Are you limited by your current contact center platform? Do you deal with too many features that are hard to customize and costly to grow?

The reality is that switching to a new one is too disruptive and painful!

Which leaves you stuck between an outdated system and a massive, risky project.

Here’s the way around this.

Adding a flexible AI agent system on top of your current or new contact center can solve this. And here is how it works.

Introducing Thunai: The AI Agent System for Enterprise Contact Centers

Thunai is an AI-powered agent platform that works with any communications system. What makes it different?

Well, Thunai is not another large system that you need to replace. Thunai is designed to be an AI tool that improves the ECC platforms you already use.

Thunai helps you automate complex customer questions. It can give real-time help to your human agents. It can also unify data from different systems. Thunai presents advanced AI functions in a connected way. 

This ECC automation and intelligence platform is made to arrange better customer experiences by improving your current technology. You do not have to abandon your existing systems. 

This method gives you great flexibility. It lets you stay with the best-fit CCaaS vendor but also makes sure you have the most powerful AI tools available.

An Overview of Top Genesys Alternatives

The business communications market is undergoing a major change. The separate fields of Unified Communications (UCaaS) for internal work and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) for external customers are coming together. 

Artificial Intelligence is at the center of this development. AI is no longer just an extra feature. It is now the main engine for modern platforms. 

This means Genesys, alongside any Genesys alternatives now used, offers a range of AI features from smart self-service bots to agent-assist copilots that give in-the-moment help. 

Why Thunai AI Agents Work With and Improve Genesys Alternatives

Picking a Genesys alternative like NICE CXone or Amazon Connect is a big decision. These platforms are very good at supplying scalable systems for omnichannel communications. However, they often have their own built-in AI solutions. 

This can lock you into a specific software family and limit your options. A strong dependence on the platform's own AI can make future changes difficult and costly.

1. Thunai AI Agents separate the AI functions from the main system. By using Thunai, you can build and manage your AI-powered automations and agent-assist tools on your own.
   
2. With Thunai, you can change your main CCaaS provider with little disturbance to your customer-facing AI experiences.
   
3. Thunai gives you a consistent, top-quality AI engine that works with any platform. This makes sure your spending on automation and agent support is safe for the future and not tied to one company's plans.

Key Benefits of Adding Thunai AI Agents to Existing Solutions

Adding a separate AI agent system like Thunai to your contact center operations creates powerful benefits. It increases the value of any CCaaS platform. By concentrating on smart automation and agent support, you can reach new levels of productivity and customer happiness.

• Protect Your AI Investment for the Future: Build your conversational AI bots, agent copilots, and automated workflows on the Thunai platform one time. If you choose to move from Avaya to Microsoft Teams later, your AI assets can be moved with ease.
  
• Fill Important Feature Gaps: Does your selected platform have few self-service options? Does it lack advanced agent-assist tools? Thunai immediately fills those gaps with modern AI.
  
• Gain True Vendor Independence: Avoid being locked into one company's software family for AI developments. Thunai lets you use the best system from one vendor and the most advanced AI from another. This gives you unmatched flexibility to build the exact solution your business requires.
  
• Speed Up Agent Onboarding and Skill: Use Thunai’s agent copilot to give real-time tips, automatic summaries, and knowledge base suggestions to your whole team. This greatly shortens training time for new staff.
  
• Unify Cross-Platform Analytics: If your company uses multiple platforms, Thunai can act as a single intelligence center. It can analyze interactions across different systems. This gives you one complete view of your customer journey and support performance.

Top Genesys Alternatives Summarized

1. Nice CXone

NICE has a long background in compliance and analytics. Its 2016 purchase of inContact was a key part of its change into a CCaaS leader, creating the CXone platform.

Positioned as a direct competitor to Genesys for AI-first customer experience automation, NICE CXone is a unified, cloud-native platform built around its Enlighten AI engine. 

One of the issues with this Genesys alternative is its complexity and high cost. Some feel it has too many features and costs too much for companies with simple needs.

Nice CXone Key Feature

• AI and Automation: NICE provides a suite of specialized AI tools, including Enlighten Copilot for real-time agent guidance, Enlighten Autopilot for customer self-service, and Enlighten Actions to generate operational insights from data.
  
• Omnichannel Engagement: CXone supports over 40 digital and voice channels, which are managed through a universal queue and presented to agents in a consolidated inbox called My Agent eXperience (MAX).
  
• Workforce Engagement Management (WEM): The platform features a comprehensive WEM suite that includes AI-powered forecasting and scheduling, quality management, performance gamification, and full interaction and screen recording

Nice CXone Pricing

CXone Mpower Digital Agent ($71/agent/month) to comprehensive suites like the Complete Suite ($209) and Ultimate Suite ($249).

2. Avaya

With a history connected to AT&T and Lucent Technologies, Avaya was a top name in on-premise contact center hardware for a long time. The company is making a difficult move to the cloud.

The main complaints about this top Genesys alternative are that the user experience can be difficult to use and looks old. The company's history of financial problems is also a background worry for partners.

Avaya Key Features:

• Unified Communications (Avaya Cloud Office): This offering provides enterprise-grade voice, video, and messaging with over 100 integrations and availability in over 15 countries.
  
• Customer Experience (Avaya Experience Platform): AXP is built to orchestrate customer journeys by blending AI, self-service, and live agent assistance into a single ecosystem.
  
• Hybrid Cloud and On-Premise Solutions: Avaya continues to support its widely used on-premise platforms like Avaya Aura and Avaya IP Office, offering a clear migration path for customers with significant legacy investments.

Avaya Pricing

Core plan at $20 per user/month with an annual subscription. This plan includes unlimited domestic calling and HD video meetings for up to 100 participants.

3. Amazon Connect

Amazon Connect began as the internal customer service technology for Amazon's large retail business. This is one of the top Genesys alternatives that was only later released to the public by AWS.

Built on AWS systems, it is highly scalable and connects deeply with AWS AI services like Amazon Lex for bots and Amazon Q in Connect for a generative AI assistant.

Users often mention the usage-based pricing as a big plus, with one person reporting 80% cost savings. But this flexibility has a trade-off. It requires skilled developers to put together a full-featured contact center.

Amazon Connect Key Features:

• AI and Automation: The platform deeply integrates with AWS's AI services. 

• Amazon Q: in Connect provides a generative AI-powered assistant for agents, while Contact Lens offers real-time conversational analytics and sentiment analysis.

• Omnichannel Flow: A key design principle is the use of a single, unified "contact flow" to design customer experiences across both voice and chat, which simplifies administration.

• Scalability and Reliability: Built on the global AWS infrastructure, Amazon Connect offers inherent scalability and can automatically handle unpredictable spikes in contact volume without manual intervention.
  

Amazon Connect Pricing:

Pay-as-you-go model.

4. 8x8

8x8 has changed from a semiconductor designer to a key company using the XCaaS (eXperience Communications as a Service) model. Its main product is a single platform that combines unified communications (UCaaS) and contact center (CCaaS) functions. 

This is one of the Genesys alternatives that give a unified solution for all employee and customer communications. This design is meant to break down silos and make managing multiple vendors simpler. 

It is also known for good customer support. That said, a common complaint is the complexity of the admin section, which some describe as difficult to understand and needing a lot of training.

8x8 Key Features:

• Unified Communications (8x8 Work): This component provides global voice calling, video meetings for up to 500 participants, and team chat, with unlimited calling to up to 48 countries depending on the plan.

• Contact Center (8x8 Contact Center): This module provides omnichannel routing (voice, web chat, email, SMS, social), an intuitive agent workspace, and AI-powered features like intelligent IVR and speech analytics.

• Communications APIs (CPaaS): 8x8 offers a suite of APIs for SMS, chat apps, voice, and video, allowing businesses to embed communication features into their applications.

8x8 Pricing:

Business phone plans starting at the X2 Edition for $25 per user/month. Higher tiers expand the global calling zones but get more expensive.

5. Nextiva

Nextiva has a platform for managing the entire customer journey. This Genesys alternatives plan is to bring together all customer interactions into a single platform with AI and automation. 

This includes voice, digital channels, social media, and online reviews. Its platform uniquely gathers conversations from channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Yelp into one agent inbox. 

Common complaints are that the platform can be costly compared to others and that the mobile app has been reported to be faulty.

Nextiva Key Features:

• Unified Communications: Nextiva provides a full suite of UC features, including business VoIP, video meetings, and team chat, accessible through the NextivaONE app.

• Omnichannel Engagement: The platform unifies interactions across a wide array of channels, including voice, chat, SMS, email, social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and online review sites (Google, Yelp), routing them into a single agent inbox.

• AI and Automation: The platform uses AI for features like voicemail transcription, sentiment analysis, and automated follow-ups, and includes a workflow engine to automate business processes.

Nextiva Pricing:

Core plan at $15/user/month. More advanced contact center solutions start at the Power Suite CX plan for $75/user/month.

6. Teams Telephony

Microsoft Teams Phone is not a separate product. It is an add-on that turns the widely used Teams application into a cloud-based phone system. Microsoft's plan is to give a deeply connected voice solution to the millions of users already in the Microsoft 365 family of products. Its strength is the smooth user experience.

This Genesys alternative lets employees manage calls, chats, and meetings in one familiar application. This is improved by AI features like Copilot for call summaries.

For contact center functions, Microsoft uses certified third-party connections from companies like Genesys and NICE. The service is seen as dependable with high-quality calls.

Teams Telephony Key Features:

• Intelligent Calling: The platform is enhanced by AI features like Copilot, which can provide real-time call transcription and generate AI-powered summaries and action items.

• PSTN Connectivity Options: Microsoft offers multiple ways to connect to the public telephone network, including its own Calling Plans, Operator Connect with third-party operators, or Direct Routing for businesses to use their own carrier.

• Unified Experience: The primary strength is the seamless integration into the Teams client, allowing users to manage calls, chats, meetings, and files within a single, familiar application

Teams Telephony Pricing:

Teams Phone Standard license ($8/user/month), and a PSTN connectivity plan (starting at $12/user/month), bringing the minimum cost to around $24 per month.

7. Zendesk Suite

Zendesk's main purpose has always been customer service. It started with email ticketing and grew into an omnichannel customer service solution.

The platform's main strength is its powerful ticketing system. It tracks and solves support requests from any channel in a unified Agent Workspace. 

This is a Genesys alternative that uses AI to run self-service help centers, automate common questions with AI Agents, and help human agents with a generative AI Copilot.

The unified ticketing system is always named as its biggest strength. Complaints often relate to its price, which can get high as teams grow. 

Zendesk Suite Key Features:

• Omnichannel Ticketing System: This is Zendesk's core strength. It brings conversations from email, web forms, live chat, messaging apps, and voice into a single, unified ticketing system.

• Help Center and Self-Service: The Genesys alternative provides robust tools for building a smart, public-facing knowledge base, empowering customers to find their own answers and deflecting common inquiries.

• AI and Automation: Zendesk uses AI to power Al Agents that resolve common requests, and a Copilot that provides generative AI tools to assist human agents with summarizing tickets and refining replies.
  

Zendesk Suite Pricing:

Suite Team plan starts at $55 and includes the core ticketing system, messaging, and voice support.

A Comparison of Top Genesys Alternatives

The table below points out key differences in the top Genesys alternatives and their functions. It shows how leaders like NICE CXone give complete native suites. It also shows how others, like Microsoft Teams, depend on partners for key items like WEM and advanced contact center features. 

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How Thunai Connects Smoothly with Leading Contact Center Platforms

Thunai is built to connect easily with the platforms you already trust. Connecting it is not a project that takes months of work. It is a direct process designed for speed. 

• For web-based platforms like Zendesk or your own CRM systems, Thunai agents can be set up through a simple code snippet. For voice-based systems like Avaya or Amazon Connect, Thunai links through standard APIs to analyze conversations and give real-time agent help.
  
• This flexibility means you can begin with a small project. For instance, you could add a Thunai-powered chatbot to your website.
  
• You can then grow to give AI-powered agent coaching to your whole voice team. Because Thunai works with any platform, the setup process is consistent and can be repeated.
  
• Thunai lets you use advanced AI functions across your entire technology setup without being locked into one company's tools.

Real-World Examples: Improving Contact Centers with Thunai AI Agents

The real power of a separate AI system is clear in how it is used.

• Think of an e-commerce company that uses 8x8 for its combined UCaaS and CCaaS platform. They use Thunai to handle support questions after a sale, like "Where is my order?". The AI agent can answer this instantly by connecting with their shipping company's API.
  
• Thunai handles thousands of calls that would otherwise go to human agents. It frees them up to manage complex sales and product questions.
  
• Thunai automates call scoring across 100% of your calls, allowing you to score agents confidently and with accuracy.
  
• Think of a large financial company with a big investment in Avaya's on-premise system. They add Thunai’s Agent Copilot to their setup, automating support 24/7.
  
• Moreover, Thunai AI listens to calls in real time, giving agents on-screen tips to follow compliance rules and general feedback. It also automatically summarizes each call in their CRM.
  
• Thunai cuts down on manual work, makes sure support and sales SOPs are followed, and improves the agent experience. It does all this without needing a disruptive move to the cloud.

How to Choose the Right Genesys Alternative and Improve It with Thunai

Picking a new communications platform is a big decision. It requires a complete internal review of your needs. Before you look at vendors, your company should answer several key questions. This will help you narrow down the choices to those that fit your business.

1. What is your main goal? Are you trying to lower costs with a pay-as-you-go model like Amazon Connect? Or do you need deep enterprise features and are willing to pay more for a platform like NICE CXone?
   
2. What is your operational need? Is your main requirement a powerful contact center (CCaaS)? Do you need an internal teamwork tool (UCaaS)? Or do you want a fully unified platform for both (XCaaS) like 8x8 or Nextiva?
   
3. What is your level of technical skill? Does your company have in-house developers who can use a very flexible, API-first platform like Amazon Connect? Or do you need a solution that works out of the box?
   
4. Which financial model do you prefer? Does your finance team like the predictable budget of a tiered SaaS subscription? Or does your business's changing demand make a usage-based model a better fit?

Getting Started: Using Thunai AI Agents for Maximum Impact

Do not let platform limits control your customer experience. In the age of AI, it is not sensible to be limited by the built-in tools of one of the many Genesys alternatives.

Thunai can speed up your automation and agent support projects. This frees your team for the complex, high-value conversations that truly increase customer happiness.

With Thunai’s AI Agent system, you get:

• AI That Works with Any Vendor: Use smart virtual agents and agent copilots that work smoothly with NICE, Avaya, Amazon Connect, and any other platform.
  
• Quick Setup: Forget about long setup times. Add powerful AI to your workflows in days, not months, through simple code snippets and APIs.
  
• Unified Intelligence: Give your whole support team—agents, managers, and customers—instant, correct answers and help from a single, central AI brain.

Are you ready to see your contact center numbers get better, no matter which Genesys alternatives you use?
Try Thunai for free and see the change in your support!

FAQs for Genesys Alternatives

Who are the competitors of Genesys Cloud?

The major Genesys alternatives or competitors of Genesys Cloud are NICE CXone, Avaya, Amazon Connect, 8x8, Nextiva, Microsoft Teams Telephony, and Zendesk Suite. NICE CXone is positioned as a direct competitor for leadership in AI-first customer experience automation.

Is Genesys better than Avaya?

Genesys is presented as a leader for large, complex contact centers requiring advanced AI and comprehensive Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) suites. Avaya is positioned as the top Genesys alternative or option for enterprises with significant on-premise investments that need a gradual path to the cloud.

Is Genesys SaaS or PaaS?

Genesys Cloud is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. It uses a tiered SaaS model where customers pay a recurring subscription fee per user

What AI does Genesys Cloud use?

Genesys Cloud embeds an "AI Everywhere" philosophy into its platform for "Experience Orchestration". Its practical AI tools include Agent Copilot for real-time agent assistance, Predictive Routing to match customers with the best agent, and Virtual Agents for self-service.