Continental Message Solution Review [2024]

As businesses scale, the need for efficient communication and interaction with employees and customers is crucial. In the past, many businesses have turned to Continental Message Solution (CMS): a US-based call center delivering 24-hour answering services, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), hotlines, and mass notification solutions.

And while CMS provides solid call center services for different industries, there are new solutions on the market dedicated to specific industries and their custom workforce needs.

This comprehensive Continental Message Solution review will cover how CMS works, its features, some pros and cons–and CMS alternatives. Let’s get started!

Continental Message Solution Review

Industries

CMS has experience providing services to businesses across various sectors, from regional healthcare systems and multinational industrial companies to local plumbing companies and individual law offices. CMS works to cater to the unique needs of different sectors and understand their specific communication challenges and requirements.

For example, in the healthcare sector, CMS can provide HIPAA-compliant communication services, while for IT businesses, they can offer 24/7 technical support hotlines.

Other industries Continental Message Solution serves include:

• Nonprofit

• Medical

• IT

• Real Estate

• Transportation

• Property Management

• Government

• HVAC

• Utilities & Energy

• Retail

• Travel & Hospitality

• Legal

• Manufacturing

How CMS Works

CMS combines live agents with automated solutions so employees and customers have better access to an organization and its resources.

The platform focuses on providing live agent call center solutions, automated call center and IVR technology, and mass notifications for both employees and customers. However, it also offers other ancillary services, including ethics compliance hotlines and employee call-off systems.

Let’s take a look at more Continental Message Solution features.

Features

• Live Agent Call Center Solutions: Human customer service agents are available to take your calls 24/7.

• Automated Call Center and IVR: Customizable inbound and outbound IVR solutions.

• Employee Call-Off System: Phone number and web application that collects employee name, shift, infraction, reason, and additional details regarding the call-off.

• Mass Notifications: Send voice, text, and email broadcasts to groups and individuals.

• Hotline Services: Dedicated hotlines for ethics compliance and employee absence reporting.

• Answering Services: 24/7 answering services with receptionists to answer calls in the name of your business.

• Virtual Receptionist: Virtual receptionists are available 24/7 to take your calls and schedule appointments.

• Anonymous Reporting: CMS offers an anonymous hotline that allows employees to make reports while maintaining their anonymity.

• Appointment Scheduling: CMS can book appointments around the clock with appointment scheduling answering services.

• Dispatching Services: CMS provides trained dispatchers available 24/7 to provide customer service, screen calls, and dispatch technicians and on-call personnel per your guidelines.

• Emergency Answering Service: CMS provides a single point of contact to handle urgent calls that must be addressed.

• Help Desk & Technical Support: CMS provides technical support agents who can take your calls and assist customers with resolving basic technical problems.

Pros

• 24/7 services: CMS provides around-the-clock services, even after work hours.

• Live agents: CMS provides live agents to provide a human touch to customer service and interaction.

• Customizable solutions: CMS offers customizable solutions for a variety of industries, so businesses can choose the services that work for their needs.

Cons

• Lack of mobile workforce management: CMS does not offer a comprehensive mobile workforce management solution with features such as real-time updates, safety checks, and employee self-service through a mobile platform.

• No ability to text absences: This easy way of messaging and relaying absences is fast and reliable, allowing managers to adjust as needed.

• Unable to fill open shifts: If there is an unexpected absence, there is no feature for managers or employees to find someone to work the shift.

• Potential payroll accuracy Issues: Due to potential limitations in absence management and reporting, CMS may have challenges ensuring accurate and streamlined payroll processing. This can lead to manual work and errors in calculating employee wages.

Location

CMS is headquartered on Grant Avenue in the Discovery District of Downtown Columbus, OH, and has a west coast office in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pricing

Unfortunately, specific pricing information for CMS is not readily available on their website. Potential customers must get in touch with their sales team first.

Best Continental Message Solution Alternatives

While CMS is a popular call center and hotline platform, there are a variety of reasons why you might be looking for an alternative to CMS. Maybe you’re looking for a more affordable service or would prefer a solution specific to your industry. 

Whatever it is, we made it simple by rounding up some of the top alternatives for CMS, organized by service. Let’s take a look! 

CMS Alternative for Attendance Tracking

TeamSense believes tracking attendance should be simple for employees, managers, and HR teams. So we created an attendance management system built for results! Businesses with hourly, remote, or mobile workforces can improve productivity and communication and reduce absenteeism and downtime–without the endless paperwork, confusing technology, and stress.

Our platform’s absence management capabilities allow employees to report absences via text, eliminating the need for company email addresses, phone calls, and complicated phone apps. This not only gives employees more ownership over their attendance but also reduces frustration and manual work for supervisors by centralizing all information in a user-friendly digital interface.  

Manufacturing, warehousing, and logistic industries can finally communicate easily, so their teams can keep operations running smoothly and efficiently.

Features

• Call-off via Text: Employees can call out via text through a simple yet innovative custom workflow.

• Real-Time Notifications: Customizable settings enable instant notifications via text and/or email to supervisors or administrators.

• On-Demand Employee Portal: Provides on-demand access to company resources such as attendance policies, payroll information, benefits, and more.  

• Employee Communication: Supports effective communication among employees, supervisors, and administrators.

• Employee Engagement Surveys: Allows for the creation and distribution of engagement surveys to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement levels.

• Employee Feedback System: Employees can provide anonymous feedback on aspects of their job, such as their workload, manager, and company culture. This feedback is then analyzed and presented to management.

• Reporting: Reporting capabilities help spot trends and outliers fast and ensure payroll accuracy.

• Admin Dashboard: Daily data is centralized in the admin dashboard for easy access and management.

• Mark Yourself Safe Feature: This feature is used for safety checks during drills and real-world situations.

Pros

• Ease of Use: TeamSense is simple to use and intuitive, making it user-friendly for both employees and administrators.

• Effective Communication: Our text-based platform allows for effective and instant communication among employees, supervisors, and administrators. This is especially beneficial for hourly workers who may not have company emails or smartphones. 

• Employee Engagement: Engagement surveys and recognition programs help improve employee engagement and satisfaction.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Our feedback system and reporting capabilities allow for data-driven decisions to drive productivity and employee satisfaction. 

• No App Required: Unlike many other platforms, TeamSense does not require an app download, making it easy for employees (and managers) to use.

• Language Options: TeamSense currently supports 19 languages including English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole.

Cons

• TeamSense was primarily designed for hourly workforces within large manufacturing businesses, so it may not be a fit for smaller companies. 

• Our users use text messaging as the primary mode of communication. This was done strategically: requiring an app download can be a barrier and we wanted TeamSense to be as accessible and easy to use as possible. However, some employees or employers may prefer alternative communication methods. 

Pricing

We offer three pricing plans to accommodate teams of all sizes. 

• Basic: $3/user/month with a one-year commitment. This includes attendance management via text, real-time notifications, an on-demand employee portal, and unlimited one-way text communication with your team.

• Pro: $5/user/month with a one-year commitment. This plan includes everything in the Basic plan plus voice call-in capability for attendance, attendance insights, access to 2 operational workflows, translation to 3 additional languages, phone and email support, and tech stack integration.

• Advanced: $8/user/month with a one-year commitment. This includes everything in the Pro plan plus access to 10 operational workflows, text-to-apply capability, translation to up to 19 languages, a dedicated support team member, and tech stack integration.

It’s time to end the call-off chaos! Support your hourly workers–and reduce your own attendance tracking headaches–with TeamSense. 

CMS Alternatives for Call Center Outsourcing

If you’re looking for support outsourcing customer service, here are some CMS alternatives to consider.

Advanced Call Center Technologies 

Advanced Call Center Technologies is a call center outsourcing provider that utilizes modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, chatbots, agent assistants, and predictive analytics to comprise the “Total Experience (TX) approach.” The organization offers outsourced customer care, sales service, fraud and dispute management, and back-office support to various industries. 

Acquire BPO

Acquire BPO has been providing call center outsourcing services for over 15 years. They offer comprehensive call center outsourcing solutions, ranging from inbound customer services and sales to outbound sales and lead generation. They also provide technical support, as well as web chat and email support. 

Global Response 

With over 40 years of experience, Global Response offers a wide range of services and leverages advanced tools and data analytics to measure the performance of call center outsourcing teams. They provide full-service contact center solutions to support customer service, sales, and omnichannel engagement. 

In addition, they customize their services to meet the needs of customers across various channels, such as voice, email, chat, mobile, social media, and SMS.

CMS Alternatives for Hotline Service Providers

Hotline service providers require effective solutions to manage their operations and ensure seamless communication. Here are three CMS alternatives providing hotline services: 

Signius Communications 

Signius Communications offers specialized call center tools and expertise for various hotlines, ranging from crisis lines to employee relations to Sarbanes-Oxley-compliance whistleblower hotlines. Their services are designed to create a safe and confidential environment for reporting ethical violations.

AllVoices

AllVoices offers several hotline services aimed at promoting ethical behavior, maintaining a culture of compliance, and improving the employee experience in organizations. The "Speak Up Hotline" features encrypted 2-way anonymous messaging, a phone line available 24/7, and custom routing rules to ensure anonymous feedback gets routed to the right administrators. The "Incident Reporting Hotline" has similar features and is designed to provide a secure platform for employees to report incidents.

Specialty Answering Service

Specialty Answering Service provides hotline capabilities that enable businesses to provide a dedicated line for specific purposes, including crisis management, recall services, and compliance. They also provide telephone answering, lead generation, and call center services.

Bottom Line on Continental Messaging Solution

While Continental Message Solution offers many services that can benefit businesses looking for call center support, some organizations may need industry-specific solutions that simplify attendance management–without requiring call-off hotlines or complicated web portals.

What is the best solution? TeamSense. 

TeamSense provides accessible text-based communication tools designed to meet the specific requirements of hourly workers. With real-time notifications, automated absence documentation, and employee engagement opportunities, we streamline attendance management, allowing businesses to plan better, run efficiently, and keep attendance management simple for everyone. 

We’ve been in your shoes. Let us help you reduce no-shows, prevent downtime, and improve employee retention. It’s just a text away.