Thanks to its tremendous resource pool, the question is not: can Google compete in CCaaS? Instead, it is: will Google compete in CCaaS? Is the incentive truly great enough for Google to go all-in?
Yes, the space is growing. Some suggest it will double in size by 2027. And Google has a significant opportunity to tie its CCaaS platform with Chrome and thrive in the browser-driven hybrid world.
However, its business is so skewed to search it's difficult to predict how serious it is about not only CCaaS but its entire enterprise business.
Even if it were to enter and take 10 percent of the world’s contact center seats, would that move the needle in its revenue goals?
This question plays on the mind of Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research. He states:
When you look at anything Google has ever done in business - whether it’s the Google Apps suite, Google Mail, Google Chat, and so on – they’ve never really invested the resources to make a strong go of it.
Some small businesses and companies that despise Microsoft often adopt these applications.
As a result, Google often ends up as the alternative choice, adopted by those frustrated with their existing solutions.
Always On the Outside Looking In
Google has become synonymous with sitting contently on the precipice. Almost there, but not quite, regarding many elements of the enterprise stack.
Kerravala gives the example of Google’s UC proposition. "For four or five years in a row, I predicted this is the year Google is going to make a run at UC, and they don’t."
In addition, when it comes to the contact center – and Microsoft will likely face this problem as it expands its CCaaS solution – "good enough" doesn’t cut the mustard.
After all, the contact center is central to many organizations' customer retention and acquisition strategies. It has to work, it must be reliable, and it needs to have many bells and whistles.
As a result, half-baked products are unlikely to make much of an impact in the space. Unfortunately, Google has somewhat of a history of delivering such solutions.
Consider its Apps suite. It is a longstanding feature within Google's enterprise business, yet it misses many of the advanced features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. As such, it is rarely used by many larger firms.
While speaking to CX Today, Kerravala added:
I think they will have some success in the smaller market, when you need a light set of features. But, as soon as you need to do anything advanced, Google tends to fall down.
Check out the full interview – which also ponders Salesforce’s CCaaS entrance - here: