Working for a call center, you know how critical it is to provide your agents with documented policies, procedures, and call flows to help them handle calls.
But, creating those guides can be difficult, and reading those resources can be confusing for your call center reps. You’ve decided to create decision trees using flowcharts. And you’re hoping this can help you direct your agents through proper procedural practices.
Unfortunately, you don’t have a budget for new flowchart software. But, you’re in luck! There is a bunch of free flowchart software plans available.
Just be aware: When you use free software, you often compromise on the quality and quantity of software tools and capabilities. However, if you only need flowchart software for simple tasks, free software could be the right choice for your call center.
Working for ScreenSteps — a knowledge base company that supports documentation for call centers — I’ve seen how clearly documented policies, procedures, and call flows can empower agents to perform better on their jobs.
So, I’ve gathered a list of six of the best free flowchart software available today. All of the options in this list are free. However, some of them may have additional costs for more advanced plans.
TIP FOR YOUR SEARCH
Before choosing flowchart software for your call center, read this article on how to choose the right call flow software for your company. That way, you know what to search for as your company researches different systems and can make the best choice for your company.
1. draw.io
Draw.io is a simple diagramming tool that helps businesses map out their processes, business plans, and organizational charts. It is intuitive to use.
Features included in the free plan
Draw.io has a variety of tools. Plus, it doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Some of the features and functions of draw.io include:
- Drag and drop design elements
- Import and export files in a variety of formats (i.e. .xml, .jpeg, .gif, etc.)
- 3rd party integrations (Note: draw.io does not provide support for integrations)
- Available on desktop and phone
- Saves directly to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or other applications
It’s important to note that when you use draw.io for free, you don’t need to register for an account. You save the content you create to another cloud-based application, like a document library.
Cost for advanced plans
While draw.io does not provide different plans with more advanced features, it does have an Enterprise Plan for Confluence Teams. The plan provides more data security and client support. The Enterprise Plan starts at $15 per month for 20 users.
2. Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a diagramming software that helps teams organize their ideas by laying them out visually in a chart. It allows teams to map out their plans, processes, and procedures.
Features included in the free plan
Some of the features included in the free Lucidchart plan include:
- Editable flowchart documents (limited to 3 documents)
- Collaboration for editing
- Shapes and arrows for easy design
- Unlimited view-only access
- 100 professional templates
- Basic integrations (i.e. Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and more)
The downfall is that it has limited capabilities, and you may find that you need to upgrade to have all the features you want/need.
Cost for advanced plans
If you have more than three call flows/procedures you want to create for your call center, then the free Lucidchart plan is not a feasible option for your company. Lucidchart has plans with unlimited documents starting at $7.95 for an individual or $9/user per month for teams.
3. Miro
Miro is a digital whiteboard that makes it easy to collaborate with your team in real-time. It has a variety of shapes, lines, and other tools that make it easy for you to create flowchart diagrams.
Features included in the free plan
The number of features included in a Miro free plan is limited. Some of those features include:
- Editable boards (limited to 3)
- Library of shapes and other design tools
- Board templates (including a flowchart template)
- Collaboration with other Miro members on your boards
- Basic exports
- Integrations with Slack, Trello, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and more
Cost for advanced plans
If you need more boards and collaboration tools, Miro has more advanced plans. Team plans start at $8/user per month if you purchase an annual subscription.
4. Visme
Visme is design software for both experienced and inexperienced designers. You can create a lot of different designs — flowcharts, infographics, social media posts, and more — with Visme’s software.
Features included in the free plan
The cloud-based design software allows you to create professional flowcharts for free with nice design elements. Some of the features and tools offered with the free plan include:
- Design tools (i.e. flowchart symbols, connectors, etc.)
- Drag and drop design
- Flowchart templates
- Unlimited projects
- 100MB of storage
- Limited collaboration capabilities
- Download as a JPG
Cost for advanced plans
If you need more than 100MB of storage or want some of the features not included with the free plan, then Visme has advanced plans starting at $15/user per month.
5. Canva
Canva is an online design studio that removes the barrier between your average worker and a beginning designer. It simplifies design assets for your company. Creators can design visuals that include everything from social media posts, advertisements, invitations, and beyond.
Features included in the free plan
As part of those design elements, it also has tools, templates, and features for designing flowcharts. Some of the specific features and tools included in the free Canva account are:
- Flowchart templates
- Simple design elements including shapes, lines, arrows, and more
- Drag and drop design functionality
- Export in various formats (.jpg, .png, etc.)
- Teams allow you to collaborate on projects
Cost for advanced plans
Canva has premium design elements that you can purchase individually when you want to use one of those elements. Also, you can access premium elements, templates, and features by purchasing a more advanced plan. Paid plans start at $119.99/year for up to five people.
6. Google Drawing
Google Drawing is a cloud-based application that’s part of the Google Drive collection. Create flowcharts, design diagrams, and add them to other documents and websites.
Features included in the free plan
Google Drawing is a simple solution to creating flowcharts. Since it is dedicated solely to creating various charts and visual diagrams, the tools are limited. Some of those features and tools include:
- Basic shapes, arrows, and callouts for design
- Automatically saved to Google Drive
- Collaboration with team members
- Add comments to provide context
- Cloud-based application
- Easily add flowcharts to other documents (i.e. Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.)
An advantage of Google Drawing is that it functions similarly to other Google products — like Google Docs and Google Sheets — which employees are typically familiar with. This means they don’t need to spend too much time learning a new tool.
Cost for advanced plans
As part of Google’s collection of office applications, you would need to pay for more cloud storage space. Business plans for Google Workspace start at $4.20/user per month.
Note: You can also create flowcharts for free in Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets. Just like Google Drawing, you can share your documents on a company shared Google Drive.
Explore your documentation options for your call center
Now you know some of the best free flowchart software available to help you build your call flow flowcharts. If you are looking for more advanced features, here is a list of the best call flow diagramming tools and how much they cost.
I get it. Free is my favorite number too. But, if you find your company needs more capabilities in documenting your policies, procedures, and call flows, you may want to consider different options.
ScreenSteps is a knowledge base software company that helps call centers document policies, procedures, and call flows as standard articles and interactive workflow articles. Call center agents can easily follow these guides without putting a caller on hold.
If you’re not ready to look at ScreenSteps yet, that’s okay. There are three different ways to document your call center call flows: flowcharts, standard articles, and interactive workflow articles. Explore these options before committing your time to design your flowcharts.
