Best NICE CXone Alternatives for 2024

If you’re looking for a reliable alternative to NICE CXone as your contact center solution, this post covers other options we recommend.

Luckily, there are some solid alternatives if NICE isn’t the system for you. Let’s get started.

• Five9
• Talkdesk
• Genesys
• RingCentral
• Dialpad

NICE CXone Alternative

1. Five9 -  Best customer service and feature set for increasing agent efficiency
2. Talkdesk - Best for small to mid-size blended call centers
3. Genesys - Best for inbound calling with many digital channels
4. RingCentral - Best for collaborative contact centers + video
5. Dialpad - Best for AI features, and sales teams

Five9 - Best For Increasing Agent Efficiency, feature set

Five9 is a cloud contact center named a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant due to its cutting-edge conversational AI tools.

Five’s platform allows businesses to engage with customers on any channel with the help of automation and workforce engagement tools designed to streamline call center operations and increase customer satisfaction.

Five9 is a Good Alternative if You Need:

• Workflow automation: Five9’s intuitive platform allows users to create low code/no code workflow automations connecting customer data across the cloud.
• High quality customer support: Five9 offers world class 24/7 customer service to all users.
• To build a customer self-service system: Five9 includes a number of tools for self-service such as voicebots, chatbots, and intelligent virtual agents (IVAs).
• Omnichannel Communication: Platform streamlines numerous communications channels, uniting VoIP calling, SMS, Whatsapp, text messaging, etc.

• Digital first IVAs: Users can build intelligent virtual agents that serve as self-service chatbots or voicebots.
• Call center quality monitoring: Supervisors can silently monitor live calls, offer agents “whisper coaching”, or barge in on calls. The QM status of each agent is color-coded and visible to other supervisors.
• Call and screen recording: Includes synchronized voice/screen playback and digital channel transcription.

Price

Five9 offers three pricing plans outlined below:

• Core/Digital Plan ($149 per user/month): Includes voice or digital channel functionality with recording, auto dialing, agent desktop, and workflow automation
• Premium ($169 per user/month): Adds on essential quality management features
• Optimum ($199 per user/month): Adds on enterprise workforce management features
• Ultimate ($229 per user/month): Adds on interaction analytics

User Experience

Five9 users report that the platform is easy to use with an intuitive user interface. Automations can be built with low or no code. Account management is also flexible and managers can scale licenses on a monthly basis.

Talkdesk - Best for small to mid-size blended call centers

Talkdesk is a call center software provider that offers intelligent routing features, real-time analytics, and workforce management capabilities. Where Talkdesk really shines is with its industry-specific packages.

Talkdesk has two packages for the Financial services sector: Banking and insurance. Both packages feature industry-specific virtual agents, pre-built workflows and integrations, and the option to add on both WFM and customer experience analytics.

Talkdesk is a Good Alternative if You Need:

• A small call center solution: Talkdesk is more affordable than NICE CXone with a “voice only” option, making it a better choice for small businesses
• High quality customer support: Talkdesk customers have praised the provider for its onboarding support, ticket tracking, and customer-agent communication
• A highly secure platform: Talkdesk has more than 30 security certifications including HIPAA, GDPR, and the industry’s only ISO 22301 Business Continuity certification
• Generative AI-powered analytics: Managers use generative AI to draw insights from customer interactions
• Real time dashboards: Users create custom dashboards that compare performance with SLAs and key metrics
• Mobile App: Agents can handle outbound and inbound calls from mobile devices with Talkdesk Conversations mobile app for Android and iOS
• IVR call routing: Route calls based on caller data, IVR selection, business hours, agent skills, etc.

Price

Talkdesk offers three pricing plans:

• CX Cloud Essential ($75 per user/month): Includes inbound/outbound/hybrid voice functionality along with IVR and API access
• CX Cloud Elevate ($95 per user/month): Adds on chat, email and SMS channels along with screen recording and quality management
• CX Cloud Elite ($125 per user/month): Adds on custom reporting and the choice of WFM, customer experience analytics, agent assist, pr proactive outbound engagement

Talkdesk also offers industry specific packages with pre-built workflows, integrations, and 100% uptime SLA. Industry package users can select two add ons (WFM, customer experience analytics, agent assist, etc.)

Specific industry packages include: 

• Banking
• Insurance
• Healthcare
• Retail and sales teams
• FedRAMP certified (ability to meet the highest security standards for information confidentiality, integrity, and availability)

User Experience

Talkdesk offers a lot of customization options, particularly when it comes to analytics. While this offers users a lot of flexibility, it also means there is a steep learning curve.

Several users have complained that the reporting and workforce management dashboards are complicated to use.

Genesys - Best for inbound calling with various digital channels

Genesys is a cloud-based CCaaS provider offering voice, digital, and combined voice/digital call center systems that enable companies to build customer self-service solutions, engage across channels, and leverage AI-powered automation and analytics.

Genesys is a great choice for SMBs due to its affordable prices, user-friendly interface, and 24/7 customer support.

Genesys is a Good Alternative if You Need:

• To improve customer service: Genesys includes a number of tools for customer service including AI-powered chatbots, knowledge management, co-browsing and screen share
• Fast and easy adoption without IT assistance: Genesys has an intuitive interface that makes it simple and quick to build routing flows, create voice bots, and connect with customers across channels
• To motivate agents: Genesys includes several WFM and WEM tools to motivate and improve employee performance such as gamification and automated workflows for after-call work, time-off approvals, and trades
• SMS and social media messaging: Communicate with customers on any digital channel with automations, asynchronous conversations, and unified agent dashboards
• Virtual assistants and predictive engagement: AI-powered assistants reach out to every customer and respond to questions using natural language processing
• Work forecasting and scheduling: Create call volume forecasts in minutes and generate, adjust, and publish work schedules accordingly
• Live chat: Create a web chat system for customers with quick reply and file sharing capabilities

Price

Genesys offers three CCaaS pricing plans:

• Genesys Cloud CX 1 ($75/user/mo.): Includes inbound/outbound voice calling with Interactive Voice Response and real-time and historical reporting
• Genesys Cloud CX 2 ($95/user/mo. for digital only or $115/user/mo. for digital and voice): Adds on SMS, messaging, digital outbound campaigns, etc.
• Genesys Cloud CX 3 ($135/user/mo. for digital only or $155/user/mo. for digital and voice): Adds on workforce engagement tools such as forecasting, scheduling, and gamification

User Experience

Genesys offers a minimalist user interface with clear audio, fast and easy setup, and user friendly dashboards. Some Genesys users have reported issues with the Genesys agent leaderboard and the Genesys mobile app.

RingCentral - Best For Collaborative Contact Centers

RingCentral Contact Center is a reliable and secure cloud phone system and contact center platform that provides users with a plethora of advanced features (including AI-powered speech analytics) and integration options.

RingCentral Contact Center users also have access to RingCentral robust video conferencing platform, which includes features such as video recording, waiting room, AI-powered live transcription, and noise cancellation.

RingCentral is a Good Alternative if You Need:

• Scalability: RingCentral has an affordable contact center solution with limited analytics, but users can scale up to add users and advanced features quickly and easily
• Workforce engagement: WEM tools can be purchased as an add-on by any RingCentral user and are included in upper tier pricing plans
• Video conferencing: RingCentral includes its native enterprise-grade video conferencing platform for all contact center users
• Feedback and coaching: RingCentral includes built-in supervisor tools including call monitoring, whisper, and barge

• AI-powered keyword tracking: Admins can create custom concept or key phrase trackers in addition to built-in trackers for common sales categories

• Auto dialing: RingCentral Contact Center offers preview, predictive, and progressive auto dialers as an add-on

• Real-time AI agent assist: Leverages AI and NLP to offer agents suggested replies or automate tasks while they are communicating with customers

Price

RingCentral offers two pricing plans

• RingCX (starting at $65/user/mo.): Includes unlimited domestic inbound and manual outbound minutes with video, 20+ digital channels, IVR, call recording, post-call speech analytics, etc.
• RingCentral Contact Center: Includes 30+ digital channels, adds on screen and digital recording, journey analytics, etc.

User Experience

RingCentral’s platform is user-friendly with intuitive agent dashboards and several customizable analytics templates. The main complaint that users have is with the frequency of updates and how much the updates alter the look and feel of the platform.

Dialpad AI Contact Center - Best For Workforce Management,  Engagement. and hybrid sales teams

Dialpad AI Contact Center is a virtual contact center platform that allows agents to communicate with customers across channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple Business Chat under one pane of glass.

As its name suggests, Dialpad AI focuses heavily on AI, ML, and NLP innovation and includes many AI-powered tools such as live caller sentiment analysis, real-time analytics, and flexible call routing.

Dialpad is a Good Alternative if You Need:

• A helpdesk solution: Dialpad includes several tools to help agents provide helpdesk support such as AI-powered popup cards
• Reliability: All Dialpad AI Contact Center plans come with a 99.9% uptime SLA
• Flexibility and Scalability: All Dialpad Contact Center users have the option to add digital channels and/or advanced features like live assist, AI scorecards, etc.
• Automated voicemail and callback: Allows customers to specify which number they want to be called back on and at what time
• Real-time speech analysis: Analyzes ongoing calls tracking for customer sentiment, keywords, challenging questions, etc.
• Custom wallboards: Displays real-time data and insights in an intuitive dashboard with gamification and goal setting capabilities
• Video meetings: Robust video conferencing platform with screen sharing, meeting lock, waiting room, etc. Up to 150 participants with 5 hour meeting duration

Price

Dialpad AI Contact Center offers three pricing tiers:

• Essentials Plan ($80 per user/mo.): Includes, IVR, automatic call distribution (ACD), call recording, video meetings, etc. with the option to add on more advanced features

• Advanced Plan ($115 per user/mo.): Adds on real-time and live assist, custom moments, digital virtual agent, etc.
• Premium Plan ($150 per user/mo.): Adds on all digital channels, AI scorecards and AI CSAT

User Experience

Dialpad’s UI for both the desktop and mobile app is intuitive and user friendly. Although there are less customization options than other providers, Dialpad AI Contact Center offers fast adoption and quick setup.

Final Thoughts

If you are still unsure which CCaaS solution you should choose, here are some more tips for you.

When to Use NICE CXone

• For an international calling solution: NICE CXone offers voice services in over 200 countries.
• If you need a completely custom solution: NICE CXone is an open cloud platform allowing users to utilize APIs and SDKs, or choose from over 140 out-of-the-box integrations.
• For workforce engagement management or optimization (WEM/WFO): NICE CXone’s platform includes WEM tools such as AI-powered forecasting, scheduling, and more.

When to for an Alternative

• If your company doesn’t have a full-time IT department: NICE CXone users have complained about complex interfaces and difficult to reach customer support.
• If low cost is a priority: NICE CXone can get expensive, especially if advanced features are needed. Other low-cost alternatives include Nextiva, Vonage, and Cloudtalk.
• If you frequently use video conferencing: NICE CXone does not include native video conferencing. If you know you will be having video meetings often, you might consider Zoom Contact Center, RingCentral, or Dialpad.