Departments and Contact Centers may appear similar at first glance, however, they are actually quite different!
Both offer the ability to distribute calls to a group of users, but in brief, Departments are ideal for starting your business.
As your company scales, and call volumes grow, you'll benefit from the advanced capabilities of a Contact Center such as call monitoring and advanced analytics.
Let's take a look at the differences between Dialpad's Departments and Contact Centers.
Department vs. Contact Center Overview
| SUMMARY | Departments | Contact Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Number of Seats Supervisors | Agents | Admins | Operators |
25 | 200 for Pro, 500 for Enterprise |
| Automated Response Menu | Yes | Yes |
| Fax Number | Yes | Yes |
| Send & Receive SMS (US/CA) | Yes | Yes |
| Hold Queue | Basic | Advanced |
| Custom Hold Music |
Yes * Available on Pro & Enterprise plans only |
Yes |
| Automatic Call Recording |
Yes - Simple 'On or Off' controls * Available on Pro & Enterprise plans only |
Yes - Granular controls |
| Manual Call Recording |
Yes |
No |
| Integrations with CRMs, etc. | Yes | Yes |
| Analytics |
Basic | Advanced |
| Call Monitoring (Listen In, Barge, & Take Over) |
Yes * User must have Admin-level permissions on an Ai Sales or Contact Center license |
Yes |
| Live Call Transcripts (for Supervisor) |
Yes * User must have Admin-level permissions on an Ai Sales or Contact Center license |
Yes |
| Real-Time Dashboard | No | Yes |
| Alerts (queue size, etc.) | No | Yes |
| Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys | No | Yes |
| Call Dispositions | No | Yes |
| Wrap-Up Time | No | Yes |
| Agent Screen Capture | No | Yes |
Department vs. Contact Center Call Routing
| CALL ROUTING | Departments | Contact Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Longest Idle | Yes | Yes |
| Fixed Order | Yes | Yes |
| Round Robin | Yes | Yes |
| Simultaneous | Yes | No |
| Random Order | No | Yes |
| Skills-Based Routing | No | Yes |
| Call Waiting | Yes, when using Simultaneous | Yes, only when making outbound calls |
| Queue Priority | No | Yes |
Department vs. Contact Center Hold Queue
| HOLD QUEUE | Departments | Contact Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Hold Queue Limits | Yes | Yes |
| Delay Announcement | No | Yes |
| Out of Hours Queue | No | Yes |
| Unattended queue | No | Yes |
| Advise Caller Position in Queue | No | Yes |
| Allow Caller to Exit Queue to Voicemail | No | Yes |
| Allow Caller to Request a Callback | No | Yes |
Department vs. Contact Center Dialpad Ai
| Dialpad Ai (US/CA) | Departments | Contact Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Ai Call Summary | Yes | Yes |
| Speech Coaching | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time Assist Cards | No | Yes |
| Live Call Sentiment | No | Yes |
* Dialpad Ai is only available in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, UK, AU and NZ.
Department vs. Contact Center Analytics
| ANALYTICS | Departments | Contact Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Wait Time | No | Yes |
| Service Level | No | Yes |
| Customizable Short Abandon Threshold | No | Yes |
| Call Disposition Usage | No | Yes |
| CSAT Survey Results | No | Yes |
| Agent Status reports | No | Yes |
| Real-Time Dashboard | No | Yes |
Keep in mind that, in order to create and manage a Call Center in Dialpad, you'll need a Ai Sales or Ai Contact Center license.