With trends and product forecasts rapidly changing, businesses can showcase and seek out the latest technology innovations and strategies at this year’s expo. 

Through various seminars, booths, panel debates, and live technology demonstrations, visitors will receive an invaluable insight into the latest era of customer experience technology. 

And with thousands of CX leaders and professionals from across the continent in attendance, visitors can gain practical insights and guidance from well-recognised experts at industry-leading enterprises. 

Check out the upcoming, cannot-miss exhibitors, speakers, themes, and more below. 

Exhibitors and Speakers

With 116 company exhibitors expecting to be in attendance, some of the top CX companies are scheduled to attend, with a list of where to find them, who will be speaking, and at which seminar. 

Five9 – Stand CC-L20 

Speakers: 

Steve Blood, VP of Market Intelligence & Evangelism: Rise of the Machines: The Dawn of Agentic CX 

Ty Stephens, Director of Channel Sales, EMEA: CX is Still Human – Agentic AI Just Makes it Smarter 

Microsoft – CC-J60 

Speaker: 

Sebastian Reeve, Director of Strategy, Customer Experience Applications: Become an Agent Boss: Human + AI Collaboration with Microsoft 

AWS – CC-J30 

Speakers: 

Shameem Smillie, GTM Specialist Leader at Amazon Connect: Transforming Customer Experience with Amazon Connect 

Soumya Unni, Solution Architecture Leader at Amazon Connect: Transforming Customer Experience with Amazon Connect 

Salesforce – CC-H20 

Speaker: 

David Brown, SVP & Chief Customer Officer: The Agentic Contact Center: A Salesforce Vision for AI & Confident Agents 

8×8 – CC-F40 

Speakers: 

Chris Angus, VP CPaaS & CX Expansion: Frictionless by Design: Modernising Customer Experience with CPaaS 

Maxine Eunson, Head of Public Sector: Transforming Public Sector CX with Purpose-Driven Communications 

Cisco Webex – CC-G30 

Speakers: 

Joseph Pratten, CX Sales Specialist: See It, Test It, Trust It: AI Agents in the Contact Center 

Keith Griffin, Cisco Fellow VP: Agentic AI: From Hype to Reality 

Vonage – CC-F20 

Speaker: 

Tara Aldridge, Head of Product Enablement: Inclusive CX: Designing Journeys That Leave No Customer Behind 

Dialpad – CC-L10 

Speaker: 

Michele Sama, Director of Engineering: Future-Proof Your CX: The Practical Agentic AI Roadmap 

Genesys – VIP Lounge 

Speaker: 

Keith Fulford, Director of Business Value Engagement at Genesys: CX Trends 2026: Agentic AI and the Future of Orchestrated Experiences 

NiCE – CC-M30 

Speakers: 

Andrew Tucker, Solution Engineer: Cut Through the Complexity: Turning Your Data Chaos into Clarity 

Natalee Wiggins, Solution Sales Executive: Cut Through the Complexity: Turning Your Data Chaos into Clarity 

Talkdesk – CC-K40 

Speaker: 

Gary Ovenall, Regional Vice President, EMEA Solution Engineering: Beyond CCaaS: Enter the Era of Customer Experience Automation 

Verint – CC-N20 

Speakers: 

Huw Jones, Director, Solutions Consulting: Turning Strategy into ROI: What High-Performing Contact Centres Do Differently 

Keith Barrow, Director, Solutions Consulting: Turning Strategy into ROI: What High-Performing Contact Centres Do Differently 

Zendesk – CC-G50 

Speaker:

Kathryn Simons Porter, Principal Contact Center Sales Specialist: CCaaS, CEC, or CRM? AI-powered Resolutions for Every Call and Channel 

Content Guru – CC-M10

Speakers:

Sean Taylor, CEO: AI Winners and Losers – Building a Winning CX Strategy with AI

Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO: From Talk to Action: Real-World AI Transformation Today

Themes

Contact Center Expo has provided a list of content themes in CX, Tech, and Business for visitors to look forward to hearing about this year: 

Customer Experience 

• Supporting vulnerable customers 
• Issue resolution 
• Fostering trust 
• Personalisation 
• Creating efficiency for the customer 
• The ideal customer journey 

Tech Innovation 

• AI 
• Omnichannel integration 
• Data Analytics 
• VR 
• Cloud-based solutions 
• Workforce management 

Business Strategies 

• Leadership and Culture 
• Workforce Management 
• Recruitment & Training 
• Employee engagement 
• Operational efficiency 
• Agent support 

Agenda 

Contact Center Expo is expected to run from 9.30am – 4.30pm GMT Wednesday November 19th to 9.30am – 4pm GMT Thursday November 20th, located at London’s ExCel venue. 

You can obtain the full two-day seminar agenda list here. 

Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia will share the CEO mantle after being promoted from their respective positions as President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Industries. 

In a joint statement, the Co-CEOs said: “We are excited to lead Oracle into the AI era, where technological innovation leads to extraordinary business opportunity and hyper-growth. 

Our combined strengths in AI, cloud infrastructure, horizontal applications, and industry applications will enable Oracle to deliver the latest AI capabilities to our customers.

Larry Ellison, Chairman of the Board and CTO at Oracle, praised the previous CEO, Safra Catz, for her efforts in leading the company for the past 11 years. “Safra led Oracle as we became a hyperscale cloud powerhouse, clearly demonstrated by our recent results.” 

Catz, who now becomes Executive Vice Chair of the Oracle Board of Directors, voiced her approval of her successors, noting how they will solidify the company’s commitment to the new era of AI.

“Oracle’s technology and business have never been stronger,” said Catz. “And our breathtaking growth rate points to an even more prosperous future. At this time of strength is the right moment to pass the CEO role to the next generation of capable executives.” 

Why Should CX Leaders Care?

The appointment of new CEOs likely won’t impact Oracle’s mission to prioritize multi-platform customers, work closely with them on large-scale transformations, and innovate around their needs. Big Red doesn’t get too hung up on the latest market trends.

Yet, Sicilia picking up the CEO role, having been the President of Oracle Industries, may hint that its customers want more sector-specific innovation.

That could mean a deeper focus on Oracle’s CX industry solutions, which aim to offer a connected suite of applications that goes beyond traditional CRM.

With these solutions, Oracle remains a top competitor in the CRM industry. 

Working beyond the realms of traditional CRM, it enables company-wide data access, including finance, HCM, CRM, and supply chain data. That paves the way to a more comprehensive view of the customer that human and AI agents can work from. 

Oracle is also doing more to help its customers’ contact center teams build resolution flows across its enterprise systems, so they can eventually automate “all” customer service. 

Yet, despite this aim, it’s delivering AI into its Fusion CRM applications at no additional cost. It’s just built into their offerings and, in many cases, part of a much bigger implementation.

Those massive implementations include modernizing its customers’ infrastructures, which is where Clay Magouyrk’s expertise comes into play.

Referencing this, Ellison highlighted both CEO’s previous work:

A few years ago, Clay and Mike committed Oracle’s Infrastructure and Applications businesses to AI, it’s paying off. 

Indeed, Oracle is establishing and expanding its relationships with some of the world’s biggest enterprises. Beyond infrastructure alone, it’s forcing its way into other spaces, like the multi-layered world of customer experience, and offering differentiated innovation.

Take its 2024 launch of a quasi-CPaaS platform, otherwise known as the Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP). 

It’s not a solution that will compete with Twilio, Infobip, and Vonage. Instead, it will support existing Oracle customers, allowing them room for greater customization and flexibility in their CX deployments.  

Notably, from a customer experience perspective, both deals included Cisco’s collaboration suite, which comprises CCaaS, CPaaS, and UCaaS solutions.

Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco, celebrated the wins during the company’s latest earnings call. He said:

Two webscale customers each placed total orders of over $1,000,000,000 for networking, security, collaboration (Webex), and observability in FY 2025.

The megadeals underscore the payoff in Cisco’s strategy to pull Webex through as part of larger enterprise deals.

In 2024, Cisco accelerated that strategy by centralizing Webex with networking and security in one business unit, unifying the go-to-market for sales teams and partners.

The approach aligns with the tech giant’s strengths in serving big businesses, according to Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research. He said:

The billion-dollar deals and other eight-figure deals show that no company does big better than Cisco. Many of its competitors measure “big” as million-dollar deals, but Cisco supports customers with purchase orders of magnitude larger than that.

Yet, it’s not just selling isolated products. Cisco is driving to build capabilities from some solutions into others, enabling differentiated innovation.

For instance, it’s embedding ThousandEyes into the Webex Contact Center to aid troubleshooting, boosting the CCaaS platform with unique capabilities.

As contact center tech becomes increasingly commoditized, these are value-adding capabilities that rivals can’t replicate.

The Webex Contact Center Rises

Cisco’s standing in the CCaaS market has grown significantly over the last 18 months, as its large base of on-premise customers slowly migrates.

However, it’s also winning new business through broader enterprise deals, differentiated innovation, and rising customer confidence.

Regarding that growth, Cisco reported late last year that it had achieved a 75 percent surge in Webex Contact Center seat activations.  While it hasn’t shared numbers since, that’s a big jump.

In terms of rising customer approval, it was recognized as one of two “customers’ choice” vendors in the Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for CCaaS 2025.

That report is based on verified reviews from 100+ Webex Contact Center customers, with 97 percent of Cisco customers now willing to recommend the tech giant for CCaaS. That’s up from 78 percent 12 months prior.

The external validation suggests that its changing strategy is resonating, not just with buyers, but with the people using its contact center tech day in, day out.

Moreover, it underpins how Cisco can now rub shoulders with the biggest players in the CCaaS market, after it had originally caught a lot of flak for moving into the space too late (and rightly so).

Crunching the Numbers

While the two $1BN+ deals might catch the eye, Cisco’s earnings calls also underscored Cisco’s AI infrastructure surge.

Indeed, the company reported earnings of over $800MN in Q4 through AI infrastructure alone, and more than $2BN in FY 2025.

When it comes to overall earnings, Cisco reported Q4 revenue of around $14.7BN, up about eight percent year-on-year (YoY), and above Wall Street expectations.

Looking ahead, Cisco sees Q1 FY 2026 revenue between $14.65BN and $14.85BN, again slightly ahead of analyst estimates.

For the full year, it projects revenue of $59BN to $60BN, and EPS between $4.00 and $4.06, again nudging ahead of market expectations.

Amidst these market shifts, Twilio, Infobip, and Sinch stand firm as Gartner’s market Leaders.

However, Vonage has slipped out of the Leader quadrant, despite key differentiators in its network APIs, strong adjacent portfolio, and distinguished AI lab.

Vonage now sits in the Visionary square, alongside Cisco, Tanla, and newcomer Proximus Global, which merged last year with BICS, Telesign, and previous participant Route Mobile.

However, those are the only significant changes since 2024, with Tencent Cloud and Bandwidth remaining Challengers, while Tata Communications and Mitto still Niche Players.

Surprise omissions from the report include 8×8, GMS, and Syniverse. Meanwhile, tech giants like AWS and Microsoft ACS don’t feature.

The Definition of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS)

A CPaaS platform comprises three “types” of technology: integrations, communication channels, and workflow orchestration.

The workflow orchestration allows companies to define processes that take signals from integrated systems and translate those into actions across communication channels.

As such, while many companies may use CPaaS platforms to embed communications into enterprise apps, such solutions have many other use cases.

For instance, CPaaS may support customer experiences by enabling proactive communications, two-factor authentication, and custom routing.

Ultimately, it’s a cloud toolkit for multimodal conversations, which is why it’s converging with many CCaaS, CDP, and UCaaS solutions, alongside other enterprise technologies.

While Gartner offers a different definition, that’s essentially what each participant in this year’s study does.

In its evaluation, the research firm analyzes 11 prominent CPaaS providers and divides them into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. Here’s how they performed.

Gartner Magic Quadrant Leaders

Leaders in the Magic Quadrant shape the market’s direction, with a compelling vision for CPaaS across use cases alongside a proven ability to drive business results. This year’s Leaders are:

• Twilio
• Infobip
• Sinch

Twilio

Twilio helped define the CPaaS market and has led it ever since. Indeed, its Communications portfolio continues to grow with global RCS, new authentication tools, and Conversational Relay.

Conversational Relay equips developers with tools to enable more natural voice interactions. It exemplifies how Twilio is merging CPaaS with conversational AI innovation.

Gartner isolates this as a strength, alongside its “rich developer ecosystem” and ability to combine data insights, AI, and omnichannel. As Twilio pulls its Communications and Segment businesses closer, that ability should continue to blossom.

Infobip

Infobip often attracts enterprises short on developers, with a solutions-focused go-to-market that allows it to sell results, not tricky terminology, like “CPaaS” itself.

Gartner also recognizes GenAI-enabled use cases and multimodal technologies as strengths, evident in the recent release of the Tencent Cloud Super App as a Service (TCSAS) solution.

Additional strengths Gartner highlights include its close customer relationships and responsive, “reliable” support teams.

Sinch

Sinch has a diverse CPaaS portfolio, including customer engagement applications, a developer API platform, and a “Super Network” for voice.

However, it bolsters all this with extensive direct support and a global partner base, which enables its customers to scale and realize ROI quickly.

Gartner lauds this, alongside Sinch’s “strong account management service” and “wide range of communication channels”, with the latter established via acquisitions and internal development.

Gartner Magic Quadrant Challengers

Challengers in the Magic Quadrant have developed a global footprint and reputations for delivering solutions that meet customer expectations across several specific use cases. They may, however, lack the vision and portfolio depth of Leaders. This year’s Challengers are:

• Tencent Cloud
• Bandwidth

Tencent Cloud

While most of its customers are pegged to China, Tencent Cloud earns plaudits for its channel strategy, which includes support for RCS in 15 countries.

Gartner also recognizes GenAI-enabled use cases and multimodal technologies as strengths, with the latter bolstered by the recent release of the Tencent Cloud Super App as a Service (TCSAS) solution.

However, alongside its limited geographic presence, Gartner warns that some customers have raised concerns around its pricing and technical support.

Bandwidth

In 2023, Bandwidth launched Maestro to blend leading CCaaS, UCaaS, and conversational AI solutions with its CPaaS stack to deliver deep, customized enterprise communications platforms.

Gartner recognized Bandwidth’s partnerships in these adjacent categories and Maestro’s orchestration engine as core strengths. The analyst also praised its network resiliency.

However, it warns that Bandwidth lacks advanced capabilities in video, commerce, and over-the-top (OTT) applications, limiting its suitability across several use cases.

Gartner Magic Quadrant Visionaries

Visionaries in the Magic Quadrant excel in their innovation, delivering differentiated solutions for specific customer segments. However, they may trail Leaders in their large customer support services and brand awareness. This year’s Visionaries are:

• Vonage
• Cisco
• Proximus Global
• Tanla

Vonage

Vonage differentiates via its 5G network APIs, supported by its parent company Ericsson, allowing developers to build more mobile communications solutions.

While Gartner doesn’t mention this, it praises Vonage’s vertical strategy, alongside its continued investment in innovation and regional technical support teams.

However, the analyst cites Vonage’s decision to scale back its activities in particular geographies as a significant concern for many customers, which could be why the vendor has lost its Leader status.

Cisco

Cisco moved into the CPaaS space in 2021, acquiring IMImobile. Since it has placed CPaaS at the back-end of its UCaaS and CCaaS solutions, delivering an advanced enterprise communications suite.

Gartner applauds these integrations, particularly between CPaaS and CCaaS, enabling greater cloud contact center customization, differentiated support experiences, and proactive customer service. It also commends Cisco’s vertical strategy and Visual Flow Builder.

However, the analyst also cited concerns that Cisco Webex Connect adoption is tied to North America and the UK. It’s also more focused on enterprises and “not tuned to developers or ISVs.”

Proximus Global

In December 2024, Proximus merged with BICS, Telesign, and Route Mobile to become Proximus Global, complete with a strong “global network backbone” and pooled capabilities.

Gartner isolates this unified, worldwide market approach as a strength, alongside its authentication capabilities and “developer-friendly community” that complements Route Mobile’s assets.

Yet, the research firm does warn that the merger of European, American, and Indian companies could cause shorter-term problems in managing systems, cultures, and pricing strategies.

Tanla

Tanla innovates quickly, with a broad portfolio crossing customer messaging, conversational commerce, and marketing automation. It’s also highly-regarded for its “user-friendly” interface.

Gartner didn’t highlight these advantages, but did note its partnerships with Google and Meta, AI-engagement tooling, and security solutions as key strengths.

Nevertheless, its limited presence beyond India and often drawn-out sales experience are among the cautions that the analyst raises.

Gartner Magic Quadrant Niche Players

Niche Players in the Magic Quadrant might offer capabilities ideal for specific customers. Nevertheless, several factors prevent them from competing for the biggest deals, such as portfolio depth, global support, and financial viability. This year’s Niche Players are:

• Tata Communications
• Mitto

Tata Communications

Tata Communications is a global services provider, allowing it to take a more consultative approach to enterprise CPaaS. Its portfolio also includes standout features, like number masking, video commerce, and voice marketing programs.

However, Gartner instead identifies its “programmable APIs for advanced use cases”, global coverage, and efforts to converge CCaaS and CPaaS as strengths.

Meanwhile, it cautions as to Tata’s muted presence in IT vendor marketplaces and “slow service and support”, citing verified customers on the latter.

Mitto

Given the absence of bigger CPaaS brands, Mitto is a surprise inclusion. Yet, Gartner justifies it by citing the vendor’s “networking, scalability, and cost-effectiveness”.

These strengths align with multinational brands that handle many engagements, as does its “differentiation lies in its proactively monitored AI-enabled intelligent routing.”

However, multinational brands will typically align with bigger-name brands, which is an issue with the analyst pointing to Mitto’s low market visibility.

For more rundowns of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant reports, check out our coverage of the:

• Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) 2025
• Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) 2024
• Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center (CEC) 2024

A decade ago, CDPs were viewed as a niche tool for marketing ops teams. Today, they’re being re-evaluated as strategic infrastructure for organizations struggling with data chaos, regulatory uncertainty, and fragmented customer experiences.

Customer journeys don’t follow scripts anymore. A buyer reads an email in the morning, taps a push notification at lunch, then calls support before checkout. Every system sees a piece of that journey. Most don’t talk to each other.

That’s the problem CDPs are built to solve.

They pull in customer data from all over and connect it into one place. Marketers use the system to personalize. Analysts use it to predict. Legal teams use it to track consent and data handling.

With the market for CDP platforms now growing at a rate of 39.5% CAGR, there’s never been a better time for enterprises to start exploring their options, or learning how they work.

What Is a Customer Data Platform (CDP)?

A customer data platform is a solution that brings customer data together. It’s not just storing that data, it’s making usable, and useful.

According to the CDP Institute, a true Customer Data Platform is “packaged software that creates a persistent, unified customer database that is accessible to other systems.” That’s the technical baseline. In practice, it means something simpler: less chaos, more clarity.

CDP software collects data from tools already in play: websites, mobile apps, CRM systems, emails, support tickets, even point-of-sale.

The data isn’t trapped in dashboards. It moves across systems, teams, and use cases. A CDP can trigger a personalized message mid-session, route a high-value lead to the right rep, or alert support before a customer churns. Today, there are various types of CDPs:

• Traditional CDPs: The all-in-one platforms that combine ingestion pipelines, identity resolution, segmentation dashboards, integrations, and governance modules. This approach works well for companies looking for speed and simplicity. Everything is pre-integrated
• Composable CDPs: Here the CDP acts more like a control layer. The core data stays in your warehouse and the CDP connects to it. This model separates storage from activation. It gives IT full control over infrastructure, while still letting marketing teams build audiences, launch campaigns, and pull insights from unified profiles.
• Agentic CDPs: Agentic CDPs don’t just unify and activate data, they make decisions. Using AI, they can monitor customer behavior, score intent, generate segments, and trigger journeys automatically. Some route decisions to external systems like CPaaS tools or contact center workflows, adjusting messages or offers in real time based on what a customer does.

The real value of all types? A single customer view that doesn’t sit in theory. It works in real time, across every customer touchpoint, for every team that needs it.

How Does a Customer Data Platform Work?

A Customer Data Platform connects systems that usually don’t speak to each other. It takes scattered data, from marketing, sales, support, product, even in-store, and turns it into a profile that actually makes sense. Then it makes that profile useful.

Most CDPs follow the same core steps.

Step One: Ingest

Data shows up from everywhere. Emails, apps, websites, POS systems, CRMs, ads, chatbots, third-party sources. Even offline events.

A good CDP doesn’t care where it came from or what format it’s in. Structured or messy, real-time or batch, it pulls it in.

Some tools now ingest straight from cloud warehouses like Snowflake. Others tap into event pipelines or use SDKs to capture behavior in-session.

Step Two: Resolve and Unify

Nobody uses one login across channels. Some people shop anonymously, then sign in later. Others change devices or email addresses halfway through a purchase cycle.

That’s why identity resolution matters. CDPs use a mix of deterministic (exact match) and probabilistic (likely match) logic to connect those dots.

Once matched, the CDP builds a unified profile that updates live, and reflects consent preferences, interactions, and history across time.

Step Three: Segment and Orchestrate

Segments can be built using anything: purchase frequency, channel preference, support history, churn risk, lifecycle stage. One system, one view.

Then the orchestration layer kicks in. CDPs push those segments into email platforms, ad tools, mobile apps, contact centers, and more, all from the same profile source.

Some platforms even trigger automations in tools like CPaaS platforms or journey orchestration engines. Others send data back to BI tools via reverse ETL for better modeling.

Step Four: Govern

Consent and traceability are now crucial across customer journeys.

The best CDP platforms handle this too. They align with enterprise security and compliance strategies. Many are tuned for tracking opt-ins, deletions, suppression lists, and lawful basis for processing. Some use AI for automatic data redaction or anonymization.

CDPs don’t just make data available. They make it usable across marketing, support, operations, and analytics.

What is a CDP? The Data CDPs Collect

CDP software only works if the data inside it is complete. That means pulling from every channel a customer touches, across the journey map. This data comes in various forms, such as:

• First-Party Data: Captured directly by the business. Page views, app sessions, email opens, purchases, cart activity. Anything that happens inside owned channels.
• Zero-Party Data: Voluntarily shared by the customer. Survey responses. Preference selections. Form inputs. Chat interactions. Zero-party data has become especially important as cookie-based tracking fades. It’s the most transparent type and often the most valuable.
• Behavioral & Transactional: What people do, and what they buy. Page flows, scroll depth, session time. Order history, product categories, returns. Some platforms also connect browsing to offline purchases, like retail stores or call-in orders, if there’s an identifier.
• Support & Interaction Logs: CDPs often connect to contact center platforms, CRMs, or service desks. That data adds context: what issues came up, how they were resolved, and how long it took.
• Consent & Preference Data: CDPs track consent flags, lawful basis, and versioning of terms, along with how preferences are set and updated. This ensures downstream tools don’t personalize based on outdated or noncompliant data.
• Industry-Specific Signals: Financial institutions might include KYC flags. Retailers often track loyalty tiers or POS metadata. Healthcare CDPs might handle appointment cycles or treatment milestones.

The structure depends on the sector, but the principle stays the same: one profile, built from all corners of the business.

CDP vs CRM vs DMP, and Beyond

There’s a reason people confuse CDPs with other tools. The lines between them aren’t always clear, especially when vendors blend features across categories. But the roles are different. A Customer Data Platform doesn’t replace a CRM, or a data warehouse. It sits alongside them.

CDP vs CRM

CRM systems are designed for managing known contacts. Sales teams use them to log calls, track deals, and monitor pipelines. CDPs, by contrast, pull in both anonymous and known behavior. They track what someone does before they ever fill out a form.

That includes app sessions, web visits, and product usage. Then, once the person is identified, the CDP merges that activity into a unified profile.

CDP vs DMP

DMPs (Data Management Platforms) focus on third-party data. They use cookies and device IDs for anonymous targeting, mostly for ad buying. Data inside a DMP usually expires within 90 days.

CDPs work with first-party and zero-party data. They store it long term, build persistent profiles, and connect it across teams. In a post-cookie world, CDPs are increasingly replacing DMPs in the stack.

CDP vs Data Warehouse

Data warehouses are built for storage and analysis. They handle massive volumes, structured queries, and historical reporting. Think Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery.

CDPs are built for activation. They act on data. Push it out. Feed downstream systems. Sometimes they pull from warehouses directly, especially in composable CDP setups, but they don’t replace them.

Benefits of CDPs for Enterprise Organizations

Enterprise teams don’t buy technology because it’s trendy. They buy it to fix problems. To simplify complexity, to speed things up, and to prove value.

What is a Customer Data Platform in this context? It’s not just a database. It’s an operating layer that connects marketing, sales, support, analytics, legal, and IT, with one shared view of the customer.

That alone unlocks benefits across the business.

1. One Customer, One Profile

Most companies don’t lack data. They lack alignment. The CRM has email activity. The ad platform tracks sessions, while VOC platforms monitor feedback. Support logs live in a separate system. Data teams work from a warehouse nobody else touches. CDPs bring all of it into one place.

When every team sees the same real-time profile,  purchase history, sentiment signals, consent status, decisions get faster, and friction disappears.

2. Smarter Personalization, Real-Time

Personalization works best when it’s invisible.

CDPs enable that. They update segments as people interact with content. They pass that data into apps, websites, email tools, CCaaS platforms, or journey builders, so experiences stay relevant without manual work.

This isn’t limited to marketing either. Service agents can see churn risk. Sales teams get intent scores. Loyalty programs can trigger personalized rewards instantly.

3. Better Customer Value

When teams operate from a shared view, it’s easier to retain customers, and increase lifetime value. CDPs help predict behavior based on actual usage, not assumptions. They catch patterns that suggest churn, surface cross-sell signals, or prioritize customers who are most likely to convert.

That data flows directly into CRM systems, email sequences, or support prioritization, wherever it’s needed.

4. Privacy Built In

Every profile includes consent status and lawful basis for communication. That’s tracked in real time. If preferences change, the updates hit downstream tools automatically.

That keeps marketing compliant. But it also prevents legal and compliance teams from chasing down mistakes after the fact.

5. Cross-Functional Efficiency

IT controls the infrastructure. Marketing uses the profiles. Support sees key context. Analysts feed models with unified inputs. Instead of everyone pulling from their own source of truth, the CDP creates a foundation everyone can build on, with security and speed.

6. Measurable ROI

CDPs improve time to insight. Time to personalization. Time to campaign. They cut down the number of platforms needed to make a decision.

According to research, 72% of companies using AI-driven CDPs have seen a significant increase in ROI and faster time-to-value across new product launches and CX experiments.

The payback comes not from flashy dashboards, but from fewer delays, better targeting, and less time spent asking, “Where’s that data?”

CDP Use Cases Across Industries

The value of a Customer Data Platform doesn’t stop at marketing. Different industries use CDPs to solve very different problems, from churn to compliance to personalization at scale. What they share is complexity. Multiple systems. Multiple teams. Customers who expect fast, tailored, and consistent interactions. Here’s how CDP software delivers value across sectors.

Retail: Real-Time Offers That Make Sense

Retail CDPs connect in-store purchases with online behavior. Someone clicks a product in an email, walks into a location, and buys something else, the system knows, and the next message reflects it.

Loyalty programs update in real time. Abandon-cart campaigns respond within minutes. Push notifications and CPaaS integrations deliver time-sensitive promotions when they make sense.

In brick-and-mortar environments, CDPs also help with inventory-based personalization, like suggesting alternatives based on local stock.

B2B SaaS: Catching Churn Before It Happens

SaaS companies rely on retention. A CDP combines product usage data with support tickets, CRM notes, and billing flags to spot accounts showing signs of churn.

That profile can trigger alerts inside the sales platform, push tailored content, or route a renewal reminder to the right rep, all before the customer walks away.

This goes beyond MQLs. CDPs can score likelihood to renew, likelihood to expand, and even identify upsell windows based on actual behavior.

Healthcare: Secure, Personalized Experiences

In healthcare, timing and trust are everything.

CDPs in this space help unify patient engagement across portals, apps connected by CPaaS, appointment systems, and follow-ups, while maintaining HIPAA-compliant data handling and strict consent control.

A patient asks a question via chatbot. Books an appointment online. Misses a follow-up. The CDP connects the dots so the care team can act with the right context.

Financial Services: Privacy-First Personalization

CDPs give banks and insurers a way to tailor communications based on customer behavior  without violating consent or crossing compliance lines.

Segmenting by lifecycle stage, account status, or transaction type allows institutions to deliver high-value offers, nudge product adoption, or flag risk, all with the audit trails and data governance regulators expect.

Leading CDP Vendors & Market Insights

The number of companies offering CDP platforms has increased. The 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant highlights just how diverse the market has become. Some vendors focus on speed and usability. Others lean into composable architecture or embedded AI orchestration. For enterprise buyers, the right fit depends on use case, internal data maturity, and integration needs.

Major players include:

• Salesforce: Salesforce’s CDP is fully integrated with the broader Salesforce stack, including Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and Commerce Cloud. It’s a strong choice for orgs already committed to Salesforce. The strength lies in real-time data activation and native AI models tied into Einstein.
• Tealium: Known for its real-time zero-party data capture features, Tealium combines privacy, consent, and flexible insights with a strong pricing model. It also has an expansive partner ecosystem, which makes integration simpler.
• Oracle Unity: Oracle Unity is a traditional, bundled CDP that brings together data from marketing, sales, and service across Oracle’s ecosystem. It’s strong in retail, telecom, and finance, especially for global enterprises with strict governance needs.

Need help choosing? Explore the CDP market map.

How to Choose a CDP: A Strategic Guide

After “what is a CDP” the next question companies ask is often, “How do I pick the right one?”

A Customer Data Platform can do a lot. But not every CDP fits every business.

Choosing the right one starts with clarity, about what problems you’re solving, who owns the process, and how the tech fits into your existing stack.

• Start With Goals: What’s the real driver? Personalization across channels? First-party data strategy post-cookie? Consent and compliance management? Define 2–3 high-value use cases. Use those to shape the requirements.
• Map the Stack: What systems already house customer data? CRM? Data warehouse? Commerce tools? Call center platforms? The CDP should integrate with those, not duplicate them. Composable CDPs might work best if you already use a strong data warehouse like Snowflake or Databricks. Traditional CDPs may move faster for teams starting from scratch.
• Check Scalability and Control: Think long-term. Can the CDP grow with your business? Does it give IT the governance and observability they need? Can it support marketing without engineering bottlenecks? Look for flexible APIs, support for real-time syncs, and user controls that map to your org.
• Run a Cross-Functional RFP: This should involve marketing, data, legal, and IT from day one. Ask about: data model flexibility, consent handling, identity resolution accuracy, pre-built and custom connectors, AI capabilities, and warehouse integrations.
• Plan for Buy-In: Even the best CDP won’t work without adoption. Define who owns the rollout. Who trains teams. Who monitors data quality. Who manages compliance risk. Clarify those roles early, and set expectations accordingly.

What’s Next: CDPs in an AI-Driven Future

The future of the Customer Data Platform isn’t static profiles and batch updates. It’s real-time, responsive, and increasingly autonomous. AI isn’t just a feature anymore. It’s reshaping how CDP software is built, deployed, and used across teams.

Trends include:

• Agentic CDPs: Instead of waiting on fixed rules, agentic CDP systems interpret intent, predict outcomes, and adjust actions in real time. A customer opens an app but doesn’t engage. Instead of a generic retargeting email, the CDP may route them to a conversational bot, change the homepage offer, or pause outreach entirely based on live models.
• Real-Time Infrastructure: Legacy CDPs worked in batch mode. Data was refreshed every few hours, sometimes daily. That no longer works. Modern stacks need streaming ingestion, event-based orchestration, and response times measured in milliseconds, not minutes.
• Composable CX The next evolution isn’t just smarter CDPs. It’s composable CX, AI-enhanced platforms where CDPs work alongside CPaaS, analytics, orchestration tools, and support systems. Every part of the stack shares live customer context. Every system acts with that context. AI helps prioritize what matters most, across every channel.

Discover what’s next with the latest industry research.

What is a Customer Data Platform for Today’s Enterprise?

CDP software gives enterprise teams a way to build real-time, privacy-safe, AI-enhanced experiences on top of a unified customer foundation.

That’s not just a marketing win. It’s operational stability. It’s compliance without complexity, and it’s the ability to personalize every interaction across digital, human, and hybrid touchpoints.

In a time where data privacy is tightening, AI is accelerating, and customer expectations are climbing fast, the need for CDPs has moved from optional to essential.

If the business needs faster decision-making, better engagement, or cleaner data to support AI rollouts, the CDP is where it starts. CX Today brings together the people, vendors, and platforms shaping the next phase of customer experience.

Ready to move forward?

• Join the CX Community: Stay ahead of the curve with insights from global leaders and practitioners in the CX Community.
• Test the Tech: See live demos, walkthroughs, and product briefings from top CDP vendors at upcoming CX events.
• Plan Your Next Investment – Use our CX Marketplace to compare options across the full CX stack, from Customer Data Platforms to CRM, CCaaS, BI, and beyond.

Need a broader view? Visit the full CX Guide for a look at the future of customer experience.

Yet, a converged enterprise communications stack isn’t turning the heads of enterprise buyers.

That’s according to Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research.

“We haven’t seen much momentum in the enterprise space when integrating UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS,” he told CX Today.

To that point, NICE, Genesys, and AWS secure many enterprise contracts, none of which have combined CCaaS, UCaaS, and CPaaS in one central communications portfolio.

Cisco is the exception to this rule, winning significant business as per Gartner’s latest CCaaS report. Yet, others that offer this combination are typically confined to the midmarket.

There, converged offerings win mindshare because these businesses typically have a single buyer, making it easier to realize the potential efficiency gains.

Nevertheless, Kerravala stated: “I believe enterprises will eventually move in this direction.”

Why Will CCaaS + UCaaS + CPaaS Become More Compelling?

CCaaS handles customer support, UCaaS enables internal collaboration, and CPaaS allows for API-driven communication via chat, messaging, and socials.

When businesses implement these solutions as siloed entities, they divide case data, fragment management, and risk fatigue as reps switch between tools.

A unified solution helps overcome these issues, and its value rises further in the AI era.

Indeed, by consolidating data, a unified solution empowers AI analytics tools to derive new insight. Yet, it also lays the foundation for AI agents, enabling human and digital labor to collaborate more effectively across the enterprise.

As such, CCaaS + UCaaS + CPaaS will only become more compelling.

However, there is significant value already. Here are some of the benefits of an integrated enterprise communications stack, which enterprises can already secure.

The Benefits of CCaaS + UCaaS + CPaaS

Here are some of the benefits businesses can secure by implementing an integrated comms stack.

Connecting the Contact Center with External Expertise

A unified CCaaS-UCaaS system allows service agents, either human or AI, to escalate customer contacts to subject matter experts (SMEs) across the middle and back office.

Crucially, that can reduce customer frustration, as they don’t wait on hold for so long while agents navigate multiple tools or track down internal specialists.

In addition, a unified solution helps create a single data record for customer cases that span departments, so no intelligence gets lost. As a result, when contacts do escalate, the context of what has happened so far travels with them.

Lastly, a UCaaS platform can pull the contact center closer to the broader enterprise. For instance, service teams can share insights that may support product development, marketing campaigns, sales strategies, and more.

Reducing the Need to Toggle Between Applications

With CPaaS, businesses can embed UCaaS functions into other applications, so employees don’t have to shift between business applications.

Sharing an example, Kerravala said: “If I’m a doctor using a patient portal, I can communicate with the patient and access their info, all within one interface. The same applies to lawyers or financial professionals using vertical-specific software.”

Ultimately, a business can either embed communications into those apps or bring app functionality into the UCaaS environment. There is significant value in that flexibility.

Orchestrating New, Multi-Modal Experiences

With CPaaS on the back end of their CCaaS platforms, contact centers can connect with various enterprise systems and orchestrate new processes.

For instance, service teams may read signals from these systems that suggest a customer has encountered a problem. They can then build workflows to enable proactive customer service.

With AI agents helping to simplify those workflows, too, this capability will, in time, blossom.

Another critical advantage (of many) is that CPaaS can help recreate complex on-premise integration configurations in the cloud.

Importantly, this can simplify contact center migrations while allowing service operations to keep specific workloads on-premise and operate in a hybrid environment.

There’s Much More That Enterprise Buyers Should Look Out for

Whether they specialize in CCaaS, UCaaS, or CPaaS, most providers are reaching parity from a feature/function perspective.

The long-term winners will be those who bring additional value. Part of that value will come from unifying all three technologies. Yet, it also comes from elsewhere.

Indeed, enterprise communications providers with a broader IT stack will likely – over time – deliver more differentiated innovation and peak the interest of enterprise contact center buyers.

Kerravala touted Cisco as an excellent example. “They have strong go-to-market capabilities, deep relationships with other enterprise app vendors – Slack, ServiceNow, even Apple – and a broad portfolio of tools that go beyond just communications,” he said.

“For example, ThousandEyes (which Cisco owns) provides visibility into application and network performance. In a global enterprise, where issues can arise anywhere between endpoints, that’s invaluable.”

Cisco’s commitment to developing and supporting AI agents may also broaden its appeal, connecting contact centers to the broader enterprise.

So, while there is an advantage in unifying CCaaS, UCaaS, and CPaaS, brands like Cisco – which can do that and then layer additional value over the top – will likely garner more enterprise attention.

Interested in learning more about Cisco’s CX portfolio? Visit their website here.

Rather than deploying a new app, product teams can wire communications directly into a checkout flow, service ticket, or appointment engine. Demand for this tech started slowly, with enterprises exploring password resets by SMS, delivery updates via WhatsApp.

Now, the market is growing fast. By 2028, Gartner predicts 90% of enterprises will use CPaaS. By 2034, the market for CPaaS could reach an incredible $108.12 billion.

Enterprise buyers aren’t chasing channels. They’re solving for time, reach, and consistency. A logic-driven system that sends the right message, on the right channel, with the right fallback.

At scale, communication has become less about apps and more about orchestration. CPaaS handles the handoffs, and gives enterprises the agility they need.

What Is CPaaS? A Simple CPaaS Definition

CPaaS stands for Communications Platform as a Service. The name is long. The function is direct.

Simply put, CPaaS platforms are cloud-based toolkits that allow developers to inject new features into business workflows. They connect digital systems, CRM, support, billing, with real-time communication.

A product alert might trigger an SMS. A missed support reply could escalate to voice. A phone number can be verified mid-registration. All of it happens behind the interface, without forcing the user to switch tools.

These platforms house an array of APIs, SDKs, documentation, and – often – no-code/low-code visual builders. On a broad scale, CPaaS platforms usually include three core layers:

• An Integration Layer: Connects the communications channels to various business systems, applications, or data sources.
• A Business Logic Layer: Allows organizations to define rules, workflows, and triggers that determine how and when messages or calls are sent and received.
• A Communications Layer: Powers interactions across channels such as voice, SMS, email, chat, and social messaging platforms.

In the customer experience space, brands often integrate CPaaS platforms with their contact center software, unified communication tools, and customer apps.

Beyond that, CPaaS gives companies the power to enhance security and compliance through use cases like multi-factor authentication and reimagine customer journeys.

Earlier platforms focused on delivery. Now the focus is control. Messages aren’t just sent, they’re sequenced. Voice calls route by rule. AI transcription logs the results.

CPaaS vs UCaaS vs CCaaS: What’s the Difference?

They sound interchangeable. They aren’t, but they are unifiable.

CPaaS, UCaaS, and CCaaS sit in the same neighborhood, but on different blocks. One is infrastructure. One is about internal calls and meetings. One runs the contact center. Each solves a different problem.

What is CPaaS? Embedded and Event-Driven

CPaaS solutions don’t ship with a user interface. There’s no dialer, no chat window. Instead, they provide APIs and logic layers that connect messaging, voice, and video to apps and workflows already in use.

A package is delayed; the system triggers a message. A transaction fails; the platform tries to verify the identity. If a bot drops a conversation, the tool escalates to a call. The system handles the routing without human involvement.

What is UCaaS? For Meetings, Messaging, and Teams

Unified Communications as a Service is designed for people inside the business. It’s the virtual phone system, the calendar-based video calls, the Slack alternative.

The features are bundled together: voice, chat, meetings, voicemail, sometimes email. The interface is built for employees, not customers. Think Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex Calling.

CCaaS: Customer Support Infrastructure

Contact Center as a Service powers agents. Incoming calls. Outbound campaigns. Live chat. Email tickets. That’s the domain.

CCaaS platforms track queue times, suggest responses, and surface context. They tie into CRMs, knowledge bases, and workforce tools. Unlike CPaaS, they’re opinionated about how support should be handled.

Bringing them Together

Most enterprises don’t choose one. They use all three. UCaaS for teams. CCaaS for service. CPaaS underneath both, adding control, logic, and flexibility where it’s needed.

A customer misses an appointment reminder. CPaaS logs the event. CCaaS routes it. UCaaS enables the callback. The handoff is invisible. When the pieces work together, communication becomes less about channels and more about outcomes.

The Purpose of CPaaS Solutions

According to Gartner, the role of CPaaS is to empower enterprises to build modern communication workflows without the complexity of building each feature from scratch.

Solutions often support voice calling (both inbound and outbound), text messaging, email, and security features, such as two-factor or multi-factor authentication.

Many also extend capabilities to popular messaging channels like WhatsApp, Viber, or Apple Messages for Business.

Additionally, CPaaS streamlines real-time, contextual interactions. For example, an organization might embed a video calling feature within a mobile application. Another might launch automated text notifications for appointment confirmations.

Such workflows rely on CPaaS APIs that offer a high degree of control over how communications move through a business. The result is a flexible, scalable approach that reduces the time to market for new communication innovations.

What is CPaaS? How Does CPaaS Work?

A CPaaS platform runs in the cloud. It connects telecom infrastructure, voice, messaging, video, and more, with business logic, customer data, and digital workflows.

The core components:

• APIs and SDKs for voice, SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp, email, and video
• Control panels or low-code builders to design flows and rules
• Event triggers tied to backend systems, apps, or customer actions
• Security and compliance modules for identity checks, opt-ins, and message logging

At runtime, these pieces form a programmable engine. A system detects a trigger, such as an order placed, call missed, form submitted. A rule fires: notify by text, call back, escalate to a human. If the first attempt fails, fallback routes activate. If flagged, the flow can halt, log, or notify a review queue.

Some CPaaS solutions include native AI. These features handle things like:

• Intent detection from open-text replies
• Auto-escalation based on tone or language
• Summarization of calls and chat threads
• Smart channel switching based on availability

The communications themselves don’t sit inside a new app. Instead, they move through existing channels, often invisible to the user. The key is orchestration.

Infrastructure, logic, and channel management are all handled by the platform. Teams control the experience; the provider handles delivery, reliability, compliance, and scale.

What is CPaaS? Core Capabilities

The most effective CPaaS solutions don’t just connect channels, they create space for logic, compliance, and intelligence to run in real time.

These platforms work best when they fade into the background. A system routes messages based on urgency. A call summary appears instantly after the conversation ends. A failed WhatsApp attempt switches to SMS without manual intervention. None of it requires building new infrastructure. All of it starts with the right capabilities.

Programmable Messaging,  & Video

Most CPaaS companies support SMS, MMS, RCS, email, and WhatsApp by default. The stronger platforms manage message formatting, fallback rules, opt-out tracking, and template approvals without extra setup.

Video is increasingly part of the baseline, embedded directly into portals or mobile experiences. Insurance adjusters, telehealth professionals, and remote support teams are using live video in ways that blend into the broader customer journey.

Smart Voice Capabilities

Voice is where CPaaS moves beyond traditional telecom. Calls can be triggered by customer action or system logic. IVRs are dynamic, shifting based on context or data pulled in at the moment of interaction.

Masking, forwarding, routing by language or region, all of it is programmable. In some platforms, SIP support and contact center integration blur the line between inbound and outbound.

Built-in AI, NLP, and Summarization

Some CPaaS platforms now include generative AI modules as core capabilities. That includes:

• Transcription with tone detection
• Call and chat summarization
• Entity recognition for CRM enrichment
• Real-time escalation based on sentiment or language

These features reduce the load on agents and create consistent logs across channels.

Real-Time Analytics

Modern CPaaS solutions offer dashboards that track delivery, engagement, and quality across all channels. The best tools log not just what happened, but why: channel fallback, region block, DND filtering, or opt-out logic.

Security & Compliance

CPaaS platforms are often built with frameworks like 10DLC, HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2 in mind. Features like automated consent logging, data residency enforcement, and number validation are common in enterprise deployments.

Security teams often look for direct integrations into SIEM tools or authentication systems. Message retention, redaction, and regional handling rules are also key decision points.

Benefits of CPaaS for Enterprise Buyers

CPaaS solutions give organizations a way to manage communication without rebuilding core systems. Messages can be triggered by logic. Voice calls can route based on real-time data. Workflows update as regulations shift.

That flexibility shows up in different ways depending on the function. For IT, it’s less infrastructure to manage. Marketing teams gets better targeting and faster delivery. Operations benefit from fewer dropped handoffs. For legal, it’s traceability.

• Faster Time to Market: No new platform. No full rip-and-replace. CPaaS layers onto what’s already there. Teams can build new messaging flows in hours, and update them without waiting on a vendor release cycle.
• Channel-Agnostic Engagement: One customer wants WhatsApp. Another wants email. A third won’t reply unless it’s SMS. CPaaS providers handle this without duplicating logic. The platform picks the right channel based on preference, region, or behavior, and can switch mid-flow if needed.
• Reduced Tool Sprawl: Legacy systems often add new software to solve communication gaps. The result: overlapping vendors, inconsistent reporting, and routing conflicts. CPaaS consolidates messaging and voice under a single framework.
• Built-in Intelligence: Many CPaaS companies now offer embedded conversational analytics. This allows teams to summarize a support call. Detect frustration in a chatbot response. Escalate based on tone or topic.
• Compliance Without Bottlenecks: Global enterprises don’t operate under one rulebook. A campaign in Germany, a support call in California, a verification step in Singapore, all fall under different frameworks. Strong CPaaS platforms recognize this. Messages can be filtered, routed, or blocked based on compliance logic.

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Use Cases for CPaaS: Industry-Specific Examples

CPaaS solutions are rapidly gaining attention across sectors, offering companies an intuitive way to streamline and augment customer experiences.

Demand for this technology is growing as vendors experiment with generative AI solutions, heightened interoperability, and unique channel mixes, all while enhancing UIs to make platforms more accessible.

Below are some of the most widely-utilized, industry-specific CPaaS use cases.

Financial Services

The financial services (FinServ)  industry is quickly emerging as a strong market for CPaaS.

Why? Because FinServ companies need secure communications, seamless messaging to voice transitions, and flexible growth. CPaaS addresses these needs.

Many banks and financial companies are already using CPaaS to deliver real-time alerts, transaction confirmations, and fraud prevention notifications.

Others use CPaaS to enable two-way communication with a higher level of security.

Plus, CPaaS allows established financial enterprises with legacy on-premises systems to modernize quickly.

CPaaS solutions can help businesses leverage AI tools, minimize the risks of digital transformation, and reduce operating costs.

Retail and eCommerce

Retailers and eCommerce brands use CPaaS to build fluid omnichannel customer journeys.

Today, many companies – like Walgreens – leverage messaging apps to help mobilize the shopping experience while unlocking a higher level of “personalization” for customers.

Businesses can connect social messaging apps directly with their product catalogs, allowing customers to browse and purchase within the same channel. They can use AI tools and chatbots to deliver automated support and personalized product recommendations to customers on the move.

Channels like WhatsApp and RCS are particularly useful for tailored promotional campaigns, allowing retailers to share multi-media messages that highlight product pictures or videos, increasing conversion rates.

Healthcare

Reliable real-time communication is crucial in healthcare. Countless organizations rely on intuitive communication systems for emergency response, collaboration, consultations, and more.

CPaaS platforms give healthcare companies the tools they need to integrate numerous channels, from video (for telemedicine appointments) to messaging, into their systems.

Many clinical providers now also use CPaaS to send appointment reminders, medication prompts, and prescription details to patients.

Integrating CPaaS into EHRs (Electronic Health Records) also means clinics can maintain updated information and even use triggers to push notifications to patients when test results are ready or patients need appointments.

CPaaS also allows for secure, compliant communication, helping to ensure sensitive patient information is protected according to the regulations of the industry.

Travel and Hospitality

So, what is CPaaS doing for the travel and hospitality sector? Just like in many other industries, the technology is helping companies enhance real-time communication and deliver intuitive customer service.

Travel agencies, hotels, and airlines use real-time updates to handle large volumes of itineraries, reservations, and unexpected schedule changes.

CPaaS platforms enable automated notifications about flight delays or gate changes, making it easier for customers to stay informed.

Hotels and resorts also use CPaaS to send booking confirmations, manage check-in processes, and streamline customer support.

Moreover, employees can manage routine requests through chatbots or interactive voice response (IVR) systems, escalating only urgent or unusual concerns to live agents and boosting efficiency.

Food and Beverage

CPaaS leaders are quickly discovering new opportunities with CPaaS in the food and beverage industry, particularly thanks to the rising demand for AI.

Intelligent assistants can help guide customers toward recipes and menu items that suit their specific needs.

A CPaaS-driven chatbot can suggest replacements for out-of-stock items for customers, reducing friction at checkout. It can also link seamlessly to mobile payment APIs, providing real-time order tracking and follow-up insights.

CPaaS also empowers food and beverage companies to automate order confirmations, delivery updates, and reservation reminders, keeping customers informed.

What Is CPaaS? The Vendors to Watch

CPaaS providers are quickly discovering new ways to differentiate their offerings. The top CPaaS providers are experimenting with everything from “ready-to-launch” AI solutions to integrated omnichannel and network APIs.

Here are some of the top CPaaS vendors to watch out for.

1.  Infobip

Infobip is a leading CPaaS vendor known for its rapid-fire innovation.

Its platform covers a broad range of communication channels, including RCS, SMS, and chat apps.

Infobip is even experimenting with AI and network APIs.

Plus, its headless SaaS portfolio, based on microservices, allows for flexible scaling across industries.

2. Vonage

What is CPaaS without Vonage? A pioneer in merging CPaaS with enterprise communications platforms, Vonage has constantly expanded its footprint in CPaaS, ever since its acquisition of Nexmo.

Vonage’s rich collection of tools and strong presence in the developer community give it an edge, alongside the telco connections of its parent company: Ericsson.

3. Twilio

Twilio remains synonymous with the term “CPaaS” for many businesses.

The company that founded this software category continues to innovate, focusing heavily on channel partnerships and solutions that address real-world problems (like advanced security APIs).

As it refines its CPaaS strategy, Twilio is – as of March 2025 – once again achieving double-digit growth after a period of revenue stagnation.

4. Cisco Webex

Cisco branched into the CPaaS arena with the 2021 acquisition of IMImobile.

Now, Cisco’s “Webex Connect” solution offers a deep array of solutions, including the Webex AI Agent studio, designed to simplify building intelligent workflows.

Plus, Cisco offers a platform that combines security, high reliability, and customization – everything modern teams are looking for from a CPaaS vendor.

5. Sinch

Sinch is another company commonly associated with the CPaaS market. It serves both enterprises and telcos with a portfolio that covers SMS, voice, email, and verification APIs.

Today, Sinch offers a robust ecosystem with 500 pre-built integrations for third-party vendors.

Additionally, the company is focusing heavily on AI advancements (such as NLP in more than 100 languages).

6. BICS

Part of the Proximus group, BICS initially concentrated on the carrier space.

Over the years, the company acquired various companies, such as TeleSign, expanding its CPaaS footprint.

Its global footprint stands out, particularly in emerging markets.

By unifying various business segments, BICS aims to offer programmable communications, security, and identity solutions on a global scale.

7. Tata Communications

Tata Communications offers CPaaS under the umbrella of a global telecom and technology provider.

Its acquisition of Kaleyra in 2023 expanded its CPaaS capabilities for large enterprises.

Tata’s DIGO suite covers voice, messaging, and AI-driven tools.

Plus, network APIs are a top priority, enabling features such as age verification and SIM swap prevention.

Looking for a full rundown? Visit the CPaaS market map.

How to Choose the Right CPaaS Provider

For enterprise teams, the checklist usually starts with coverage: does the platform support SMS, voice, video, and WhatsApp? But the real value appears later: when flows scale, when regions expand, and when something breaks.

Not all CPaaS providers are built the same. The differences tend to show up in areas like latency, data handling, integration overhead, and ongoing support.

Here’s what experienced teams typically look for:

• Compatibility with Existing Systems: CPaaS should fit into current infrastructure. CRM systems, ticketing platforms, marketing tools, identity layers: everything should connect with minimal friction. Native integrations are ideal. Webhooks and REST APIs should be well-documented, versioned, and tested.
• Global Delivery, Local Intelligence: Coverage alone isn’t enough. Enterprises need message deliverability across markets, with localized fallback rules. Carrier routing, time zone management, language support, and DND compliance are all non-negotiable at scale. Vendors with direct carrier connections and in-region failover tend to outperform resellers or API-only brokers.
• Compliance Frameworks: CPaaS companies working with regulated industries need built-in support for GDPR, HIPAA, 10DLC, and PCI-DSS, plus flexible policies for data residency, redaction, and logging. Look for dynamic consent handling, secure key storage, encrypted payloads, and API-level controls for sensitive flows.
• Reliability and SLA Enforcement: Failover paths. Real-time monitoring. 24/7 response windows. Uptime guarantees. For mission-critical use cases, there’s no tolerance for dropped messages or blind spots. Leading CPaaS solutions offer delivery confirmation logs, message tracebacks, and live support with enterprise SLAs.
• AI and Orchestration: Smart flows matter. Providers offering AI-enhanced orchestration, such as sentiment-based routing, channel switching, and intent recognition, create significant time savings downstream.

Support, sandboxes, and scalability are important too. Sandboxes speed up testing. Clear documentation reduces development time. Responsive solution architects keep launches on track. Without strong vendor support, implementation timelines often slip and logic breaks under real-world conditions.

What is CPaaS? The Future of CPaaS

The early use cases were basic. Appointment reminders. Password resets. Delivery updates. Now CPaaS solutions are being asked to do something more complex: understand intent, respond to context, and operate inside environments that change weekly.

The trends worth watching?

• AI Moves to the Core: What started with transcription is now moving toward decision-making. Today’s CPaaS platforms summarize calls and detect tone. Next, they’ll handle triage, deciding when to wait, when to reply, and when to escalate.
• Integration Becomes the Standard: Standalone tools are phasing out. CPaaS is increasingly embedded inside broader stacks: contact center, collaboration, CRM. The most advanced deployments treat CPaaS as the connective layer between CCaaS, UCaaS, and backend platforms.
• New Use Cases: A warehouse flag triggers a call. A field agent receives a reroute instruction. A system error pings support and ops simultaneously. These aren’t customer conversations. They’re operational signals, made actionable by programmable communication.
• Regulatory Pressure: 10DLC registration, AI disclosure laws, cross-border data restrictions, platforms can no longer treat compliance as a feature. It’s a design principle. The best systems already support message throttling by geography, redaction by use case, and auto-consent handling based on channel.
• Expectations Keep Climbing: Buyers expect communication to behave like the rest of the stack: intelligent, flexible, and self-correcting. Uptime matters. So does orchestration. So does visibility.

CPaaS is no longer just a delivery engine. It’s becoming the control layer between intent and outcome. Want to stay ahead? Read the latest market reports.

CPaaS & The Future of Communications

So, what is CPaaS? For many organizations, it marks the future of enterprise communications.

As digital transformation accelerates, more organizations will seek flexible platforms that allow them to adapt quickly to new trends in customer engagement.

CPaaS will continue to integrate with enterprise systems and AI, empowering companies to create more personalized and intelligent interactions across channels.

Major providers in the CPaaS market all share an emphasis on continual innovation.

Infobip has developed modular architectures and advanced rich messaging. Vonage has harnessed its long-standing integration of UC, CCaaS, and CPaaS. Twilio remains focused on developer-first innovation. Cisco Webex has turned its networking and security pedigree toward creating secure, scalable communication workflows.

Overall, CPaaS helps enterprises modernize customer experiences without heavy infrastructure investments. Ready to explore further?

• Join the Community: Explore trends shaping digital communication. Share insight with enterprise leaders, analysts, and innovators pushing CX forward.
• Test the Tech: Meet the CPaaS providers redefining real-time customer engagement at upcoming events. See live use cases. Explore hands-on demos.
• Plan Your Next Purchase: Visit the CX Marketplace to compare the top CPaaS platforms, contact center vendors, and data-driven tools driving business outcomes.

Alternatively, explore the full CX landscape in one place:

The research firm first introduced CXaaS to showcase how the CCaaS, CPaaS, and customer service CRM solutions are converging, alongside digital channels.

Gartner also hoped to highlight how vendors could continue to merge the technologies and support businesses in delivering more “intelligent, personalized, and contextualized” interactions.

However, the term never caught on. One reason is its pronunciation. Say it out loud, and it sounds like “CX-ass” (something I hope people don’t call me).

Nevertheless, there is a much deeper issue. As Brian Doherty, Principal Analyst at Gartner, confessed on LinkedIn:

We received feedback both that the term wasn’t quite accurate, since there is more to CX than flows through these platforms.

Indeed, by using the term CXaaS to bundle CPaaS and customer service technologies, Gartner neglects sales, marketing, commerce, customer success, field service, and in-store teams, which also own part of the experience. That sparked confusion.

Moreover, in failing to distinguish between customer service and customer experience, Gartner could be accused of reinforcing silos across the front office.

Increasingly, CIOs are trying to break these down, encouraging CX teams to share customer data and devise cross-departmental workflows that boost customer acquisition and retention.

As such, the CXaaS idea seems backwards, and it’s positive to see Gartner, which does lots of excellent research across the CX space (not just in customer service), abandon the term.

A Call to Ditch More Industry Jargon

Rob Kurver, Founder of the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance, is also thankful that the customer experience industry has steered clear of more jargon.

Indeed, he believes that tricky terminology and acronyms like this can create confusion between vendors and the companies they sell to. Kurver said:

Everyone wants more visibility with enterprise customers, but it’s confusing for them. So, vendor messaging is shifting from tech jargon to results.

CXaaS is an extreme example of industry jargon. Yet, Kurver suggests vendors should also reconsider terms like CPaaS, CCaaS, and UCaaS.

“I spoke with one of our alliance members yesterday that essentially offers a CPaaS platform,” he continued. “But his younger account managers in Germany refuse to use the acronym when speaking to customers. Instead, they say “AI for voice and messaging,” which customers actually understand. That story resonated with me.”

Gartner Offers an Alternative Phrase to “CXaaS”

When announcing the death of CXaaS, Doherty asserted that Gartner will instead refer to the convergence of CCaaS, CPaaS, service CRM, and digital as “Omnichannel Conversational Platforms” or “#OCP”.

He added: “We hope this terminology will catch on, as it encompasses the key nature of this convergence — that these platforms span the breadth of both channels and use cases involved in customer conversations.”

However, most cloud contact center solutions are already marketed as “omnichannel” and offer conversational AI. So, the term OCP doesn’t go a long way in underscoring the market convergence. It just sounds like another contact center solution.

Also, as Kurver mentioned, “I keep reading it as OCD.”

Nevertheless, he had a much more emphatic point to close on:

We, as an industry, are so technical. We love acronyms and product names, but we’re trying to talk to customers – and even partners – who don’t understand all this. That’s the bigger issue. We need to stop focusing on acronyms and start focusing on what problems we’re solving.

So, will the term OCP still resonate six months from now? It seems unlikely.

For more updates from across the customer experience space, subscribe to the CX Today Newsletter.

What makes this category important now isn’t just the channel mix, voice, chat, video, messaging, but the level of intelligence, integration, and reliability built in. The top CPaaS vendors in 2025 aren’t simply pushing APIs. They’re powering real-time, secure, and scalable customer communication, often across global networks and regulated industries.

As demand for CPaaS skyrockets (by 2032, analysts predict the market will reach a value of $130.8 billion) the number of vendors has grown. That means it’s harder than ever for businesses to choose the right partner.

This guide to some of the top CPaaS vendors from the CX Today CPaaS marketplace highlights some of the top solutions based on product direction, scale, developer usability, and fit for enterprise teams.

The Top CPaaS Vendors

• • Alibaba
  • Avaya CPaaS
  • AWS Communication Developer Services
  • Bandwidth
  • Enreach
  • HORISEN
  • Infobip
  • Intelepeer
  • Bird (MessageBird)
  • Microsoft (Azure Communication Services)
  • Mitto
  • Plivo
  • Sinch
  • Soprano
  • Tanla Platforms
  • Tencent Cloud
  • Toku
  • Twilio
  • Vonage
  • Webex Connect
  • 8×8

The Top CPaaS Vendors: Leaders in Programmable CX

All of the top CPaaS vendors offer businesses flexibility – but everyone has something unique to offer too, from exceptional regulatory compliance, to global reach, and AI innovation. Here’s an objective overview of exactly what each provider brings to the table.

Alibaba 

Alibaba Cloud has spent the last few years turning its CPaaS suite into a communications engine built for international reach. Its coverage spans more than 200 global regions, with high-volume support for SMS, voice, and messaging, including regional favourites like WeChat and WhatsApp.

The platform’s architecture is built with throughput in mind. Real-time alerts, marketing pushes, and service notifications can all be routed through Alibaba’s network with delivery tracking, traffic throttling, and number masking built in as standard. These features have made it a go-to for global logistics and retail brands, particularly across Asia-Pacific.

Integration is a strong suit. Teams using Alibaba’s cloud for e-commerce or customer systems can layer in messaging tools without tearing anything apart. The UI is clean, the developer docs are solid, and setup is fast for teams already inside the Alibaba ecosystem.

Avaya CPaaS 

Avaya’s approach to CPaaS is grounded in practicality. The Experience Platform (AXP) wasn’t designed to compete with lightweight developer tools, it was built to serve large organisations that already have systems in place and need something that fits around them.

Rather than asking teams to switch platforms or rip out legacy hardware, Avaya’s CPaaS layer adds programmable features to what’s already working. Voice, SMS, and automation tools are all available, with a focus on scale and control.

Avaya supports a range of deployment options, including a “build your own solution” service for bespoke requirements. Like many leading CPaaS vendors, Avaya offers step-by-step support to businesses through the Avaya Customer Experience Services (ACES) team. The team can curate, prototype, and commercialize applications for business leaders, and their teams, reducing the need for in-house expertise.

AWS Communication Developer Services 

AWS Communication Developer Services (CDS) has evolved beyond basic messaging APIs. Now, CDS covers SMS, push, email, chat, voice, and video all under a unified, AWS-grade security and compliance model.

Large organisations value CDS for its integration points: IAM policies, VPC routing, and encryption standards that match enterprise security mandates. Developers gain access to SDKs for real-time voice and video, plus serverless integration via CloudFormation and Lambda hooks, ideal for telehealth check-ins or embedded video support in SaaS apps.

With Wickr, security-focused enterprises can benefit from advanced features not available in most traditional communication platforms. Plus, AWS is experimenting heavily with AI add-ons and advanced automation tools.

Bandwidth 

Recognized as one of the top CPaaS vendors by various industry analysts, Bandwidth offers a carrier-grade CPaaS platform, that gives businesses the freedom to build high-quality voice, messaging, and other capabilities into existing workflows. The scalable platform comes with rich automation capabilities, as well as global coverage and high-level reliability.

With APIs for voice, messaging, emergency services, number provisioning, and compliance tools, the platform supports large-scale use cases like PSTN-based video apps via WebRTC.  Enterprises often choose Bandwidth when carrier integration and number portability matter. The native voice backbone means fewer intermediaries and cleaner routing, backed by compliance features like 911 access and STIR/SHAKEN support.

Plus, Bandwidth’s technologies can easily integrate with leading technologies from vendors like RingCentral, Genesys, and RingCentral. They also allow businesses to leverage the latest features of Bandwidth’s conversational AI technologies.

Enreach 

Enreach combines a position as one of the top CPaaS vendors with a strong European UC/CC heritage. The platform supports AI-enhanced mobile telephony via a recent assistant named Shomi, specifically built to streamline agent workflows across chat, voice, and video. It’s part of a broader unified communications offering that includes UCaaS and contact centre solutions, meaning communications tools integrate naturally into existing setups.

Enterprises working across EU markets appreciate Enreach for its focus on data compliance, features such as GDPR-based auto-deletion of DNC (Do Not Call) lists and consumer data, enforced by role-based rules, give teams autonomy without compliance risk. Shomi’s AI capabilities go beyond simple chatbots, aggregating interaction data and guiding agents during live conversations.

Given its AI-enabled telephony, governance tools, and broad EU footprint, Enreach figures firmly among the top CPaaS solutions for enterprises needing both scale and regulatory discipline.

HORISEN

HORISEN operates as a “CPaaS enabler,” enabling telcos and businesses to build messaging services without competing with them. With 25 years in messaging tech, the company serves 175+ countries via its vendor-neutral architecture, appealing to partners who need messaging infrastructure without a commercial conflict.

Rather than selling communication APIs directly to end-users, HORISEN focuses on powering wholesale and retail messaging applications, providing SS7 connectivity, MNP services, and omnichannel business messenger capabilities. This makes it an ideal foundation for any service provider looking to add chat, voice, or SMS into their own stack without starting from scratch.

The product lineup includes an SMS trading platform and a Business Messenger tool, both offering features for structured message campaigns, analytics, and scalability.

Infobip

Infobip’s CPaaS X platform transforms communications into a modular toolkit. Gone are the days of managing SMS, voice, or chat APIs separately, now channels are unified, onboarding is automated, and resource provisioning happens through self-service APIs.

Companies can leverage APIs for resource provisioning, campaign registration, consumption reporting and more. Plus, there are automated client onboarding solutions and number provisioning tools for service partners, to accelerate their go-to-market strategy. The comprehensive Messages API even unifies multiple messaging channels, from SMS, to RCS, and chat apps.

This is no regional player. Handling more than 450 billion interactions annually, many via SMS and OTT channels, the platform delivers cross-border performance and compliance at scale.

IntelePeer 

IntelePeer’s Atmosphere platform blends CPaaS with low-code workflows and conversational AI. The SmartFlows builder, designed for mid-size to large enterprises, enables the creation of voice and messaging automations tied directly into existing CRM or ticketing systems.

The platform prioritizes actionable intelligence. Built-in analytics dashboards surface sentiment markers, conversation spikes, and routing performance in real time, designed to help operations teams make sense of customer behavior. Service-level reliability is also solid: geo-redundant infrastructure with 99.999% uptime.

Integration speaks to the enterprise mindset. Atmosphere supports hybrid deployment, managed services, and connectors for Teams, IBM Watson, and enterprise CRMs. Plus, IntelePeer offers a range of pricing options to choose from for different budgetary requirements.

Bird (MessageBird) 

Formerly known as MessageBird, Bird is one of the top CPaaS vendors in the modern communications market. The brand offers a range of reliable and secure APIs for communication channels like WhatsApp, SMS, email, and social messaging. There are automated sales dialler tools for sales-focused teams, and systems for automating phone-based payments.

The developer experience is backed by mature SDKs, delivered at scale to more than 25,000 customers worldwide, including banks, healthcare providers, and service apps. Security is also a priority for Bird, with data-centre encryption, workforce vetting, and local compliance protocols aim to match enterprise expectations.

Bird’s CPaaS solution also extends to cover things like email receipt and number validation, signup form creation, journey flow management, and chatbots.

Microsoft Azure Communication Services

Microsoft’s Azure Communication Services (ACS) blends CPaaS capabilities with deep integration into Azure and Teams ecosystems. It delivers voice, video, SMS, email, and chat via REST APIs and SDKs designed to slot into applications without confusion.

What sets ACS apart is channel flexibility. SMS and voice connect directly to PSTN, while chat and video sessions can be routed into Teams or any custom app. For example, a healthcare app might embed web‑based video powered by ACS that links seamlessly to a doctor’s Teams environment .

Security and compliance come ready-made. ACS can operate under sovereign cloud models, with full encryption, Azure Active Directory authentication, and enterprise-grade auditing. Billing aligns with existing Azure subscriptions, simplifying procurement and management.

Mitto 

Mitto blends omnichannel messaging APIs with regional intelligence and fraud detection, offering both code-based and no-code tools for dynamic communication. The company serves global enterprises, telecom operators, and local brands, especially in high-growth markets across EMEA and Latin America.

The platform supports SMS, RCS, Viber, WhatsApp, voice, and Telegram, offering integrations with major CRMs and marketing systems such as Salesforce and HubSpot. For developers, APIs and no-code builders facilitate campaign setup, automated notifications, and two-way chat handling without heavy dependence on IT teams.

Mitto’s tools include message delivery intelligence and auto‑fill optimised content, reducing friction in OTP flows and transactional messaging. With pay-as-you-go pricing and support for telecom-grade routing, the platform appeals to enterprises that need dependable messaging and fast onboarding.

Plivo 

Plivo delivers programmable voice and SMS APIs with a developer-first mindset, scaled for enterprise use. At the core is infrastructure designed to handle high-volume communication. Everything from transactional alerts to AI-powered voice assistants is covered. It’s also all underpinned by enterprise-grade SLAs and compliance features like HIPAA and single sign-on.

A notable advantage is the platform’s support for multimodal messaging and voice interactions. Plivo recently highlighted integrations with major AI models (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic), enabling agents to understand and respond across text, voice, even video. This makes it suitable for intelligent IVRs or automated customer service flows at scale.

Plus, Plivo promises to make development simple, with user-friendly developer tools, service status tracking, and extensive customer support.

Sinch 

Ranked among leading omnichannel CPaaS vendors worldwide, Sinch develops streamlined and effective APIs for video, audio, messaging, and other forms of real-time communication. The company offers solutions for identity verification and authentication too, as well as toolkits for building chatbots and automated workflows.

Sinch allows companies to add common communication apps into their ecosystems, like WhatsApp, and helps brands to maintain compliance standards with end-to-end security. Plus, the APIs and SDKs offered by Sinch can adapt to suit any preferred coding language. Sinch also offers access to dedicated expert, for assistance building streamlined CPaaS solutions.

Sinch has also acquired several other brands to broaden it’s portfolio of messaging resiliency, rich media, and delivery analytics tools.

Soprano 

One of the top CPaaS vendors serving large enterprises, governments, and other highly regulated industries, Soprano is a provider with an extensive omnichannel approach. Companies can leverage solutions for embedding conversational AI tools into their CX workflows, as well as SMS, voice, RCS, email, WhatsApp, and secure messaging.

Among its standout tools is an automated voice messaging system that supports multi-language TTS, IVR, and large-scale broadcasting via API. Combined with email and mobile chat capabilities, it offers enterprises a consistent way to reach across channels.

With the Soprano CPaaS platform, companies gain access to a full range of convenient tools, as well as complete support from the Soprano team. The company offers a tailor-made approach to everything from optimising communication compliance, to CPaaS application controls.

Tanla Platforms 

Tanla platforms has gained momentum through continuous evolution in CPaaS and strategic acquisitions like ValueFirst and Karix. The company offers a robust CPaaS solution packed with tools and APIs for real-time communications. Tanla ensures businesses of all sizes and industries can embed messaging and voice capabilities into workflows, as well as IoT connectivity solutions, and blockchain components.

With Tanla Platforms, organizations access a comprehensive digital marketplace, with a global edge-to-edge network for secure and private connectivity. Tanla promises leading performance and reliability, and even empowers organizations with protections against spam and fraud. There are also analytical and reporting tools built into the platform.

A recent offering enables WhatsApp storefronts and RCS messaging for digital commerce partners, signaling a push into conversational marketing and e-commerce interactions.

Tencent Cloud 

Another of the top CPaaS vendors recognized by analysts like Gartner, Tencent Cloud gives companies streamlined solutions for digital transformation. For contact center vendors, Tencent Cloud’s APIs enable rapid access to multiple communication channels, from video and audio calls, to messaging and chat. There are also authentication solutions available for security and compliance.

Tencent Cloud also offers a range of additional services to business leaders, such as content delivery networks and cloud virtual machines. Unlike most alternatives, Tencent Cloud supports a wide range of users, from enterprises, to e-learning companies, video streaming experts and more. The company also has a global presence across over 70 availability zones.

There are also tools available for  conversational AI and voice analytics, delivering 97.4% speech-recognition accuracy in noisy settings.

Toku 

Toku has rapidly established itself across APAC as one of the top CPaaS vendors for the region. The platform brings programmable voice, campaign messaging, number masking, feedback tools, and contact‑centre workflows to sectors like fintech, government, retail, and travel.

Built for enterprise adoption, Toku layers artificial intelligence into conversational experiences. The AI-powered Voice Agents understand regional speech, route calls, and automate routine tasks. Programmable voice and messaging APIs come with built-in fraud detection and compliance: for instance, local number masking and OTP verification in Southeast Asia .

Toku also plugs into existing tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and CRMs. Yet it’s more than a connector, it offers embedded telephony and CPaaS under one roof.

Twilio

Easily one of the most well-recognized top CPaaS vendors in the market, Twilio offers a huge range of flexible tools for communication. The company’s API solutions address a range of business needs, from sending real-time notifications to clients, to verifying numbers and identities. There are even automated solutions for marketing and IVR management.

Twilio makes it simple for companies to gain access to multiple communication channels, such as voice, messaging, email, and social messaging, within their existing workflows. Plus, Twilio promises extensive reliability, with automated failover and 99.95% uptimes. There are even in-depth security and privacy components built into the CPaaS toolkit.

Unlike niche CPaaS tools, Twilio is built for global-scale deployments. The platform handles millions of messages daily, with fallbacks and delivery insights baked in.

Vonage 

Vonage mixes programmable communication APIs with a strong foundation in voice, messaging, verification, and fraud prevention. The platform offers branded SMS and RCS messaging, voice API, video, and a low-code AI Studio for building virtual assistants. It also leverages Vonage’s carrier-grade network.

Lately Vonage has upped its focus on voice intelligence and fraud defence. Visual voicemail, speech analytics, and AI-driven call routing form part of a broader push to embed voice intelligence in CX workflows .

There’s also tight integration with UCaaS/CCaaS. Teams, Salesforce, and Crisis management tools can all tap into Vonage APIs, creating a unified communication approach. The result: a platform designed to reduce friction, increase transparency, and bring programmable voice into enterprise ecosystems.

Webex Connect 

Part of a wide selection of communication tools offered by Webex (via Cisco), Webex Connect is a centralized cloud communications platform. It empowers companies to access more than 16 communication channels, which they can embed into their existing applications and workflows with out-of-the-box tools for building and testing applications.

Webex Connect supports companies in search of low-code development options, with a centralized platform featuring enterprise-grade infrastructure and rapid deployment. Companies can even leverage applications like Webex Campaign for marketing automation, Webex Engage for contact center optimization, and Webex Notify for instant alerts.

Webex Connect is built for scale. Cisco says it processes more than two billion interactions annually, with secure, audited infrastructure and enterprise SLAs in place . It integrates straight into existing CRMs like Salesforce, Zendesk, or Epic, eliminating custom integration work.

8×8

8×8 offers a cloud communications platform that brings voice, messaging, and video into one place, ready to scale for enterprise teams. The CPaaS suite supports real-time interactions across global channels, designed to fit into systems already in use.

Companies use the platform for everything from appointment reminders and service updates to number masking and automated voice responses. Tools are available for integrating with CRMs and customer service software, with support for privacy and compliance across regions.

With its focus on intelligence and flexibility, 8×8 won the CX Today “Best CPaaS platform” award for 2025.  The infrastructure is built on 8×8’s broader communications network, which also supports its UC and contact center products. This allows teams to combine internal and external communication workflows without relying on separate providers or new tools.

The Top CPaaS Platforms for Programmable Growth

In 2025, the Top CPaaS vendors highlighted here bring global reach, built-in intelligence, compliance, and scalability. Whether the priority is powering voice bots, embedded video support, message orchestration, or enterprise-grade workflows, the right platform can shift communication from operational burden to strategic advantage.

Of course, every provider has its own unique strengths, from carrier-grade voice, to developer-friendly APIs, and AI innovations. The key is for each company to choose the partner that best matches their priorities for the future of CX.

These resources are designed to help enterprise buyers take the next step with confidence:

• Discover the latest data: Download our exclusive market reports, based on proprietary research, for an overview of trends, opportunities, and challenges.
• Join the community: Connect with peers in the CX Community, where IT and CX leaders share real-world experiences.
• Meet vendors face to face: Check out upcoming events for an opportunity to chat to the experts, and put the tech to the test.
• Plan your next move: Use our ultimate CX buyers guide for tips on everything from needs analysis, to implementation and optimization.

Choosing among Top CPaaS solutions doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right insights and a clear roadmap, enterprise communication can transform from a challenge into a competitive edge.

There’s a reason loyalty is climbing up the CX agenda. These days, acquisition costs keep rising and customer expectations never stand still. That means retaining the right people, and giving them a reason to return, is a must.

Loyalty management software gives companies the tools they need to convince their customers its worth sticking around. These platforms go well beyond points and punch cards. They integrate with POS systems, pull in real-time data, and automate campaigns that actually feel personal.

This guide introduces some of the top loyalty management software vendors, taken straight from the CX Today Loyalty Management marketplace, to help enterprises cash in on the power of relationships.

The Top Loyalty Management Software Vendors

• TapMango
• FiveStars
• Yoyo Wallet
• Open Loyalty
• Como
• Thanx
• S Loyalty
• CrowdTwist (Oracle)
• Mass Mobile Apps
• Loyalty Lion
• Paytronix
• Preferred Patron
• SailPlay
• Loyalty Gator
• Square Loyalty
• Kobie Loyalty Cloud
• ThirdShelf
• Zinrelo
• Loopy Loyalty
• Whisqr
• Repeat Rewards
• Kangaroo Rewards
• GoMeeki (Ubiquity)

The Top Loyalty Management Software Vendors in 2025

Most companies already know loyalty matters. But knowing it’s important and knowing what to buy aren’t the same thing. That’s why the platforms listed here deserve a closer look.

They’re the best loyalty management software options for brands that want more than a set-it-and-forget-it points program. They offer flexibility. Automation. Real-time insights. Plus, they actually connect to the rest of the enterprise tech stack, so loyalty doesn’t live in a silo.

Some work best for high-traffic restaurants. Others are perfect for enterprise retailers juggling dozens of locations and systems. But they all share one goal: making loyalty easy, effective, and scalable.

TapMango 

TapMango offers a fully branded, flexible approach to loyalty with custom mobile apps, in‑store tablets, SMS campaigns, and digital punch cards, all wrapped up in one platform. It targets restaurants and retailers, with a suite of innovative tools for managing a growing membership community.

One standout feature for 2025 is the new paid-membership model, brands can now launch subscription-style programs that reward repeat visits and build recurring revenue.

Everything is designed to plug directly into the business tech stack: POS integration with Square, Clover, Lightspeed, Toast, Vend, and more. Dashboards give visibility into program performance by location, offering insights on visits, spend, and campaign ROI.

Its toolset also includes flash deals via SMS, social sharing on tablets, referral bonuses, automated birthday and lapsed-visit triggers, plus membership tiers and promo codes.

SumUp FiveStars 

SumUp’s acquisition of FiveStars bundled payments and loyalty into a single cohesive package. Now, doing business through the same platform that rewards customers is both strategic and convenient. This paltform is engineered for automation: the AutoPilot engine uses behavior cues to send personalized offers like festive birthday messages, visit‑reminder deals, and reactivation incentives.

In-store sign-up options include touchscreen kiosks or SMS-based joins, making activation simple and seamless. SumUp’s depth comes from scale: serving over 3 million merchants means robust infrastructure, global support, and a network effect that brings loyalty offers to nearby consumers, even before they sign up.

Plus, companies get a comprehensive dashboard where they can track how marketing campaigns are performing, which users are dropping off, and where churn is growing.

YoYo 

Yoyo Wallet is a mobile-first loyalty play that takes friction out of the rewards process. Users link their payment card once, and every eligible transaction earns rewards automatically, even via Apple Pay. That simplicity is a huge plus for enterprise brands focused on usage and engagement.

Built for scale, covering 12+ countries, 200,000+ retail points, and 5 million+ users, Yoyo also supports custom branded apps (Yoyo Pro) and API integrations for deeper enterprise use cases. The merchant portal offers dashboards to monitor active users, transaction frequency, and average basket size, with campaign tools that trigger based on behavior such as first-time visits or spend thresholds.

More than just a solution for delivering rewards and points to customers, YoYo can assist companies with everything from attracting leads, to engaging consumers and tracking CX analytics.

Open Loyalty 

Open Loyalty takes a unique approach to delivering loyalty management software. The company’s API-first solution allows companies to customize and build their own loyalty strategies, with gamification, engagement tools, and a comprehensive loyalty points system. With Open Loyalty, companies get all the building blocks they need to capture and retain more customers.

The elastic ecosystem and microservices architecture also allow brands to scale their loyalty strategy according to their specific needs. for IT teams managing complex integrations, Open Loyalty plays nicely with whatever architecture’s already in place.

What sets it apart is flexibility. Brands can set up multi-level programs, run targeted promotions, launch achievement-based gamification, and tweak everything in real time. There’s even headless frontend support for teams building custom mobile or web apps from scratch.

Como 

An all-in-one solution for customer engagement and loyalty management software, Como helps companies take a data-driven approach to building relationships with customers. The platform services over 1000 customers across 30 countries, and allows organizations to connect the dots between various tools. For instance, companies can link their POS, online ordering, and other solutions to the loyalty system.

The platform supports everything from digital punch cards to cash-back tiers, with smart segmentation that makes campaigns feel personal, not generic. With Como, companies can leverage AI solutions to discover new opportunities for generating revenue from existing customers.

There’s also a branded app builder for businesses that want to offer mobile ordering, prepaid packages, or in-app engagement without hiring developers.

Thanx 

Thanx has a sharp focus: help brick-and-mortar brands drive revenue through smarter loyalty. No bloated features. No clunky admin panels. Just clean tools that connect the dots between visits, spend, and long-term value.

The real draw is how it works behind the scenes. Thanx links directly to payment cards, so customers are automatically rewarded when they shop, with no extra sign-ins, and no codes to enter. That means more engagement and better data, without asking much from the customer.

Marketing teams get dashboards that speak their language, covering things like visit frequency, spend per customer, and campaign ROI. Because the platform handles segmentation and scheduling on its own, there’s less guesswork and fewer dead campaigns.

S Loyalty

S Loyalty is a loyalty management software solution built for commerce teams that don’t want to build a loyalty system from scratch but still expect more than off-the-shelf cookie-cutter tools. Installed on platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, it starts working almost immediately.

Behind the scenes, S Loyalty automates the essentials: points issuance, tiered rewards, birthday bonuses, referral tracking, without a developer in sight. Companies can design rewards to delight customers, setting their own custom redemption layers and reward types. They can also run branded campaigns automatically, and schedule loyalty events.

With in-depth insights and reporting tools built into the platform, S Loyalty also ensures companies can take advantage of rich personalization opportunities, to connect more effectively with each market segment. There are also built-in tools for sending notifications to shoppers when they’re browsing through a website.

CrowdTwist (Oracle)  

Part of the comprehensive portfolio of tools and solutions offered by Oracle, CrowdTwist is an extensive loyalty and engagement solution. The offering helps companies to engage customers with omnichannel experiences and data capture solutions. There are options to build customer profiles, and segment customers into different groups for personalized marketing.

What this platform offers is breadth and depth. The native integration with Oracle CX products means loyalty data becomes part of a broader CRM and marketing automation ecosystem. That opens possibilities for hyper-personalized campaigns, like triggered offers when someone moves from one loyalty tier to another, or lifecycle messaging tied to engagement signals.

CrowdTwist handles complexity with clarity. There are no rigid modules, instead, an enterprise loyalty team can choose what to activate: points, referral incentives, experiential rewards, or community engagement. Everything syncs with financial systems and data warehouses.

Mass Mobile Apps 

Mass Mobile Apps slots into the mobile-driven world that many businesses live in, cafes, fitness studios, and boutique retail. It gives companies the ability to design their own loyalty app without needing a whole development team.

The loyalty management software is white‑label. So customers see a brand experience that feels three times as polished as their size, complete with login, point tracking, rewards catalog, offer notifications, and even mobile ordering. Push messages can be scheduled, triggered by campaign logic, or sent in real-time.

The app-building experience is drag-and-drop but designed for real utility. Templates cover the basics like punch cards, points programs, and memberships.  On the backend, data is transparent. Businesses can view active users, app opens, offer redemptions, referral activity, and engagement trends.

LoyaltyLion 

Specializing in solutions for ecommerce vendors, LoyaltyLion is a loyalty management software provider, with an excellent reputation for converting buyers into loyal brand advocates. The company’s technology empowers organizations to supercharge their existing stores with branded loyalty programs, including custom rewards and incentives.

Companies can also create referral programs, to help drive new revenue to their brand with the support of existing customers. The solution also integrates with existing marketing tools, such as email service providers, review platforms, and helpdesks. Users can also leverage email marketing automation in the Loyalty Lion platform.

It scales gracefully too. The platform supports multi-currency, multi-language, and has packages built for high-growth DTC brands through to enterprise architectures.

Paytronix 

Paytronix is best known in the restaurant and convenience store space, and for good reason. It ties loyalty, gift cards, and ordering into one system, so brands aren’t juggling five different tools. Everything runs through a single dashboard. That includes campaign management, guest engagement, real-time analytics, and even a built-in CRM.

Teams can see what’s working at the individual store level and across the whole network. Paytronix also supports one-to-one messaging through email, push, and SMS, and makes it easy to trigger offers based on things like visit frequency, spend, or menu preferences. For franchises, the system handles complex multi-location setups without extra overhead.

Paytronix also works alongside more than 500 different apps and services from partner brands. With plenty of integration options, its’ easy to keep campaigns connected.

Preferred Patron 

Serving companies from every industry, of any size, Preferred Patron is a popular customer loyalty software provider. The company offers access to flexible solutions, designed according to the specific needs of each company. With Preferred Patron, organizations can set up campaigns which include everything from cash back incentives, to consumer surveys and referral programs.

The loyalty management software works well across industries, but it’s especially popular in retail and hospitality. Teams can segment customers, run promotions, and track results without needing to loop in IT. The whole thing’s managed from one place.

Companies can leverage gamification tools to boost customer engagement, and take advantage of multiple different tiers of rewards. Plus, there’s even the option to combine your customer loyalty program with an employee recognition strategy.

SailPlay 

SailPlay brings a bit of a gamified edge to loyalty. It runs on a points-based system, but layers in actions like social follows, app downloads, or reviews, so customers get rewarded for more than just spending. Alongside standard points-based loyalty programs, companies can also create special quests and tasks for program members.

That makes it a good fit for brands that want to drive digital engagement alongside purchases. SailPlay also comes with email and SMS tools baked in, so teams don’t have to jump between platforms to launch a campaign.

The all-in-one toolkit offered by SailPlay combines customer relationship management (CRM) software, loyalty program solutions, and marketing automation. There’s even an easy-to-use visual editor for creating omnichannel marketing campaigns.

Loyalty Gator 

Offering cloud-based systems for gift cards, customer loyalty programs, and even employee engagement, Loyalty Gator offers a range of solutions to business leaders. The company specializes in helping companies to create custom programs unique to their brand and target audience.

One of the things that sets this company apart as one of the top loyalty management software providers, is how it works across industries. Retail, healthcare, education, finance, each can run different program types without needing custom development. The system lets you brand everything, track performance, and export data as needed.

Plus, the company offers a range of additional services, such as the option to create physical loyalty cards, automate email marketing, or design custom applications with developer support.

Square Loyalty 

An add-on solution for the Square Point of Sale (POS) software, Square Loyalty helps companies strengthen connections with consumers, and increase return purchases. Companies can enroll customers into the program from the point of sale app, and even track sales and opportunities from a convenient backend ecosystem.

Square allows brands to send automated text messages to consumers when they earn points and rewards, so they’re always up to date on their status. Plus, they can use Square’s technology to instantly deliver rewards to consumers at the checkout in any environment. There’s even the option to create a QR code for a loyalty program.

Because it’s integrated with the Square ecosystem, loyalty activity is visible alongside sales trends, customer insights, and staff performance. There’s also built-in support for marketing, loyalty campaigns can be pushed via email or SMS, without needing another platform.

Kobie

Kobie plays in the big leagues of the top loyalty software vendors. Their Loyalty Cloud is built for global enterprises that want to design highly personalized programs at scale, like think banks, airlines, telcos, and major retailers. But what sets Kobie apart isn’t just size. It’s the way they combine tech, data, and strategy under one roof.

The platform supports complex point systems, experiential rewards, tiered benefits, and even emotional loyalty tracking,  a feature set designed to deepen engagement beyond transactions. The cloud-based software offered by the Kobie team is highly flexible and customizable, with the option to integrate with various martech systems and tools.

Plus, companies can scale their solution with access to powerful data analytics, reports, and AI insights. Clients can manage and personalize across touchpoints, without running a dozen disconnected systems.

ThirdShelf 

The flexible loyalty management software from ThirdShelf gives companies a comprehensive range of tools for strengthening and building customer relationships. With the ecosystem, organizations can create comprehensive loyalty programs with custom rules, spend-based rewards and more. There are even tools to automatically reach out to customers that haven’t engaged for a while.

The ThirdShelf platform can connect directly with your existing point of sale system, and includes email automation solutions for marketing. Plus, there’s a powerful reporting system in the back-end, which offers direct insights into which loyalty strategies drive the most conversions.

What stands out is the messaging automation. Retailers can send offers based on purchase history, inactivity, birthdays, or seasonal timing. It’s smart enough to target high-value customers without blasting the entire list.

Zinrelo 

Zinrelo brings a data-heavy, ROI-focused approach to loyalty management software. It’s built for mid-market and enterprise brands that want more than just a points engine, they want to measure exactly how loyalty impacts revenue, retention, and customer value.

The platform supports multiple program types: points, tiers, cashback, referrals, even paid memberships. But what really sets Zinrelo apart is how much emphasis it puts on segmentation and analytics. The built-in reporting suite tracks lift in repeat purchases, average order value, and churn reduction and compares it against control groups to show real impact.

Zinrelo also includes targeted campaign tools and integrates with popular ecommerce platforms and CRMs. So teams can launch rewards tied to behavior, track the results, and adjust in real time.

Loopy Loyalty 

Loopy Loyalty is a mobile punch card system built for businesses that want loyalty without the bells and whistles. It runs entirely through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, with no apps to build, no complicated setup, and no customer logins to manage.

Clients create a digital punch card, customers scan a QR code at checkout, and they’re on their way. Once the card’s installed, teams can send push notifications, run limited-time promotions, or even offer location-based messages when customers are nearby.

Moreover, there’s a powerful reporting solution that allows companies to track the real financial benefits of their program and platforms. Loopy Loyalty also promises comprehensive security, with end-to-end encryption for transactions, and a private database.

Whisqr 

Whisqr is designed for small businesses that want loyalty to feel personal. It runs on a web-based platform that works with an enterprise’s existing setup, no custom hardware, no app development, and no subscription traps. Just a clean interface that tracks points, redemptions, and customer activity in real time.

Customers sign up with a phone number or email at the counter. From there, they get digital punch cards or points rewards, depending on what the company sets up. It’s simple to run and just as easy for customers to use, they don’t need to install anything or scan barcodes every visit.

Whisqr also includes some extras usually only included in bigger platforms: birthday offers, email campaigns, referral tracking, and analytics to help spot top customers or flag who’s gone quiet.

Repeat Rewards 

Repeat Rewards has been in the loyalty management software space for decades, and it shows. It’s not flashy, but it’s solid, especially for franchises and multi-location businesses that need consistency across stores without sacrificing flexibility.

The platform covers all the essentials: points, email marketing, referral bonuses, and VIP tiers. Everything is tied into your POS, so rewards are earned and tracked automatically, with no separate terminals or app downloads required.

Repeat Rewards supports detailed program customization, but also lets corporate teams manage templates, permissions, and analytics across locations. So companies can roll out a new campaign to 20 stores at once, or let individual managers run their own promotions within guardrails.

Kangaroo Rewards

Combining loyalty management software with solutions for attracting referrals, and enhancing customer experiences, Kangaroo Rewards is a comprehensive platform. Companies can use the software to connect with customers online, in-person, or in-store on any screen. There are customizable rewards programs available, as well as marketing automation tools.

Kangaroo Rewards is cloud-based, mobile-friendly, and works with or without a branded app, depending on how far businesses want to go. The platform offers a mix of tools: points, tiers, rewards, SMS and email campaigns, and even customer feedback collection.

The platform integrates with popular POS systems like Vend, Lightspeed, and Clover, so it slides into existing operations easily. The backend gives store managers real-time insights into customer behavior, spending patterns, and campaign performance.

GoMeeki (Ubiquity)

Digital products company, GoMeeki, focuses on developing innovative engagement platforms and loyalty tools for growing businesses. The company’s Ubiquity engagement platform makes it easy to identify customer groups and segments, and connect with them through automated campaigns. There are also tools for creating fully branded mobile apps.

Companies can use the Ubiquity platform for help with customer identity management, the development of mobile wallets and digital loyalty cards, and digital marketing strategies. There’s even the option to create coupon codes and discounts. Plus, GoMeeki offers a range of gamification tools, alongside analytics and insights for business growth.

Ubiquity offers features like geofencing, real-time notifications, dynamic content delivery, and campaign automation. So companies can launch offers when someone’s nearby, send a follow-up after purchase, or run time-based flash deals that actually reach people.

Loyalty Management Software that Delivers

The loyalty management software solutions in this guide all do loyalty a little differently, but the goal is the same: keep customers coming back, and make every return visit worth more than the last.

Some tools focus on simplicity. Others go deep on data. A few are built to scale across continents. But the best loyalty management software is the kind that fits the way enterprises already work, and give their teams room to grow.

For companies still struggling to make the right decision, CX Today has plenty of resources to help. Here are a few ways to take the next step:

• Dissect the data: Learn about the factors affecting customer loyalty and engagement, and dive into the latest trends with CX market reports.
• Swap ideas: Join the CX Community to connect with like-minded thought leaders, share tips on loyalty programs, and explore new perspectives.
• See what’s next: Visit upcoming events for a chance to test out the latest tech, speak to vendors, and hear from market leaders.
• Plan a CX strategy: Use the comprehensive CX buyer’s guide to plan strategies for investing in CCaaS, loyalty management, VoC systems and more.

Loyalty is the most valuable thing any company can invest in, at a time when customers have more options than ever before. With the right loyalty management software, any organization’s relationship with its audience can become its biggest asset.