12 top contact center platforms of 2024
Which came first: the evolution of the contact center or the evolution of its supporting software? It's the old chicken-and-egg debate. Either way, AI is the catalyst.
Contact center software has existed since the dawn of digital contact centers decades ago. But in recent years, the contact center software industry has changed significantly. New types of technology, such as generative AI, have opened opportunities for developers to add powerful types of innovative contact center features to their platforms. And hyperscalers like Microsoft and Amazon have entered the space hoping to use their command of adjacent markets to claim a slice of the contact center software ecosystem.
All these developments prompt a reevaluation of modern contact center platform options. We identified the leading contact center platforms and summarized their most prominent features and drawbacks so businesses can make informed decisions. Consideration was given to research by IDC and independent user reviews appearing on TrustRadius and G2. Based on this analysis, we created an unranked, alphabetical list of 12 top platforms. The 12 software providers range in age from just a few years to a few decades, but the common thread is the integration of AI's evolving capabilities into their new and upgraded platforms.
1. Amazon Connect
Introduced by Amazon in 2017, Amazon Connect offers a centralized hub from which contact center agents can engage with customers across multiple channels, including voice, chat, and messaging, and that can integrate with other Amazon products and services. In 2023, Amazon Connect incorporated several AI-based capabilities, such as support for creating virtual assistants.
2. Avaya
Software vendor Avaya traditionally focused its contact center software on on-premises hosting models, but it has recently expanded into cloud-based options that support public and private cloud deployments. Avaya provides all the core capabilities that businesses expect from a modern contact center platform as well as certain innovative features like AI-based virtual assistants.
3. CloudTalk
CloudTalk is most notable for its heavy focus on automation and analytics features designed to streamline contact center performance and increase operations efficiency. It also offers innovative AI-powered features, such as topic extraction, which automatically monitors conversational topics.
4. DialPad
DialPad initially focused on providing internal communications software for businesses and added contact center software capabilities in 2018. DialPad is most notable for its extensive investment in AI-based capabilities, such as AI-driven voice analysis and call summaries, as well as AI-powered virtual agents.
5. Five9
Five9 provides a fully cloud-based call and contact center platform. It also places special emphasis on transparency and security for businesses concerned with protecting sensitive customer data or meeting strict compliance mandates related to customer calls.
6. Google Cloud Contact Center AI
Contact Center AI is among the newer contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) platforms and is focused on AI capabilities such as virtual agents. Behind the scenes, however, Google's contact center offering is powered largely by Ujet, an independent contact center platform known particularly for its analytics features and integration with CRM systems.
7. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center
Microsoft Dynamics contact center platform was developed in-house by Microsoft and released in June 2024. Microsoft heavily emphasizes self-service on a customer-preferred channel as well as monitoring and reporting capabilities designed to improve operational efficiency.
8. Nextiva
Nextiva offers all the key features that businesses need to operate an effective contact center, such as skills-based call routing and advanced call management. Although Nextiva hasn't invested as extensively in AI-based capabilities as some other vendors in this market, the company places special emphasis on platform reliability and a fast response to service requests from its customers.
9. Nice inContact
Nice inContact includes AI-based predictive analytics, conversational AI services trained on conversations by contact center live agents, and generative AI features designed to help businesses identify opportunities to better personalize the customer experience.
10. Salesforce Service Cloud
Although Salesforce is best known for CRM, its Service Cloud platform includes a contact center offering to pull customer data into contact center engagements and tightly integrate with the Salesforce product ecosystem.
11. Vonage Contact Center
Vonage Contact Center's natively built features, including AI-powered virtual assistants, rely on integrations with external platforms, particularly Salesforce, to power some of its capabilities and access customer data. Vonage also emphasizes video-based customer engagement.
12. Zoom Contact Center
Best known for its teleconferencing software, Zoom launched a contact center platform originally called Video Engagement Center and rebranded as Zoom Contact Center. The platform offers all core contact center software features with a focus on video-based customer meetings, while supporting other communications media over multiple channels.
Chris Tozzi is an adjunct research adviser at IDC as well as an adviser for Fixate IO and a professor of IT and society at a polytechnic university in upstate New York.
