Genesys Cloud CX is one of the most popular contact center platforms, but it’s not right for everyone. Luckily, there are tons of Genesys competitors to choose from. However, picking a contact center platform is no small decision, especially when creating a good customer experience is essential for growing your business.
If you’re looking for Genesys alternatives that provide the features you need without overwhelming your team, you’ve come to the right place. In our guide, we’ll cover the top Genesys competitors so you can find a platform that may be a better fit for your organization. We’re located in Atlanta, but we serve the entire US with VoIP and IT services, including Seattle, Miami, Denver, and New York.
Genesys Overview
Genesys Cloud CX is a cloud-based contact center platform built for enterprises. It provides organizations all the features they need to communicate with customers and orchestrate a better customer experience. Genesys offers omnichannel support over the cloud, which means your business doesn’t need to manage its own on-premise call center hardware. Instead, you pay a monthly subscription fee to access the platform, and Genesys handles maintenance and updates.
In addition to voice, chat, email, and social messaging, Genesys also provides workforce engagement features, which helps with agent scheduling, monitoring, coaching, and analytics all in the same system. Customer journey management tracks and manages customer journeys across different touchpoints, not just individual interactions. Plus, native AI helps automate routine tasks and provides deep insights that help you predict needs and identify trends.
Pricing for Genesys starts at $75/user/month and goes up to $155/user/month. At the most basic level, you get only inbound and outbound voice calling features with IVR, automatic call backs, real-time and historical reporting, open APIs, and more. For omnichannel support and WEM features, you’ll have to purchase the most expensive plan.
Genesys is used by companies in over 100 countries, offering tons of benefits, including:
- Scalability: Because Genesys is a cloud-based platform, it’s easy to scale up or down compared to legacy phone systems.
- Unified platform: A single, unified system means fewer organizational silos and better data sharing between departments.
- Faster innovation: Genesys is built on a microservices architecture, which means it’s composed of almost 1000 small, independent services. This allows for faster innovation, as new features can be added or changed more quickly.
- Better insights: Real-time and historical analytics provide insights into contact center performance and customer journeys so you can make data-driven decisions to improve.
Who Genesys Is Good For
Genesys Cloud CX is best for:
- Large contact centers that need omnichannel support.
- Organizations that want to orchestrate customer journeys end-to-end, rather than treating each interaction separately.
- Organizations handling high volumes of customer calls, emails, and messages.
- Businesses with vast resources that are able to handle the complexity of the platform.
- Firms already on Salesforce, looking for tight integration between their CRM and contact center platforms.
Why Consider Alternatives
Although Genesys is a popular contact center platform, it’s not right for everyone. It’s ideal for enterprises, but can be unwieldy for SMBs. So why might you consider Genesys alternatives?
- Learning curve: Migrating to a microservice-based, API-first platform like Genesys comes with a substantial learning curve, especially for those who are used to traditional contact center systems.
- Complex integrations: While APIs are powerful, building deep integrations, especially custom ones, still requires technical work. You’ll need someone with IT experience to configure the system.
- Workforce management gaps: Some users have reported that the WEM module isn’t as strong as WFM tools and that building custom workflows can be frustrating.
- Cost: In order to access advanced features like WEM and omnichannel capabilities, you’ll need to upgrade to a more expensive plan.
- Analytics limitations: Some users find the built-in reporting and dashboard tools to be limited, especially for specific or complex use cases.
Top Genesys Competitors
Here are some of the top Genesys competitors to consider when looking for contact center software:
NiCE CXone
One of the top Genesys alternatives, NiCE CXone is a CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) platform that offers a wide array of features, from omnichannel routing to advanced workforce engagement management. It’s built to handle voice and digital communication channels, including chat, email, social, and more. Like Genesys, CXone is built to deliver end-to-end customer journey orchestration, with self-service, agent-assisted interactions, analytics, and more. Because CXone is cloud-based software, it enables agents to work from anywhere they have an internet connection.
NiCE CXone’s key features include:
- Enlighten AI: CXone offers strong AI features with its Enlighten AI engine, which powers analytics, knowledge management, agent assist, and self-service solutions.
- Omnichannel routing: CXone provides omnichannel support, with voice plus over thirty digital communication channels. Automatic Contact Distribution (ACD) routes customers to the right agent, no matter which channel the customer is using.
- Workforce Engagement Management (WEM): CXone’s WEM offers AI-powered forecasting, scheduling, and intraday re-optimization. Self-service scheduling and shift trading enable agents to easily manage their schedules, while real-time guidance and feedback help them improve their performance.
- Analytics and reporting: Omnichannel dashboards offer real-time and historical reports and analytics for contact center metrics like agent activity and queue insights.
- Auto dialer: CXone’s auto dialer enables proactive outreach via voice, SMS, or email for more efficient outbound campaigns.
Pricing starts at $110/user/month and goes up to $249/user/month.
Pros of using NiCE CXone:
- Advanced analytics features
- Strong AI integration
- Continuous agent coaching and improvement
Cons of using NiCE CXone:
- WEM and AI features are in higher-tier plans
- Platform is complex, which makes implementation and training harder
Why NiCE CXone is a top Genesys competitor:
Both Genesys and NiCE CXone offer a similar robust set of features, but CXone comes with more advanced, customizable analytics and better WEM features to manage agents.
CloudTalk
CloudTalk is a cloud-based call center platform that’s more lightweight than full-blown enterprise CCaaS systems like Genesys. However, that simplicity is one of CloudTalk’s strong suits, especially for sales and support teams that don’t need enterprise features. It’s designed for SMBs focused on outbound calling, with auto dialing features that help agents spend less time waiting for phones to ring and more time talking with potential leads.
CloudTalk’s key features include:
- AI voice agents: CloudTalk offers “CeTe,” an AI voice agent that can handle inbound and outbound calls 24/7. Voice agents can take on repetitive tasks like booking reminders, payment follow-ups, or lead qualification.
- Smart call routing: Route calls based on agent skills, availability, language, geographic region, and more. The routing is configurable in real time with no hardware rewiring required.
- Conversation intelligence: CloudTalk’s AI offers real-time call transcriptions, automatic call summaries with next steps and key topics, sentiment analysis, and live coaching tools.
- Integrations: CloudTalk integrates with many CRM/helpdesk systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk, but only on higher tiers.
Pricing ranges from $19/user/month and ranges up to $49/user/month, when paid annually.
Pros of using CloudTalk include:
- User-friendly interface that’s easy to learn
- Pricing is competitive
- Powerful AI features
Cons of using CloudTalk include:
- Lacks email, chat, and social channels
- Limited feature depth compared to CCaaS platforms
Why CloudTalk is one of the top Genesys alternatives:
While CloudTalk doesn’t offer full omnichannel features, it’s a cost-effective choice if you primarily need inbound/outbound voice calling.
Talkdesk
Talkdesk is a CCaaS platform that’s considered one of the top Genesys competitors. Like Genesys, it’s built on a microservices architecture, which enables faster innovation and changes. It provides a full suite of contact center applications, including routing, interaction analytics, workforce management, AI, and more.
Key features of Talkdesk:
- AI and automation: Talkdesk has a powerful “Agentic AI” platform with automated AI agents for voice and digital channels that can handle customer inquiries, deflect simple requests, or hand off to human agents when needed. Other powerful AI features include agent assistance, call summaries, and agent/customer security authentication.
- Omnichannel engagement: Talkdesk supports voice, chat, SMs, email, social, and other engagement channels all in one unified platform.
- Low-code/no-code customization: Talkdesk Builder lets you build custom routing, workflows, and integrations with little or no coding necessary.
Pricing starts at $85/user/month and ranges up to $270/user/month for more specialized features.
Pros of Talkdesk include:
- Intuitive UI
- Powerful AI that can reduce agent workload
- Easy customization
Cons of Talkdesk include:
- Powerful AI features are only available in higher tiers
- Talkdesk’s workforce management isn’t as feature-rich as specialized WFM providers
Why Talkdesk is a good alternative to Genesys:
Talkdesk offers a cloud-based CCaaS platform that’s scalable and flexible, with a microservices architecture that enables faster updates. Talkdesk’s agentic AI gives it a strong edge over Genesys, and the low-code/no-code builder makes configuration easy enough for those without IT experience.
Nextiva
Nextiva is a unified communications and cloud contact-center provider that is especially good for organizations that want to combine their business phone system and contact center in one. It’s designed for scalability, but particularly a good choice for SMBs looking for a feature-rich platform.
Key features of Nextiva include:
- Omnichannel communication: Nextiva supports voice, SMS, chat/web, email, and social media channels, with a unified agent interface so agents can see full conversation history.
- Intelligent routing: Smart routing takes calls to agents based on skills, time or day, or workload.
- Workflow builder: The drag-and-drop workflow/call-flow builder lets you design IVR flows, automation, and handoffs without coding.
- AI automation: Nextiva offers AI features like virtual agents, voice transcription, automatic call summaries, and real-time agent assist.
Pricing for Nextiva starts at $23/user/month and goes up to $74/user/month.
Pros of Nextiva:
- UCaaS and CCaaS in one, helps you reduce silos
- Easy deployment
- Highly rated customer service, with 24/7support
Cons of Nextiva:
- Omnichannel orchestration is very complex
- WFM features lack the depth of specialized WFM tools
Why Nextiva is one of the top Genesys competitors:
Unlike some CCaaS-only platforms, Nextiva gives you a fully integrated business phone system plus a contact center. This means fewer systems to manage and less integration risk.
8×8
8×8 is another of the best Genesys alternatives that offers both UCaaS and CCaaS capabilities. Like Genesys, 8×8 has a global presence that makes expanding into international markets easier. In fact, 8×8 offers unlimited domestic and international calling to at least 14 countries, with more available on higher tiers.
Key features of 8×8 include:
- Omnichannel routing: 8×8 supports voice, email, chat, and other digital channels, with smart routing you configure based on skills, customer context, or channel.
- International calling: 8×8 offers unlimited domestic calls as well as unlimited international calling in up to 48 countries.
- AI: 8×8 offers conversational AI for self-service across channels and supports multiple languages. Agent Assist helps agents by giving real-time guidance, context, and after-call work support.
- Outbound campaigns: Automated outbound dialing enables campaigns and proactive outreach.
- Analytics and reporting: Real-time dashboards and historical reporting offer insights into customer behaviors.
Pricing for 8×8 starts at $28/user/month and goes up from there.
Pros of using 8×8:
- Unified platform for UCaaS and CCaaS
- Global reach with unlimited international calling
- Strong analytics
Cons of using 8×8:
- Setting up the platform can be a bit complicated
- Lacks the depth of features that other CCaaS providers offer
Why 8×8 is a good alternative to Genesys:
8×8 offers all-in-one communications, with both UC and CC capabilities in one platform, reducing complexity and vendor sprawl. Plus, 8×8’s global presence makes it scalable for global teams.
Five9
Five9 is a cloud-based CCaaS provider that’s often used by sales-oriented, service, and blended contact centers. It offers voice and digital channels, with an emphasis on AI and automation to improve agent performance and the customer experience. It’s designed to support both inbound and outbound centers.
Key features of Five9 include:
- Omnichannel support: Five9 supports voice, email, chat, SMS, and social channels to engage customers across touchpoints. Their contact center platform provides a unified interaction history so agents can see past context.
- Intelligent routing: Automatic Call Distribution sends interactions to the best-fit agent. The Engagement Workflow tools allow for drag-and-drop designing of IVR, routing, and agent guidance. Queue callbacks let customers opt to hang up and receive a callback when their spot in the queue is available.
- Workforce Management: Five9 offers forecasting, scheduling, and WFM capabilities to align staffing with demand. Real-time and historical dashboards let supervisors track agent performance, queue metrics, and other KPIs.
- Call monitoring: Supervisors can monitor call quality with whisper, barge-in, and silent monitoring.
Pricing for Five9 starts at $119/user/month.
Pros of Five9:
- Powerful AI capabilities
- Strong dialer/outbound tools
- Flexible routing and IVR without coding
Cons of Five9:
- Some advanced features, like AI and WFM, require add-ons
- The UI is less modern than some newer CCaaS platforms
Why Five9 is a good alternative to Genesys:
Five9 offers strong outbound dialing features like predictive dialing and campaign management. Plus, their strong ecosystem of integrations with CRMs gives agents context for more personalized customer engagements.
Genesys Competitors Conclusion: Finding the Right Provider
Genesys Cloud CX is a top CCaaS platform built for enterprises, but it can be complicated, especially for those without a dedicated IT team. Luckily, if you need a solution that’s less overwhelming and more cost-effective, there are a number of Genesys competitors to choose from.
Need help sorting through all the providers on the market? OneStop Communications can help. We provide quotes from top CCaaS providers to help you find one that best fits your budget and business needs. Contact OneStop Communications today if you’re ready to take your business communication to the next level!
