabilities, including templates, timesheets, and 24-hour access to work schedules.
One of their unique tools is the simulated staffing feature, which allows managers to test schedules months in advance to see how they impact SLA and net staffing, adjust concurrency and AHT to simulate a variety of scenarios, and draft schedules with specific scenarios in mind to ensure optimal staffing before sharing the schedule with the team.
Assembled services in a number of industries on the SMB and enterprise level, including fintech, healthcare, SaaS, and retail. They’re equipped to support scheduling at scale, short-term forecasting, real-time management, last-minute schedule changes, time off requirements, and shift swaps, bidding, and rotations as needed.
Assembled Standout Features and Integrations
Features include automation, schedule editing, flexible templates, custom metrics, test schedules, scenario testing, audit logs, schedule history, multi-selection for events, keyboard shortcuts, timezone shortcuts, and real-time updates.
Integrations include Zendesk, Kustomer, Salesforce Service Cloud, Ujet, Zoom Contact Center, Amazon Connect, Talkdesk, MaestroHQ, Intercom, and HiBob.
Pros
- Automations save time
- Low barrier for entry
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Can’t export call logs
- Local numbers aren’t always available
NICE Workforce Management
Best call center scheduling software for customized plans and ultra-tailored implementation
When you need to optimize your workforce to ensure a better customer experience, NICE Workforce Management offers intelligent and accurate scheduling software that anticipates your needs, harnesses workforce potential, notifies employees of any schedule changes immediately, and simplifies everything related to WFM.
NICE is AI powered with over 40 patented algorithms to reduce idle time and boost efficiency without requiring manual operations from managers and staff members. It can reduce labor costs by helping you predict upcoming scenarios with precision, ensuring you can schedule exactly who you need when you need them. And agents have access to mobile self-scheduling for more visibility and flexibility.
Whether you’re a massive organization, a nonprofit, or a small local business, NICE offers targeted solutions to meet your needs across a variety of industries, including BPO, government, collections, telecommunications, healthcare, retail, financial services, and education.
NICE Workforce Management Standout Features and Integrations
Features include automated approval for shift bidding, time off, and trade requests, automated workflows, intraday forecasting, unified BI reports, mobile app, proactive scenario modeling, time and attendance tracking, team communication, and agent self-service.
Integrations include Amazon Connect, Bullhorn, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SugarCRM, Netsuite, Zendesk, and Oracle.
Pros
- Customized implementation
- Easy data sync capabilities
- Simple, streamlined functionality
Cons
- Limited CRM integrations
- One of the more expensive options
Humanity
Best call center scheduling software for accelerated schedule creation
As a cloud-based, employee schedule-focused platform, Humanity claims it can accelerate schedule creation for your organization by up to 80% with more insight into your operations and actionable data based on sales forecasts, historical sales, and staff availability.
With Humanity, you have tools that will help you create compliant, error-free schedules for your teams through predictive AI technology. Using automated, rule-based scheduling and custom templates, each schedule is designed for your unique use case to ensure a more intelligent, data-driven schedule with less time and effort.
Humanity is a highly scalable tool that’s designed to grow your business. You might start with their basic scheduler and move up to their enterprise-level capabilities over time. This platform also offers targeted solutions for specific industries, such as healthcare, retail, call centers, hospitality, universities, fitness recreation, and transportation.
Humanity Standout Features and Integrations
Features include shift scheduling, a mobile app, team communication, time and attendance tracking, absence and leave management, access management, reporting, and timesheets.
Integrations include Oracle, Workday, Bamboo HR, Square, Zendesk, Hubstaff, OnPay, Dayforce, Namely, and Bitium.
Pros
- Amazing customer support
- Instant notifications for every change
- Easy to learn
Cons
- Mobile app isn’t as developed as desktop
TixTime
Best call center scheduling software for avid Excel users
If you’re finally ready to get rid of your Excel spreadsheets, time off forms, and employee availability written down on notepaper, TixTime offers an all-in-one solution for scheduling, time clock, and payroll needs to save time with simple scheduling features and ensure efficiency through better communication.
At TixTime, you get a host of scheduling tools that keep track of employee preferences and help you visualize coverage to quickly see where you’re missing staffing. Once you input employee availability and your busiest hours, this scheduling app will create the ideal timetable from your best team members.
This scheduling tool is a great option for businesses of all sizes. They offer a free platform for small businesses with only three teams and up to 100 employees, as well as enterprise-level plans for organizations that have more than 100 people on their payroll. This software excels at supporting customer service centers, sales teams, and hospitality industries.
TixTime Standout Features and Integrations
Features include employee availability, week scheduling, notifications, employee self-service, schedule visualization, payroll exports, mobile app, attendance management, performance documentation, skills tracking and training, HR profiles, and audit logs.
Integration details are currently not available.
Pros
- Great customer service
- Free plan for small organizations
- Easy to set up and maintain
Cons
- Slightly dated layout
CloudTalk
Best call center scheduling software for international call centers
Another comprehensive call center application with integrated call center scheduling, CloudTalk offers quick and easy agent management that handles everything from onboarding their personal details and updating their information to assigning user roles and changing their interface language.
Custom configuration is a big part of how CloudTalk streamlines workflows. In addition to automatically selecting outbound numbers for client and international calls, this contact center solution offers real-time customer cards with access to all client interactions, skills-based routing, and responsive web admin so the platform is usable on any device.
CloudTalk is truly a global solution for businesses of all sizes. They provide tools that can assist ambitious small businesses, thriving mid-sized businesses, and robust enterprise-level organizations across all industries, including ecommerce and retail, IT, financial services, healthcare, and hospitality.
CloudTalk Standout Features and Integrations
Features include online user management, unlimited concurrent calls, global network, responsive web design, safe data centers, multi-language phones, single sign-on, agent reporting, and workflow automation.
Integrations include HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Gong, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Outreach, Zoho Desk, MS Dynamics, and Front.
Pros
- Easy to update staff information
- Highly customizable
- Great customer support
Cons
- Advanced features have a steep learning curve
- Onboarding could be a little more active
The Best Call Center Scheduling Software Summary
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Deputy Best call center scheduling software for one-click schedules | All plans are available for a free trial | Plans start at $3.50/user/month | Visit Website |
2 | Talkdesk Best call center scheduling software for reducing administrative efforts and improving the worker experience | Free demo available | From $75/user/month | Visit Website |
3 | Shiftboard Best call center scheduling software for union and labor board compliance | Free demo available | Customized price upon request | Visit Website |
4 | Workforce.com Best call center scheduling software for instantly optimized schedules | 14-day free trial available | Customized price upon request | Visit Website |
5 | Sling Best call center scheduling software for management of multiple locations | Free forever plan available | Paid plans start at $1.70/user/month | Visit Website |
6 | Assembled Best call center scheduling software for creating SLA-proof scheduling | Not available | Plans start at $25/user/month | Visit Website |
7 | NICE Workforce Management Best call center scheduling software for customized plans and ultra-tailored implementation | 60-day free trial available | Customized price upon request | Visit Website |
8 | Humanity Best call center scheduling software for accelerated schedule creation | Free trial available | Custom pricing for all plans | Visit Website |
9 | TixTime Best call center scheduling software for avid Excel users | Free forever plans allow scheduling services for up to three teams; 14-day free trial available | Paid plans start at $379/month | Visit Website |
10 | CloudTalk Best call center scheduling software for international call centers | 14-day free trial available | Plans start at $25/user/month (billed annually) | Visit Website |
Other Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best call center scheduling software list:
- Connecteam
Best call center scheduling software for all-in-one business operations
- injixo
Best call center scheduling software for real-time management of call center agents
- When I Work
Best call center scheduling software for auto-scheduling shifts
- Findmyshift
Best call center scheduling software for a simple online employee scheduling platform
- ZoomShift
Best call center scheduling software for SMBs with hourly employees
- RingCentral Contact Center
Best call center scheduling software for smart routing
- Verint Workforce Management
Best call center scheduling software for large enterprises
People Also Ask
Here are a few popular questions answered for your convenience!
How is scheduling done in a call center?
What are the key features of call center scheduling software?
What other scheduling software should I use?
Scheduling For Your Needs
Scheduling and staff management can be huge administrative tasks. Let these call center and project scheduling software options help you get the job done more efficiently.
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