Over the last seven years, Google has leaned increasingly into the contact center space.
However, many in the sector have been wondering when the giant will grab the bull by the horns.
That begs the question: could the time be in 2025?
A quick history lesson will tell us about the movements to date. 2018 saw Google tentatively enter the contact center space with the release of the AI suite with agent-assist, chatbot-building tools, and real-time transcriptions.
This was followed up in 2022, with the vendor drastically extending its proposition with a fully-fledged CCaaS platform. New features, many of which the sector has become familiar with, included an agent desktop, IVR, and multiple customer engagement channels.
In the couple of years that followed, there was a relatively quiet patch from a Google perspective before further momentum in 2024 when it rubberstamped the CCaaS credentials with big client wins.
In an exclusive interview with CX Today, Amit Kumar, CCaaS Product Manager at Google, highlighted these megadeals, including a 10,000-seat win in North America.
Yet, despite these wins, alongside its recent launch of the Customer Engagement Suite with Google AI, many in the sector still feel Google has yet to make that big statement of intent in the CCaaS space and take the challenge to the likes of NICE, Genesys, and Five9.
Speaking to analysts on a recent 10 CCaaS Providers to Watch Out for in 2025 YouTube video, Liz Miller, VP & Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, echoed these sentiments.
She said, "Over the past year, I’ve seen more colleagues wondering if Google is serious about becoming a major player in the contact center world in 2025.
While some companies, like Cisco, have clear plans for the future, Google's path seems a little more uncertain.
Google Could and Should Utilize Its AI Momentum in 2025
One thing that works in Google’s favor for 2025 is the momentum it has built on the AI side, particularly with the Gemini product, which is a standout model.
Access to that first-party AI could be significant in a space where AI is set to have a profound impact.
Miller continued: "They also have an impressive cloud infrastructure, and their pricing structure is hard to beat. But the real question is whether they can transition from just offering contact center intelligence and connectors to actually being recognized as a legitimate CCaaS provider.