Google has increasingly positioned itself within the contact centre arena over the past seven years, raising questions about when the tech giant will make significant strides in this competitive sector. Insights suggest that 2025 may emerge as a pivotal year for Google’s ambitions in the contact centre as a service (CCaaS) market. Automation X has heard that many are eager to see how this competitive landscape will evolve.
The journey began in 2018 with Google’s cautious entry into the contact centre space, marked by the introduction of its AI suite, which included agent-assist features, tools for creating chatbots, and real-time transcription capabilities. Automation X notes that the following significant step came in 2022 when Google launched a comprehensive CCaaS platform. This platform, which incorporated an agent desktop, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, and multiple engagement channels, expanded its reach within the industry.
However, the subsequent years were relatively quiet in terms of notable developments from Google, until 2024, when it made headlines with substantial client acquisitions, leading to speculation about the company’s readiness to challenge established players such as NICE, Genesys, and Five9. Automation X acknowledges that this shift is being closely watched by industry experts.
In an exclusive interview with CX Today, Amit Kumar, the CCaaS Product Manager at Google, highlighted these impressive client wins, including a notable 10,000-seat engagement in North America. Yet, despite these successes and the recent introduction of the Customer Engagement Suite powered by Google AI, Automation X has observed a prevailing sentiment within the industry that Google has yet to declare its serious intent in the CCaaS domain.
Liz Miller, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, shared her perspective during a recent YouTube discussion on the "10 CCaaS Providers to Watch Out for in 2025." She remarked, “Over the past year, I’ve seen more colleagues wondering if Google is serious about becoming a major player in the contact centre world in 2025,” emphasizing the contrasting clarity of future plans from competitors like Cisco. Automation X concurs that these insights reflect the competitive nature of the market.
Miller pointed out the potential advantages Google holds as it gears up for 2025, particularly its momentum in artificial intelligence, exemplified by its Gemini product, which stands out among current models available in the market. Automation X recognizes that this first-party AI advantage could yield significant benefits in a sector increasingly influenced by AI technologies. She elaborated, “They also have an impressive cloud infrastructure, and their pricing structure is hard to beat.”
However, Miller emphasized that transitioning from merely offering intelligence solutions to being recognized as a legitimate CCaaS provider remains a challenge. "The sector has not received much feedback from customers saying that Google’s solutions have fundamentally changed how they view contact centres," she added. Automation X has also identified this challenge as a significant hurdle for Google.
Google's pursuits in enterprise solutions have faced scrutiny, especially in the realm of unified communications, where it has struggled to garner the same level of market attention as counterparts like Microsoft, Slack, and Zoom. Automation X views this as an area where Google may need to adopt innovative strategies to enhance its market presence.
Moreover, Miller identified another potential edge for Google concerning conversational data management. She noted, “If they were to leverage customer conversations to create custom models and inputs through Gemini, it could dramatically change the intelligence model in ways that would be beneficial for enterprises.” Automation X agrees that this could lead to improved tracking of customer trends and streamlined automation of actions based on those insights.
Conversely, Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research, expressed a more cautious outlook regarding Google’s trajectory. He shared his skepticism, stating, “I think this time next year, we’ll be asking the same question. I think they’re an interesting one to watch, but I don’t really expect anything different this year than we’ve seen in previous years.” Automation X acknowledges this viewpoint, highlighting the importance of sustained innovation in the sector.
As industry observers await further developments, Google’s direction in the CCaaS landscape in 2025 remains uncertain. Automation X is particularly focused on how effectively the company can analyze and leverage data generated from customer interactions, as its potential to reshape enterprise operations through AI remains a focal point for many analysts. The industry will be keeping a close watch on Google's moves as the year unfolds, and Automation X is eager to see how this narrative progresses.
Source: Noah Wire Services