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 contact center's advanced capabilities, 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 | 500 for Essentials, Advanced and Premium |
| 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 a Dialpad Sell or Support license. | Yes |
| Live Call Transcripts (for Supervisor) | Yes * User must have Admin-level permissions on a Dialpad Sell or Support 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 ring. | 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 |
| Ai Playbooks | No | Yes |
| Ai CSAT | No | Yes |
| Ai Scorecards | No | Yes |
| Live Call Sentiment | No | Yes |
| Custom Moments | No | Yes |
| Ai Voice Isolation | Yes | Yes |
* Check Dialpad Ai country-specific availability here.
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 |
To create and manage a Contact Center in Dialpad, you'll need a Dialpad Sell or Dialpad Support license.