In our modern world, remote work and communication are becoming increasingly prevalent. For this reason, it’s time for businesses to get serious about their call centers. One of the top contenders for call center services is Five9 and this review and alternatives will give you a clear look at what’s available.
People are avoiding in-person contact where possible, which includes customer service needs. In fact, 44% of people in a recent survey reported phone or voice was their preference for customer service. Their second choice is instant messaging and live chat at 23%. Not to mention, the customer service industry is growing at a rapid pace. The industry’s expected growth is to reach $93 billion by 2022. That’s roughly a 25.2% growth since 2017. In addition, 15 million people work as call center employees. This value should increase by 15% in 2022.
With all this in mind, you might come to the conclusion that it’s time to upgrade your call center software. You can improve your center operations through cloud-based, real-time, multi-communications solutions. By finding software that offers cloud phones, auto-dialer, and the ability to manage contacts, your operations and service will improve. Check out a complete review of Five9, an industry leader in cloud contact center software. If you’re not sold on their services, there is a list of alternatives in this article as well.
Table of Contents
What is Five9?
Five9 is a corporate leader in cloud contact center software. This software is a comprehensive suite of applications, tools, and cloud-hosted services. It manages multiple communication channels, such as phone calls and messaging. Large corporations benefit from using cloud contact center software. Five9 may or may not be a good fit for small businesses.
Five9’s goal is to transform customer service centers into powerful, capable, and excellent customer engagement centers. They alleviate the stress of technology. This allows call center employees to focus on servicing clients who contact the organization.
Currently, Five9 has been in operation for over 20 years. They service over 2,000 customers which equates to over 7 billion customer interactions annually. Founded in 2001, Five9 quickly became a leader in the cloud revolution for contact centers. Their name is actually derived from “99.999%” because this is their guaranteed uptime rate. Five9 was a very early entrant in cloud communication software, but the landscape has changed over the last 20 years.
Why Five9?
As a result of the pandemic, more people are managing their lives through the Internet. This includes contacting customer service when they have a problem. For this reason, effective, integrated communications tools are more important than ever before.
Five9 offers a complete solution for companies looking to enhance their customer service portal. The organization makes it its mission to prioritize the customer experiences. They also offer customizations to the software, security, and opportunities to empower your customer service center agents.
In addition, Five9 is an industry leader in cloud contact center software. They were one of the first businesses to bring this service to the market. With years of knowledge, they are one of the best providers and can help you with any of your needs. Finally, Five9 has partnered with many established, large businesses. They all report a positive experience which means it’s a service you can trust.
However, if your company uses Salesforce as a CRM, then it would be best to use Fastcall as it is the only Salesforce native contact center app.
Five9 Review
Below is an in-depth review of Five9’s services.
Five9’s Features
- Call, email, text, social media, chatting and more unified communications
- Agent empowerment
- Customer relationship management integration
- Reporting and analytics to help your business make more informed decisions
- Workflow automation and optimization
- Tools for supervisors
- Custom solutions for different sectors, such as financial services, healthcare, education and more
- Services available for small, medium and large organizations
Best for
Five9 is an optimal solution for businesses that don’t mind paying a little extra in exchange for user-friendly, easy-to-learn software. The company also boasts an impressive guarantee of 99.999% in call uptime. Five9 works with larger companies within various sectors. For this reason, they’re not always a great fit for small or medium-sized teams.
Pros
- User friendly and easy to learn
- Knowledgeable support team
- Customizable software
- Top tier performance
Cons
- More expensive than more affordable competitors like Fastcall
- Higher cost with multiple users
- Reporting is slow and inefficient
- Salesforce package has negative reviews.
Pricing
Five9 has 4 plans: Core, Premium, Optimum and Ultimate. As you go up each tier, more services and integrations are available. Five9’s pricing starts at $100 per month. However, for a full quote, you need to reach out to Five9 directly.
Five9 Alternatives
If you’re not sold on Five9’s services yet, you have options. There are many companies offering cloud contact center software solutions. Because of this, Five9 competitors are fierce. Below is a list of Five9 top competitors.
Fastcall
Fastcall is a cloud-based sales dialer and phone service. It is specially designed for businesses that use Salesforce. They offer click-to-dial and dial-to-call. As well as real-time messaging to improve productivity and generate sales quickly.
Best for: Businesses who are already using Salesforce.
Key features:
- Customer recognition
- Dial-by-list
- Click-to-dial
- Custom dashboards
- Inbound and outbound calls
- Outbound calls
- Call routing and recording conversations
- Call transfer
- SMS
- Native integration with the Salesforce Mobile app
Pros:
- Custom features and dashboards to fit your business’ needs
- #1 Salesforce Native App for Phone, SMS, and Video
- Customer recognition
- Worldwide calling and omnichannel support
- Concurrent calls
- Call recording and live listening
Cons: Only works within Salesforce
Pricing:
Essential: $24/user/month
Pro: $49/user/month
Custom pricing available.
3CX
Founded in 2005, 3CX offers a holistic solution for calls, video conferencing, messaging, and live chatting. The company operates in 190 countries and has over 600,000 customers. You can use it with any IP phone or SIP trunk provider. It’s specifically designed for remote work, including the ability to work with mobile devices and web browsers.
Best for: Companies looking for an affordable, versatile solution.
Key features:
- Offers calls, video conferencing, messaging and live chatting all in one place
- Designed for remote work
- Affordable service
- Award winning company
- Operates internationally
Pros: Easy to manage and install; low cost to purchase and maintain; available on-premise or hosted
Cons: Poor integrations; setup can be overwhelming; dated desktop/windows application; requires a server
Pricing:
Standard: $100 per year if hosting; free if licensing
Pro: $100 per year if hosting; $210 per year if licensing
Enterprise: $100 per year if hosting; $260 per year if licensing
Aircall
Originating in Paris, AirCall is a cloud-based phone system with 10,000 users worldwide. Customers especially love the company’s wide range of 80+ integrations, including its Salesforce integration.
Best for: Companies that require multiple integrations
Key features:
- 80+ integrations, including CRM integration
- Power dialer software
- Call recording and call monitoring
- Advanced analytics
- Click-to-dial
- Unlimited US and Canada calling
Pros: Free trial, extremely user-friendly platform, and easy installation
Cons: Salesforce is not a core focus
Pricing:
Essentials: $30/user/month
Professional: $50/user/month
Custom: Contact for custom pricing
Choosing a Contact Center Software
With so many options on the market, choosing a solution can be daunting. If you use Salesforce then the best tool for you would be Fastcall. Otherwise, use this list as a helpful guide for making an informed decision.
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