The cloud-based software company announced its third-quarter earnings report on Monday, revealing strong results across the board. 

This has led to ongoing investments into current and future AI products and initiatives. 

“We remain on track to exceed the $100MN in ARR from new products by the end of 2025,” said RingCentral CEO, Vladimir Shmunis, adding:

“Adoption of our new AI-led products is broad-based across various customer cohorts, from small businesses to large enterprises.

“Our GSP partners are also beginning to sell these new offerings, expanding our reach and accelerating adoption.” 

This expansion has led the company to roll out multiple AI product releases this week, increasing its customer base by branching out into emerging AI trends. The launches are aimed at enhancing communication experiences for both customers and agents.

This has resulted from an R&D spend of $125MN into its new AI portfolio. The company is already seeing consistent profitable growth, in the hopes of exceeding the year-end ARR target. 

RingWEM Adds AI Workforce Tools to Cloud Contact Center

On Monday, RingCentral released its latest AI product, RingWEM, an AI-powered workforce engagement management suite designed to enhance its native cloud contact center, RingCX. 

The suite offers four capabilities to strengthen customer experience across agent performance, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiencies by using AI-powered insights: 

AI Quality Management: Designed to give human agents the skills to improve their overall performance, the quality management tool will use personalized customer quality criteria to evaluate and provide extensive insight and feedback on customer calls. 

The tool is used to analyze and observe full customer interactions and agent workflows, delivering focused guidance for reskilling. 

Furthermore, the tool offers AI-based coaching recommendations to improve agent expertise, allowing enterprises to improve their workforce by viewing their agents’ performance analytics, common communication themes and advise them on next steps using the provided data-driven advice. 

AI Workforce Management: Used to improve quality in customer service, planning for potential challenges, and overall efficiency, this tool combines precise data forecasting and resourceful scheduling to align staff with probable tasks to tackle targeted demand. 

By using precise data forecasting, the AI workforce management tool can use algorithms to analyze past and current data trends and business drivers to predict the likelihood of contact quantities, allowing time for agents to tackle abnormal spikes before they occur. 

With intelligent scheduling, the workforce tool can generate actionable schedules for agents to follow that include agent preferences, adjustable service level actions, and business requirements to keep agents on track with tasks. 

These can be modified to fit irregular changes in working conditions to ensure that service levels stay the same to avoid customer friction. 

Additionally, customer agent supervisors can run probable scenarios to analyze the effectiveness of staff models and company changes before they are implemented. 

AI Interaction Analytics: This tool provides enterprises with high-level insights into customer satisfaction with interactions, compiling data taken from surveys and summaries from the interactions themselves to address negative customer experiences. 

AI Interaction Analytics can dissect customer conversations through voice tone, language preferences, and patterns in speech to assess satisfaction. 

The tool can use this and other conversations to further analyze key customer trends and issues as a whole, allowing businesses to proactively address these concerns before escalation. 

Screen Recording: Similar to the AI Quality Management capability, this tool allows supervisors to evaluate customer-agent interactions by collectively linking calls and screen recordings for a wider range of information into quality of conversation and workflow efficiency. 

These tools can be utilized to address underlying issues with agent performance and customer satisfaction and elevate operations in contact centers to deliver smarter service. 

RingCentral Debuts Agentic Voice AI Suite

RingCentral has also released its agentic voice AI communications suite, encompassing three tools that enhance communication experiences across the lifespan of each customer interaction. 

AI Receptionist (AIR): Before a conversation begins, this tool ensures that calls are not left unanswered. 

Using the voice AI ability to interact with customers, this AI agent can comprehend a customer’s reason for calling, answer questions, hand off real-time interactions to agents with summarized caller context, and identify and log potential opportunities that may require a human agent to follow up. These can help to avoid customer friction and repeated information. 

For scheduling interactions, AIR provides multi-calendar support across a company to integrate employee schedules and harmonize teams. 

Sales opportunities are collected and stored for future use in Salesforce, HubSpot, or with AIR’s own database. 

AIR can also be used on any SIP-based phone, allowing AI customer handling to be dealt with across the cloud, any premises, or hybrid setups. 

Brian Tucker, Chief Digital Officer at Televero Health, is a customer of RingCentral’s AIR tool. 

He said, “Using RingCentral’s AI Receptionist, the results are undeniable. We saw our monthly appointments increase 14 percent in the first four months, an increase in monthly revenue of over $200,000. 

“That kind of growth and return on investment is exactly what we need.”

AI Virtual Assistant (AVA): During a conversation, AVA can provide an agent with real-time assistance across customer interactions by implementing four key capabilities: 

• Real-Time Calls and Meeting Summaries: Identify the relevant information, questions, and actionable tasks during the span of a call or meeting, generating summaries and highlight reels to allow agents to keep track of the interaction’s objective during the call. 
• AI Writer to Create and Translate Communications: This capability can draft, edit, and translate conversations in multiple languages, allowing for seamless and customer-focused messaging. 
• Multi-Use Assistance Across Workflows: By adapting to a user’s communication method, via phone, text, or chat, this tool can provide intelligent prompts and relevant actions for each task. 
• Product Adoption and Feature Discovery: AVA can advise discovery and management methods to improve RingCentral’s overall customer enterprise experience. 

Kira Makagon, President & COO, RingCentral, explained the value of AVA in an enterprise workflow: “By putting trusted voice intelligence at employees’ fingertips, AVA makes work more productive and empowering,

“AVA is your personal virtual assistant that enables you to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.”

AI Conversation Expert (ACE): After a conversation, ACE steps in to offer evaluated business insights from these interactions and adds it into one analytics and insights layer for a simplified outlook. 

It provides real-time insight into current customer satisfaction, trends in revenue, and overall agent team performance, giving context to performance data to allow leaders to act quickly. 

When requested, ACE can turn compound data into written summaries, recommend actions and examples of improvement, and be used an interactive interface to allow leaders to inquire related queries with instant results. 

Zach Jecklin, Chief Information Officer at Echo Global Logistics, and customer of ACE, uses the tool for improving company knowledge on customer calls and data trends. 

“AI Conversation Expert provides us with the detailed coaching for individual calls, and the dashboard connects the dots by rolling up all that data into a clear, concise view of the major trends impacting the entire business,” Jecklin said.  

“We used to have call data. Now, we have business intelligence. It’s that simple.”

RingCentral Pairs New AI Tools with Solid Growth

RingCentral has launched the new AI tools in conjunction with the announcement of its strong third earnings quarter. 

During its earnings call, the company reported a total revenue result of $639MN, seeing a growth of 5 percent from the previous year. 

Subscription revenue also increased, rising by 6 percent to $616MN, with a 23 percent rise of $130MN in free cash flow, which it intends to increase during the rest of the year.

If it passes, the bill would serve two primary purposes:

1. Ensure customers always have the option to speak with a human support agent.
2. Keep US contact center jobs in the country.

Initially, many hailed the bill as it gives consumers more transparency and choice.

However, industry analysts are now warning that the bill, while well-intentioned, could create more problems than it solves.

A Closer Look at the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025

Under the new bill, customer service agents must disclose their location and use of AI to customers at the beginning of an interaction.

If their location is outside the US, the regulation would force the company to transfer the contact to a US-based rep upon request.

The bill would also compel businesses with 50+ employees to notify the Department of Labor (DOL) at least 120 days before moving contact center work overseas.

The DOL will then maintain a public list of employers that offshore contact center work, keeping them listed for five years unless jobs return or contracts change to keep work in the US.

All businesses on the list will become ineligible for new federal grants and loans, with potential penalties and cancellations applying to existing awards if companies remain listed.

Additionally, it will require federal agencies to prioritize US-based employers not on the list when awarding contracts, and mandate that all federal contract contact center work happens in the US.

Lastly, the bill will demand the DOL to report on federal call center work, including job losses tied to the use of AI.

Everything That’s Wrong with the Bill

Customer experience analysts have highlighted several concerns swirling the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025.

After distilling these, here are three core problems that the bill could introduce for regulators, businesses, and consumers.

Problem #1 – It Doesn’t Seem Enforceable

Here’s a story to set the scene. “Yesterday, I kept getting calls from a number with a 747 area code, which is local here in the San Fernando Valley,” said Liz Miller, VP & Principal Analyst at Constellation Research. “They called me four times.

“So, I finally looked up the number. Turns out it was a Twilio number. With a reverse lookup, I discovered it was routed through Sudan, Kansas, then relayed from the Philippines, before hitting me in Los Angeles with a 747 area code,” continued Miller.

Think about that: the contact center was clearly in the Philippines, but because the company had US headquarters in Sudan, Kansas, the call showed as local. Under this legislation, that company could still claim: “We’re in America.”

As a result, the legislation may not accomplish what it’s supposed to and perhaps shows that lawmakers don’t fully understand what they’re regulating from a technical perspective.

Problem #2 – It May Hurt Businesses Trying to Improve Service Experiences

Consider Miller’s example. The bad actors? Those who spam customers incessantly, they won’t care. Instead, they’ll just keep spoofing calls through Kansas.

Instead, the Act will make well-intentioned companies with solid practices and customer experience strategies nervous.

Of course, some businesses have tried to hide their AI use or over-automate, making it almost impossible to reach a human.

However, as Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa, told CX Today: “Most businesses I talk to don’t see AI as full automation, they see it as augmenting human capacity.

The lesson here is simple: people want transparency, trust, and fast resolution. They don’t want complexity and cost, which will be the outcome if this goes too far.

Problem #3 – It Does Little to Address Real Consumer Issues

The bill could challenge “doom loops”, where customers interact with AI or IVR mazes without exit routes.

However, with more consumers being pushed into a US call queue, without AI to help lessen the load, wait times may surge. That could frustrate customers, put more pressure on human agents, and add to a business’s cost sheet.

The result? Those extra costs may pass on to the consumer, too.

Additionally, while the bill may help escalate to a human, it does little else to tackle the rising issue of “customer sludge”, which typically frustrates customers more than the location of who they’re talking to.

Customer sludge includes all the blockers some brands put in front of customers to prevent them from making moves they deem unfavorable, like cancelling their subscription.

Do We Really Need to Mandate Human Support?

While some may view the bill as an extension of pro-American sentiment, the notion of safeguarding human contact center agents’ jobs is heartwarming.

Indeed, with prominent AI thought leaders, like Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently predicting the demise of human customer service, the move seems positive for industry onlookers.

However, many others have challenged Altman’s prediction. For example, Gartner recently suggested that half of businesses will abandon plans to lower their contact center headcount by 2027.

Meanwhile, Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research, warned against over-regulation.

“Historically, things usually work themselves out,” he said. “For example, with the shift to online banking, people initially said, “I’ll never use a machine to deposit checks.” But they eventually did, while still having the option to go into a bank.

“Some banks like Juniper or Venmo initially had no live agents, assuming their demographic wouldn’t need them… But consumer demand eventually brought those roles back.

So yes, there’s a lot of pro-American sentiment right now. But forcing agents to disclose they’re offshore could create hostility toward brands, even if offshoring is the right business decision.

Given this, while the bill may be nice in spirit, it could result in more complexity and cost than it’s potentially worth.

Miller, Robbins, and Kerravala discussed the Act as part of CX Today’s latest Big News Update video. Joined by two other expert analysts, they also gave their takes on the recent Verint takeover and Salesforce’s acquisition streak. Make sure you don’t miss the video’s release. Subscribe to the CX Today Newsletter. 

It’s immediate, familiar, and doesn’t require the customer to fumble about with logins or apps.  

But it’s been stuck doing the basics for years: routing calls, repeating FAQs, and asking customers to ‘press 1 for billing.’  

Now, a new generation of automation tools is pushing voice into more capable territory.  

Mavenoid, a company best known for support automation in the hardware and product space, is among those leading the shift.  

The company’s Voice Assist product doesn’t just route; it resolves.  

“We’ve had people talk to our voice automation system for 40 minutes,” says Gintautas Miliauskas, Mavenoid CEO and Co-Founder.  

You don’t stay on a call that long unless it’s actually helping. This isn’t just call deflection; it’s problem-solving.

Voice Is Back, And It’s Smarter

Until recently, voice automation had hit something of a ceiling.  

Speech-to-text was unreliable, and anything beyond basic menu options tended to fall apart.  

Customers would get stuck in loops, grow frustrated, and hammer the zero key to reach a human. More often than not, a few choice words were even thrown in for good measure.   

But that’s changing fast.  

For Miliauskas, it really boils down to getting two key things right: speech recognition and dialogue handling.  

He explained how both had improved dramatically, with word error rates in English currently down to around three percent, and large language models being deployed to help smooth over mistakes.  

This has resulted in a voice experience that understands context, handles ambiguity, and responds in natural conversation.  

Moreover, it can actually follow through, as the Mavenoid CEO explained:  

When you’re just running shallow scripts, you can only redirect. But when your system has real domain knowledge, that’s when you start seeing resolution.

From Call Avoidance to Real Resolution

Many automation projects still treat voice as a cost to be minimized.  

The goal is to deflect as many tickets as possible, often by encouraging customers to hang up and use a chatbot instead, but that’s not how Mavenoid sees it.  

“The opportunity here is to improve quality and reduce cost at the same time,” says Miliauskas.  

“You let automation handle the structured, repetitive parts, and your agents are freed up to have the meaningful, complex conversations they’re actually good at.”  

And these aren’t empty promises from Miliauskas; his company’s tech is already having an impact for the likes of De’Longhi, Husqvarna, and Stanley Black & Decker. 

Another company that Mavenoid is currently working with is electronics brand Broan-NuTone, where Voice Assist has helped to slash average handling time from 10.9 minutes to just two – a 75% reduction.  

That kind of efficiency doesn’t just save money; it opens doors.  

Miliauskas detailed how the tech is not only helping with cost reduction, but it’s also “driving revenue opportunity.  

Because [when] customers aren’t waiting and agents aren’t buried in admin, there’s more space for upselling and value-add conversations.

Voice That Knows What You Mean

Part of what makes Voice Assist effective is its ability to route and resolve based on actual context, not just static menu trees.  

This has been a longstanding complaint of voice automation, as Miliauskas explains:  

“If your device is on fire, pressing 1 for ‘hardware issues’ doesn’t cut it.  

“Mavenoid uses intent detection and multimodal tools to work out the best interface for the problem, whether that’s voice only, visual guidance, or escalation to a human.”  

That flexibility means support journeys can be tailored in real-time.  

While a simple order query might stay within voice, the system knows when to hand things off, such as urgent scenarios or instances involving warranty claims that might necessitate uploading receipts.  

And crucially, customers are sticking with it.  

“We used to hear concerns that people would always ask for a human,” says Miliauskas.  

But the reality is, people want their problems solved. If the automation works, and works quickly, they’ll use it. 

“Engagement rates are already in the 70–80% range in many sectors, and we expect that to grow.”  

Rethinking the Role of Voice

Like vinyl, flip phones, and mullets, voice channels are having something of a resurgence amongst the younger generation.   

“Gen Z was once considered voice-averse, but now they’re using voice notes, ChatGPT’s voice interface, all of it,” explains Goodsell, “we’re seeing that preference swing back.”  

Voice has always been important, but with the youth embracing it more and more, companies really cannot afford to ignore this crucial customer service and experience channel.   

With AI-powered tools like Voice Assist in the mix, voice can do more than patch up customer complaints; it can become part of a more cohesive, responsive CX strategy that reduces friction and drives revenue.  

“There’s a broader trend happening,” says Miliauskas.  

“Support is no longer just about cost savings. It’s about customer relationships.  

“When the experience is seamless, fast, and intelligent, it becomes a touchpoint for loyalty and conversion.”   

And in that context, IVRs and legacy voice trees start to look prehistoric.  

“They’re going the way of the dodo,” Miliauskas quips.  

We’re finally getting to a point where the technology adapts to the customer, not the other way around.

You can find out more about Mavenoid and its full suite of solutions and services by visiting the website today.

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.

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) offers an architecture that aligns with how modern businesses work. Every channel, voice, messaging, chat, social, is handled in one cloud-based system. All your agents see the same data. Every update goes live without a maintenance window.

CCaaS is the future of operational alignment. One platform that routes conversations, analyzes performance, integrates with CRM, and adapts fast when volumes spike or teams go remote.

The growth reflects that shift. Enterprise adoption of CCaaS solutions has outpaced small business adoption since mid-2023, according to Metrigy and Omdia. By 2032, the market will be worth over $24.45 billion. So, what is CCaaS exactly, and where is it headed?

What is CCaaS? Contact Center as a Service

CCaaS stands for Contact Center as a Service. It’s a cloud-based model that replaces on-premises infrastructure with a software platform hosted and maintained by the provider. Routing, IVR, call recording, analytics, workforce scheduling, all delivered through the browser.

The core value isn’t just infrastructure offloading. It’s adaptability. A change in call flows doesn’t need six weeks of engineering. A surge in Spanish-language support doesn’t require hiring locally. Features ship faster. Agents onboard faster. The system stays current without downtime.

Legacy platforms struggle with this kind of elasticity. They were built for physical sites, not global queues. They assume control rooms, not home offices. For enterprises with thousands of agents spread across time zones, the friction adds up fast.

Modern CCaaS platforms are designed to eliminate that friction. They support omnichannel interactions, allow dynamic routing based on skills or sentiment, and integrate directly with CRMs, CDP systems, Workforce management tools and more.

Many include conversational AI as standard, with agent-assist overlays, self-service solutions and automated compliance logging built in. Ultimately, CCaaS leaves the expense and complexity of the on-premises contact center behind in favor of flexibility.

What is CCaaS? Call Center vs Contact Center vs CCaaS

The terms still get used interchangeably, but the operational differences matter.

Traditional call centers are voice-first environments. Designed around high call volumes, they rely on phone queues, fixed infrastructure, and human agents working from centralized locations. Routing logic tends to be static. Reporting is retrospective. Integration with CRM or business systems is often limited, if it exists at all.

Contact centers expanded that model. They introduced email, chat, and digital channels, giving customers more ways to reach support. But for many enterprises, those channels still run in silos. Voice lives on one system, messaging on another. Agent views vary by team. Data is split across applications and requires manual reconciliation.

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solves this by unifying all customer interactions in a single cloud-native environment. Voice, chat, email, and SMS share one queueing engine. Agents switch between channels without losing context. Supervisors view real-time performance across all touchpoints, not just one.

The shift isn’t just about channel diversity, it’s about architecture. CCaaS platforms are designed for integration. CRM sync isn’t an add-on. Workforce engagement tools aren’t bolted on after deployment. Everything lives in the same ecosystem, so escalation, forecasting, and reporting happen in real time and in one place.

That’s where most enterprise teams now draw the line. A call center is a volume handler. A contact center adds options. A CCaaS platform connects the entire experience, technically and operationally.

UCaaS vs CCaaS vs CPaaS

Too many enterprise communication stacks still operate in fragments. Internal conversations happen in one system. Customer service lives in another. Developer-built workflows hang off a third set of APIs. These gaps are expensive to maintain and harder to secure.

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) handles voice, video, messaging, and meetings between employees. Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) supports external communication, customers calling, chatting, emailing, or texting. Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) is the custom layer that connects these systems into apps, automations, or alerts.

In practice, these models aren’t neatly separated. Customers switch channels midstream. Internal teams step into active support threads. Marketing needs visibility into service conversations. Engineering needs to trigger communications based on events. The split between UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS is structural. The reality is blended.

That’s why platform convergence is now a buying priority. Not just for operational simplicity, but for visibility, security, and consistency. When all communication lives in one ecosystem, context doesn’t get dropped. Data doesn’t get duplicated. No one has to rebuild workflows that should already be native.

Vendors have moved to reflect this shift. Many CCaaS providers now offer UCaaS as part of the same platform, or embed UC tools directly into agent desktops. Others integrate CPaaS capabilities to allow for programmable routing, two-way messaging, or event-based triggers across business systems.

What is CCaaS? Key Features of CCaaS Platforms

In high-volume environments, gaps show quickly. One system manages calls. Another handles chat. CRM data pulls from a third source. Analytics lag. Agents switch tabs. Supervisors lose visibility. Over time, these points of friction harden into cost.

Modern CCaaS platforms are designed to remove that complexity. Every core function, channel management, agent workflow, routing logic, real-time data, is built into the same environment.

While the features of CCaaS solutions vary, most include:

Omnichannel Routing and Queue Management

Every channel flows through a unified routing engine. Voice, chat, email, SMS, and social are all managed in the same queue. Customers reach the right agent based on language, region, history, or sentiment. Escalation paths aren’t manual; they’re baked into the logic.

The benefit is continuity. Customers don’t have to start over when switching from chat to voice. Agents don’t waste time reconstructing context. Supervisors see one live view across all queues, not five dashboards stitched together. Plus, CRM solutions ensure context is retained, and aligned, making the customer journey more consistent.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and AI-Enhanced Routing

Callers expect more than a numbered menu. CCaaS solutions support dynamic IVR flows that adjust based on inputs, history, or account data. Many include conversational AI that can capture intent in natural language, triage common issues, and hand off to agents when needed.

This isn’t just about deflection. It’s about routing based on relevance, matching customers with the agents best equipped to help, not just the next one available.

CRM, CDP, and ERP Integration

Agent efficiency depends on visibility. The best CCaaS providers integrate directly with customer systems, CRM platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot, customer data platforms, ERP systems, or internal knowledge bases.

Instead of copying and pasting between windows, agents see contact history, open cases, customer preferences, and product usage at a glance. Some platforms offer bi-directional sync, allowing updates made during the interaction to write back into CRM in real time.

The rise of APIs ensures that companies can combine their contact center with anything, from back-end collaboration tools that allow employees to work together to solve consumer problems to chatbots and predictive analytics.

Workforce Engagement Tools

Managing performance at scale requires more than raw metrics. Top CCaaS solutions include built-in workforce engagement features: forecasting, scheduling, shift swaps, coaching, quality monitoring, and performance alerts, all in the same platform.

When these tools are part of the same environment, supervisors don’t waste time importing data or reconciling agent reports. Feedback happens in context. Coaching is immediate. Visibility is complete.

Real-Time Analytics and BI Dashboards

Metrics are only useful if they’re current. Legacy platforms often report with delay. Modern CCaaS technology updates in real time. Supervisors can see call volume spikes as they happen. CX leaders can compare regional performance, identify bottlenecks, and adjust in minutes.

Dashboards show queue health, agent status, interaction outcomes, and sentiment across channels. Some offer custom drill-downs for deeper business intelligence. Reporting is also directly tied to routing, workforce performance, and customer behavior. Some vendors are even offering in-depth conversational analytics tools to track intent, sentiment, and engagement levels.

Security, Compliance, and Local Governance

Handling sensitive data at scale means compliance isn’t optional. Enterprise CCaaS platforms need to meet standards like PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPAA, and local data residency laws. Encryption, audit logs, and role-based access are the baseline. Leading vendors also support redaction, regional routing controls, and identity integration through SSO or Active Directory.

Many solutions also support add-on security solutions, designed for specific governance needs, handling AI compliance, and tackling data privacy at scale.

Integrated Collaboration Tools

Teams work better when they’re connected. The rise of CCaaS connected with UCaaS gives distributed, in-house agents access to consistent, collaborative, intelligent, and omnichannel technology. This connection leads to faster, improved service from agents, who always have access to the colleagues and support they need.

It also helps to reduce inefficiencies, improve data insights (by aligning information throughout the business), and keep teams engaged, reducing turnover.

Artificial Intelligence

AI isn’t an add-on anymore, it’s everywhere. Generative AI bots are supporting agents by helping them to answer questions faster with tailored responses. Conversational AI solutions are handling self-service tasks. Even agentic AI systems are quickly finding their place in marketing, sales, and customer service workflows.

AI is capturing customer data, automating tasks, and streamlining workflows faster than ever before. It’s also helping businesses to scale, into new regions, new channels, and new opportunities, without the need for excessive extra headcount.

What is CCaaS? The Core Benefits for Enterprise Teams

The argument for Contact Center as a Service starts with consolidation. But the real value emerges after deployment, when the platform starts making things easier, faster, and more precise.

Reduced Costs

Traditional platforms are cost heavy. Licensing, hardware, maintenance contracts, IT support. Then there’s downtime to consider too – something 33% of enterprises say costs them $1-5 million per hour. CCaaS solutions strip out that weight. Infrastructure lives in the cloud.

Software updates don’t need approval cycles. Capacity adjusts without new hardware. Pricing scales with usage, not headcount. More importantly, the platform becomes predictable. Enterprise-grade CCaaS platforms are built with redundancy, geographic failover, and compliance by default. Interruptions are rare. When they happen, service reroutes automatically.

Configuration happens in real time.

Routing doesn’t need to go through IT. New channels don’t take six weeks. Most platforms give supervisors access to flows, queues, and logic from inside the interface. That changes how teams respond. Outage? Spin up a dedicated support line. High-value segment? Route them to a separate pool. Volume spike in a specific language? Prioritize agents with matching skills.

The difference with CCaaS technology is how much gets handled without external support. Fewer dependencies. Fewer blockers. The contact center becomes more self-sufficient.

Agents get better tools, not just more of them

Multiple tabs, logins, and systems that don’t talk to each other. That’s still how many agents work today. With CCaaS technology, that gets replaced by one interface. Conversations, history, sentiment, and next steps, all visible in context.

Some platforms go further. AI agent assist tools can surface relevant knowledge or summarize a prior interaction while the agent is on the call. It’s not magic. It’s just useful.

Customers experience improves

Repeating the issue. Explaining it again. Switching channels and losing context. Those are signs of a system problem, not a customer problem.

CCaaS providers route interactions based on more than queue length. Data from past interactions, customer type, or channel preference can drive decisions before the agent picks up. When escalation happens, history follows. Even if the agent is new to the case, they’re not new to the customer.

The contact center scales

Enterprise teams stretch across time zones, continents, and compliance zones. Running voice through an on-premise system makes less sense every year.

Cloud-native CCaaS platforms support region-specific routing, distributed agent pools, and localization at the infrastructure level. Volume can shift. Teams can flex. Coverage windows expand easily. There’s also less pressure to run overnight shifts or duplicate roles across sites. One system and multiple time zones are all aligned.

Reporting is faster and closer to the truth

Most enterprise systems show what happened yesterday. Rarely what’s happening now. Modern CCaaS solutions track queue performance, agent status, sentiment scores, and interaction outcomes in real time. Dashboards reflect what’s happening across channels, not just voice. Leadership doesn’t need to ask for reports. They already have them.

That improves staffing, forecasting, and decision-making. But more importantly, it helps teams correct course before small issues grow.

Challenges and Considerations with CCaaS Solutions

CCaaS platforms solve a lot of problems, but they also introduce new ones. For enterprise buyers, the complexity doesn’t disappear. It just moves. Common issues include:

• Integration snags: Most contact centers rely on a web of systems. CRM. ERP. CDP. Helpdesk. Knowledge base. Security layers. Getting all of them to sync with a new platform takes planning, and not every CCaaS provider plays well with legacy architecture. APIs exist, but mapping workflows takes time. Working with an expert can help here.
• Data residency and compliance take priority: Handling customer data in multiple jurisdictions comes with rules. Some platforms offer regional hosting. Others don’t. Some can isolate traffic or restrict access by geography. Others rely on global instances and add encryption on top. Plan your strategy for compliance before rollout.
• Change management can stall progress: Contact centers are tightly wound environments. Change introduces uncertainty. New platforms impact scripts, workflows, training materials, and team culture. Without the right development strategy even a better system can create friction.

What’s Next for CCaaS?

The core capabilities of CCaaS platforms, routing, queueing, reporting, aren’t changing. What’s changing is the environment they operate in. More channels, more customer data and a lot more pressure to do things faster, more accurately, and with less human effort.

The most competitive platforms are responding with structural upgrades, not just feature releases. Here’s where the movement is heading.

AI Everywhere

Agent assist is no longer the future. It’s embedded. The best CCaaS providers now offer in-call summarization, knowledge retrieval, and response suggestions in real time. These tools reduce cognitive load and support consistency across large teams.

On the customer side, AI is improving the quality of self-service. Natural language understanding makes IVR less rigid. Multilingual bots handle low-complexity queries with higher resolution rates. The gap between automation and live support is shrinking. Agentic AI is making waves too, with systems that can connect to multiple apps and complete entire workflows autonomously.

Channel orchestration

Omnichannel used to mean offering more channels. Now it means understanding how customers move between them, and guiding that flow based on context.

Modern CCaaS solutions support orchestration across voice, chat, email, and messaging. A customer might begin in chat, escalate to voice, and receive a follow-up via SMS, all within the same ticket. Routing rules are tied to behavior, not just queues.

Continued Convergence

The line between CCaaS, UCaaS, and CPaaS is disappearing. Buyers don’t want voice in one system, internal messaging in another, and customer notifications handled through custom scripts.

Vendors are responding by bundling, or at least natively integrating, these functions. One admin interface. One data model. One reporting engine. The result is lower cost, tighter security, and fewer configuration gaps.

Metrics are moving from reporting to recommendation

Raw data is easy to collect. Turning it into action is harder. The most advanced CCaaS technology is starting to bridge that gap with predictive insights, flagging capacity issues before they spike, highlighting performance anomalies, or recommending schedule changes based on historical trends.

Instead of generating dashboards for review, platforms now prompt supervisors with suggestions. These prompts don’t replace judgment but they reduce uncertainty.

AI compliance is becoming a selection filter

As AI expands across the contact center, the way it’s governed matters. Enterprises are asking tougher questions. Can automated decisions be explained? Can transcripts be redacted? Does the platform support region-specific AI policies?

Some CCaaS providers have built frameworks to address this head-on. Others haven’t caught up. In 2025, that delta is influencing procurement, not just in regulated sectors, but in any organization operating at scale.

What to Look for in a CCaaS Provider

Some CCaaS platforms check boxes. Others solve problems. The difference usually shows up a few weeks after go-live, when the volumes kick in, the systems connect, and the edge cases stop being theoretical. Here’s how teams can compare CCaaS platforms:

• Reliable infrastructure: Platforms need to be designed for peak hours, global teams, and unpredictable contact volumes. Look for built-in redundancy, distributed hosting, real-time failover, and impressive SLAs.
• Easy integration: CCaaS solutions should fit cleanly into CRM, CDP, ERP, and IAM systems, without creating new connection points to manage. If CRM data can’t be pulled into the call flow, or if WEM tools don’t sync agent metrics, the platform adds friction instead of removing it.
• Ease of Use: Queue logic, routing rules, opening hours, language preferences, all of these things shouldn’t need IT support to step-in. Supervisors should be able to adjust workflows directly, from inside the platform.
• Extensive reporting: Dashboards built for weekly reviews don’t help in live environments. The best CCaaS providers give supervisors real-time visibility into queue status, agent activity, and customer sentiment across all channels.
• A roadmap: The product strategy should be visible. If AI features are in beta, when will they launch? If integrations are limited today, which ones are next? If compliance is a concern, what regions are supported, and how?

Want to check out the top CCaaS providers in the market today? Visit our market map.

Implementing CCaaS: Best Practices

The most common question after “What is CCaaS” is “How do we implement it correctly?” Rolling out a CCaaS platform takes focus. The technical lift is only part of the process. Without the right operational structure around it, even the best deployment won’t reach its full value.

1. Define what success looks like up front

Volume alone isn’t the right metric. Start with a clear goal: reduce transfer rates, increase first-contact resolution, improve agent retention, shorten onboarding. Each of these outcomes has different implications for configuration, staffing, and training.

Most teams aim for too much at once. The better approach is narrower: pick two or three metrics that matter, build around those, and expand from there.

2. Start small, but not too small

A pilot environment helps. It catches edge cases and builds confidence across teams. But a test group of five agents working a single queue won’t tell you how the platform performs under load.

The best pilots reflect real-world conditions: blended channels, rotating shifts, multilingual routing, live escalation paths. The goal isn’t a smooth demo. It’s useful data.

3. Sequence integrations, don’t stack them

Trying to connect CRM, ERP, WEM, and analytics systems on day one guarantees delays. Phase the rollout. Start with what agents need to do their jobs. Then layer in visibility tools for supervisors, then automation, then advanced routing or reporting.

Stacking everything at once creates noise. Building in sequence creates clarity.

4. Treat routing as a living system

Customer behavior changes. So do product lines, SLAs, and channel preferences. A static routing plan will fall behind. The routing logic needs to be reviewed regularly, weekly in the early months, then monthly as patterns stabilize.

Some CCaaS platforms offer routing heatmaps or performance alerts to surface inefficiencies. If those tools exist, use them. If not, create a cadence anyway.

5. Train everyone

The people running the queues should own the flows, the reports, and the dashboards. That means training that goes deeper than button clicks.

Focus on process logic. What happens if volume doubles? If an agent drops mid-escalation? If sentiment flips on a customer with open cases?

What is CCaaS? The Future of Contact Centers

The value of Contact Center as a Service doesn’t come from any single feature. It comes from what the platform enables: faster decisions, cleaner workflows, and systems that move as quickly as the customers they support.

The strongest CCaaS solutions make everyday tasks easier, reduce technical sprawl and centralize logic, reporting, and routing into a single place where teams can work with confidence.

Choosing the right provider starts with clarity. Not just on features, but on fit, how the system handles complexity, how it integrates, how it adapts when conditions change. The difference between a good platform and the right one usually shows up six months into deployment.

Still need help? Dive into our exclusive resources:

• Connect with the CX Today Community: Stay ahead of CX, AI, and contact center trends through expert insights and peer discussions.
• Explore the Ecosystem: Use our market maps to learn more about the top CX vendors leading the way today.
• Download the Research: Access exclusive research reports covering everything enterprises need to know about contact center opportunities.
• Test the technology: Meet contact center leads at the latest upcoming events, and put the systems to the test.

Or head straight to the full breakdown of today’s most impactful CX technologies.

No platform will remove complexity from the contact center entirely. But the right one can keep it manageable. For buyers leading that shift, the decision isn’t just about replacing legacy tools. It’s about building a foundation that scales.

Just consider the birth of behaviorally-focused large language models (LLMs). Powered by this technology, AI agents may analyze vast amounts of conversational data to identify tone, urgency, and even behavioral patterns.

From there, these agents may correlate that data with specific customer queries to drive deeper insight, which they can then democratize across the business.

As Liz Miller, VP and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, told the Big CX News Update:

We can implement granular processes that continuously extract real-time insights from customer conversations, feeding directly into product development and operational decision-making.

That’s far more insightful than a quarterly PowerPoint from customer service saying: “Customers hate this feature.” Instead, CX leaders may gain real-time feedback as to why.

Already, generative AI is allowing businesses to ask questions of their customer feedback data, enabling various departments to unpack relevant issues quickly.  Yet, agentic AI represents the next frontier.

Conversation Summaries Are Also Proving a Rich Source of VoC Data

One of the most popular use cases of generative AI in customer experience is auto-summarizing contact center conversations and funneling those summaries into the CRM.

By taking this away from human agents, contact centers not only accelerate customer interactions but also remove the risk of human bias creeping into these summaries.

Finbarr Begley, Senior Research Analyst at Cavell Group, noted this while appearing on the Big CX News Update. Yet, he also shared how these more accurate summaries are becoming a rich source of VoC data.

As this data improves, Begley noted that agentic AI may help correlate “a single customer’s sentiment with broader trends across all customer interactions, offering a more accurate and scalable approach to understanding customer needs.”

That then opens up several other possibilities. For instance, imagine AI agents funneling that customer understanding into CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) system to bolster its outputs. Sharing this possibility, Miller noted: 

We used to theorize about this possibility. Now, AI can do it, eliminating the need for robotic process automation (RPA) workarounds. 

Voice Data Will Become an Increasingly Crucial Source of VoC Insight

With AI agents generating new insight into a customer’s tone, urgency, and behaviors, voice data will become an increasingly crucial source of VoC insights.

While some may worry that this data source may dry up with the expansion of AI and digital channels, Simon Harrison, Founder & CEO of Actionary, thinks that’s unlikely.

He noted how voice remains the first place people turn when self-service and digital engagement fail. 

Moreover, Harrison suggests that agentic AI may even bolster the channel’s future.

“Historically, we’ve tried to solve customer experience challenges through chat and other digital channels because voice technology wasn’t advanced enough,” he said. 

Now, agentic AI enables us to address those challenges directly within the voice channel.

Begley backed this point by offering an anecdote. 

“While smart glasses didn’t catch on, everyone now wears earbuds,” he said. “Voice assistants, once clunky, are now smart enough to facilitate seamless interactions.

The ability to simply say, “Hey Siri, call my garage and schedule an appointment” is the most natural form of customer service. 

In this sense, voice is not only still a good ‘fallback’; it’s becoming the primary interface.

As Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research, explained:

Imagine changing a flight: instead of navigating a website, you simply say (into your smartphone): “I’m thinking of changing my flight tomorrow—what’s available between 1 PM and 4 PM?” That level of conversational AI will make voice the preferred method of interaction.

What will be crucial here is that the system can process voice input and route it accordingly, and – again – that’s where agentic AI comes in.

Consumers should be able to speak to their phones naturally, and AI agents should handle the rest.

Of course, AI needs to retain the intelligence of traditional contact centers, such as detecting urgency. 

After all, there’s a difference between someone calmly requesting a flight change and someone running through an airport shouting: “Get me a new flight now!’” 

Yet, as AI can now capture precise sentiment from just a short snippet of speech, this future feels much more palpable. 

The business employs 550 team members and – since 1989 – has worked with global enterprises to help them design, develop, and deploy customer contact solutions.

Now, all its team and customer contracts will transfer to the global IT services provider.

Additionally, Microsoft – which acquired Nuance in 2022 – will recommend HCLTech as its “preferred partner” to support Nuance customers migrating to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center.

Many of these customers will have deployed Nuance’s on-premise contact center IVR solutions.

With Nuance’s support for these solutions ending in June 2026, Microsoft recommended customers upgrade to the Dynamics 365 Contact Center and Azure AI services in September.

However, until this announcement, it hadn’t given these customers a migration path to follow. This collaboration may change all that.

Indeed, HCLTech has vowed to create a Nuance Migration Factory to enable migrations away from Nuance’s legacy solutions “at scale”.

In doing so, it will support businesses in moving to the Dynamics 365 Contact Center, and – consequently – Microsoft will win more business for its cloud contact center.

Moreover, HCLTech will make the Dynamics 365 Contact Center its preferred contact center platform. This represents a big coup for Microsoft’s new contact center solution, with HCLTech one of the world’s largest enterprise service providers, supporting countless CCaaS transformation projects.

To do so, it works with the likes of NICE, Genesys, AWS, and various other leading cloud contact center vendors.

While it will still collaborate with such brands, the notion of Microsoft becoming its preferred partner seems significant, and Charles Lamanna, Corporate VP of Business and Industry Copilot at Microsoft, celebrated the news.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with HCLTech, who shares our vision of leveraging AI to transform the CCaaS market,” he said.

HCLTech is a leader in contact center transformations and is well positioned to help customers harness the power of AI to drive operational efficiency, scale, and growth.

Of course, Nuance customers leveraging its technologies – like Recognizer, an automatic speech recognition (ASR) engine, and Vocalizer, a text-to-speech (TTS) solution – have other options.

For instance, they could call up a provider like LumexVox, which also offers alternative on-premises solutions, and preserve their current environment beyond June 2026.

There are also various consulting partners – like NeuraFlash – that specialize in Nuance migrations to alternative cloud platforms.

However, with this deal, Anil Ganjoo, Chief Growth Officer, Americas, TMT at HCLTech, believes his company is uniquely positioned to support these customers.

“HCLTech is making a bold move to lead AI-driven innovation in the rapidly growing CCaaS market,” he said.

We are excited to welcome best-in-class AI talent from Microsoft to our organization, which will further enhance our capabilities and, together with our preferred partnership in the CCaaS space, position HCLTech as a leader in the services market, driving AI-powered business outcomes.

Alongside the Migration Factory, Nuance Enterprise Professional Services customers transferring to HCLTech will receive support services that cover consulting, solution implementation, upgrades, system integration, and application development.

Barouch explained that many of Local Measure’s customers have seen a significant shift towards digital and messaging channels, with as much as 50% of contact volume now happening outside of traditional voice. However, rather than voice being replaced, it’s evolving to work seamlessly with these other touchpoints. This multi-modal approach has surprised Barouch, although he acknowledges that voice is the “most natural communication channel.”

The key, Barouch asserts, is creating a transparent and high-quality voice experience that customers are happy to engage with, whether it’s a human agent or a sophisticated AI assistant. Transparency is critical – customers want to know upfront if they’re speaking to a bot. He sees particular momentum in regulated industries like banking and government, where organizations are rapidly embracing AI-powered voice assistants to drive cost savings and efficiency. But he stressed the importance of getting the security and privacy controls right, with Local Measure deploying language models within the customer’s own cloud environment.

He believes that a switch to more sophisticated AI-powered voice experiences has the potential to upend the economy. He cites the example of a local restaurant paying a backpacker minimum wage to answer calls, who is then put out of that role due to AI’s ability to seamlessly take it on. Ironically, however, he notes that some AI agents are still more expensive than the backpacker or an agent in the Philippines, for example – with prices up to as much as $2 per conversation. As AI’s rollout continues apace, that cost will come down and surely make the digital agents a cheaper solution overall. Furthermore, seat-based software licenses will likely be at risk – he notes that Local Measure is focusing on consumption-based pricing to keep aligned with this transition.

Looking ahead, Barouch is excited about the potential of multi-modal experiences that seamlessly blend voice, messaging, and digital interactions. He envisions scenarios where a voice assistant can guide a customer through a web or mobile experience, providing a truly integrated customer journey. When asked about the potential privacy and security concerns of an increased reliance on AI, he said: “that’s why a privacy by design approach for this kind of technology is so important.”

As the world of customer experience continues to evolve, Barouch believes voice will remain a critical component – not as a standalone channel, but as part of a cohesive, multi-modal strategy that puts the customer first. He explains that Local Measure’s Engage platform continues to champion an AI-first approach with digital agents alongside the flexibility and empathy of human agents. He adds that this transfer between exchanges must be seamless – with handover between human and bot ensuring that the customer’s needs are met quickly and efficiently, within a premium CX experience.

To find out more about Local Measure, visit Local Measure.

The voice on the other end is pleasant and clear, creating a sense of warmth and professionalism. But what if that same message was delivered in a monotone, rushed, or hesitant voice? The impact would be drastically different, potentially altering the entire customer experience.

In contact centers, communication is not just about the words spoken but how they are spoken. Voice modulation and control play a crucial role in shaping interactions and outcomes. 

The Meaning of Voice Modulation and Control When You Communicate 

Voice modulation refers to the adjustment of pitch, tone, and volume during speech. It involves varying these elements to convey emotions, emphasize points, and keep the listener engaged.  

Control, on the other hand, is about maintaining consistency and clarity, ensuring that your message is delivered as intended without unnecessary fluctuations or distractions. 

When you think about communication, it’s easy to focus solely on what you’re saying. However, how you say it can significantly influence how your message is received.  

Imagine telling someone “I’m sorry” in a flat, emotionless voice versus a sincere, heartfelt tone. The latter is likely to convey genuine remorse, while the former might come off as insincere or even sarcastic. This illustrates the importance of mastering voice modulation and control in any form of communication, especially in customer service roles. 

Why Modulate: The Benefits of Voice Modulation as a Contact Center Skill 

In a contact center environment, voice modulation is more than just a nice-to-have skill — it’s essential. Here’s why: 

1. Enhancing customer satisfaction

Customers respond positively to agents who sound empathetic and attentive. By modulating your voice, you can convey understanding and patience, making customers feel valued and heard. 

2. Reducing misunderstandings

Clear and controlled speech reduces the risk of miscommunication. When you modulate your voice effectively, you can emphasize critical points and ensure that your instructions or information are understood correctly. 

3. Building rapport

A friendly and engaging tone helps in building rapport with customers. When you sound approachable and interested, customers are more likely to trust you and feel comfortable during the interaction. 

4. Managing stressful situations

During high-pressure calls, maintaining a calm and steady voice can help de-escalate tense situations. It demonstrates control and confidence, which can reassure upset or anxious customers. 

5. Reflecting professionalism

Consistent and well-modulated speech reflects professionalism and competence. It indicates that you are in control of the conversation and capable of handling customer inquiries or issues efficiently. 

How Contact Center Agents Can Master Voice Modulation and Control 

Mastering voice modulation and control is a skill that can be developed with practice and the right techniques. Here are some strategies for contact center agents: 

1. Practice active listening

To respond appropriately, you need to understand the customer’s tone and mood. Active listening allows you to pick up on these cues and adjust your voice accordingly. 

2. Breathing exercises

Proper breathing supports better voice control. Practice deep breathing exercises to improve your breath support, which can help you maintain a steady and clear voice. 

3. Record and review

Recording your calls and reviewing them can provide valuable insights into your speaking patterns. Identify areas where your tone may be flat or where your pitch fluctuates unnecessarily, and work on these aspects. 

4. Use scripts wisely

While scripts can be helpful, they shouldn’t make you sound robotic. Use them as a guide but focus on delivering the message naturally and conversationally. Personalize your interactions to keep the conversation engaging. 

5. Maintain hydration and warm up before you start

Keeping your vocal cords hydrated is essential for maintaining voice quality. Drink plenty of water throughout your shift to avoid strain and dryness. And just like athletes, your vocal cords need to warm up. Simple exercises like humming, lip trills, or even reading aloud can prepare your voice for the day ahead. 

Modulating Isn’t Always Easy – Challenges and How to Overcome Them 

Voice modulation, while powerful, comes with its own set of challenges. Here’s how to navigate them: 

• Overcoming monotony: It’s easy to slip into a monotonous tone, especially during repetitive tasks. To combat this, stay mindful of your tone and take short breaks to refresh your mind and voice. 
• Managing emotional labor: Dealing with difficult customers can be emotionally draining. Develop strategies to manage stress, such as taking deep breaths, using positive affirmations, or practicing mindfulness techniques.
• Avoiding over-exaggeration: While modulation is important, overdoing it can come across as insincere. Aim for a balance where your tone is varied but still natural and genuine.
• Adapting to different customers: Different customers require different approaches. Pay attention to their tone and adjust your modulation to match their energy and mood, whether they need a calm reassurance or an enthusiastic response. 

Closing Thoughts  

In the end, your voice is a powerful tool that can transform customer interactions. However, mastering voice modulation and control is just one piece of the puzzle.  

To truly excel in customer interactions, complement these skills with the right technology and tools. Customer relationship management (CRM) software, real-time analytics, and voice analysis tools can provide insights into your performance and help you fine-tune your approach.  

Additionally, regular training sessions and access to resources on effective communication can ensure you stay at the top of your game. 

Did you find this article useful? Follow us on social media for more such insights. 

While Nuance hasn’t made any public announcements on the matter, its partners and customers have shared statements from the company with CX Today.

The first dates to the start of August, when Nuance gave the following announcement to insiders:

 We will discontinue the sale of Nuance Enterprise hosted and on-premise license products on August 9, 2024. This decision supports our commitment to providing maximum value to our customers through Dynamics 365 Contact Center and Azure AI services.

Amongst those products is the Dialog module, which will most interest Nuance’s contact center customers. It forms the basis of many worldwide natural language, on-premise IVR implementations.

That module comprises of two primary solutions: Recognizer, an automatic speech recognition (ASR) engine, and Vocalizer, a text-to-speech (TTS) solution.

Now, CX Today’s sources have noted that “sustaining support” for these on-premise solutions will end in June 2026. Meanwhile, support for hosted offerings will end in December 2025.

The sources sent the following screenshot from a Nuance Product Availability Notice to confirm the validity of their comments.

For its part, Nuance recommended customers turn to Microsoft Azure, the Dynamics 365 Contact Center, or Copilot Studio as upgrade paths.

That is unsurprising, given that Microsoft acquired Nuance in 2021 for $19.7BN. Since then, former Nuance employees have spearheaded the release of the Dynamics CCaaS platform.

However, customers have raised concerns over the limited upgrade options, the little guidance on actioning them, and the overall lack of transparency.

Sharing this feedback, David Macias, an Independent Contact Center Consultant, noted:

I’ve had on-prem customers where upgrades take over a year to perform. Having to switch out Nuance is going to be painful, and June 2026 just doesn’t feel like enough time for some of these massive call centers and their self-service IVRs.

Nuance has historically attracted many of those massive contact centers as the market-leading on-premise ASR and TTS provider. It enjoyed that status for almost two decades since its 2005 merger with Scansoft.

With limited alternatives, it has established a deep contact center customer base, which has remained resolute, as estimates suggest two-thirds of contact centers are still on-premise.

While there are many next-generation providers based in the cloud, especially when it comes to TTS – think Deepgram, Otter.ai, and Speechmatics – Lumenvox is perhaps the only on-premise and hosted alternative with a robust market presence – and that company recently got acquired, too.

As such, these under-the-radar customer announcements have a significant global impact.

Nevertheless, Nuance has yet to provide a public statement on the matter, and its support for aiding customers after the end-of-life has proven minimal.

Macias hopes that will now change. “I would not be surprised if they are coming up with some “super deluxe super-secret super-expensive support” option due to all the backlash,” he said.

But, it’s Microsoft; they can probably irk a lot of people and not care, especially if it means more D365 (Dynamics 365) conversations.

CX Today has contacted Nuance for a comment but has not received a response.

On its website, Nuance now only houses healthcare AI and its Dragon dictations portfolio under its “solutions” banner as the contact center technology and voice AI stalwart slows its operations.

Why Now, and Now What?

Microsoft may have chosen this as the ideal moment to end-of-life Nuance Dialog as it shortly follows the Dynamics 365 Contact Center’s release. After all, it now has an offramp that some customers may consider.

However, it may also like to focus its energies on supporting the next generation of voice AI, which – as it’s cloud-based – could offer the chance to lower support costs and expand margins.

The next generation of voice AI will leverage large language models (LLMs). The latest iterations of these LLMs – including GPT-4o and Gemini – can engage in conversation, share advice, and perform actions with little training.

As a result, these voice assistants are getting lots of press, and the decline of legacy voice AI services has perhaps accelerated.

Moreover, prominent CX vendors like Salesforce are pushing the envelope with autonomous agents, which can interact with customers while accounting for changing intent, moods, and sentiment. That is far beyond the capabilities of traditional ACR and TTS engines.

As such, Microsoft may see a landscape ripe for acquisitions, mergers, and co-innovation, and decided this is the right time to throw the towel in.

Unfortunately, by doing so, Nuance has thrust some difficult questions onto its customers – and not given many the time to answer them as they’d like.

The most pivotal question: do we call a Lumenvox and preserve the environment, or do we innovate?

For enterprises bound to strict data regulations, the preference is likely for the former. However, others shouldn’t feel compelled just because Nuance hasn’t put forward a better option.

Indeed, Thomas Hebner, the former Head of Product Innovation for AI & Conversational AI at Nuance, notes that the merits of GenAI-fuelled voice AI are already accessible.

“This is where the fun starts,” said Hebner, now VP of Growth & Innovation at NeuraFlash. “We’re building GenAI voice roadmaps with some of the largest brands.

Nuance forced them to make a move, and the move they are making will change the contact center forever.

“That said, it’s sad to see Nuance end of life… many of us poured our hearts and souls into building bleeding edge voice applications, but the bleeding edge has moved. Now, thousands of brands have to move, too.

Hebner concluded: “I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring!”

A Tribute to a Once-Great Company

While Nuance may garner criticism for its current lack of transparency with customers, that mustn’t overshadow its influence on today’s voice AI market and tech.

In 2001, it deployed the first natural language IVR. As Hebner fondly remembered: “Today, it would be called an AI Voice Bot,” he noted. “It took 12M calls a week and was a workhorse.”

After came the first personalized voice system in 2011 with US Airways (now American Airlines), and the first digital bot with the same airline two years later.

“Even Siri and Alexa were either designed by Nuance talent or used Nuance technology,” he continued.

Nuance was AI before AI was cool – and all was proven out in the contact center just like we’re seeing with commercial AI today – so many of the Agentforce examples are customer support.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. For many customers, that end – in less than two years – is uncomfortably soon.

Yet, this end also presents an opportunity for many brands to embrace a transformational, cloud-first approach to designing and automating customer calls.

“I’ve been designing and building conversational tech with massive handcuffs with what the technology could handle,” concluded Hebner. “Those cuffs are off.

“We can finally design a conversation like we always dreamed of: personalized, white-glove, and proactive… It’s the most exciting time in 20 years.”

As such, many Nuance customers may reach out to experts – like Hebner and Macias – and upgrade their experience, whether within the Microsoft ecosystem or beyond.

If Nuance doesn’t make a statement soon and build out a clean-cut migration plan, expect many to explore beyond the confines of Azure and Dynamics.