The Forrester Wave™: Digital Customer Interaction Solutions, Q2 2024

Digital Customer Interaction Solutions Vendor Product Comparisons 2024

Key features and pros and cons of top Digital Customer Interaction Solutions products:

ASAPP - Leaders

Pros:

Undisputed leader in AI-led innovation with deep AI research contributions
Market-leading genAI capabilities with high adoption rates among reference customers
Exceptional AI capabilities and intuitive, effective agent workspace
AutoCompose and AutoSummary features improve interaction efficiency
AutoSummary transforms unstructured transcripts into structured data elements for analytics
Pricing based on interactions, not seats, simplifying AI solution adoption

Cons:

Intentional underinvestment in voice, social care, and case management
Absence of agent-led proactive outreach to support digital interaction orchestration
Prioritizes integrating with leading solutions rather than building comprehensive capabilities
Falls short in customer community building approach

Sprinklr - Leaders

Pros:

Most feature-complete solution in the market
Unified data, AI, channels, and functions on single platform
One of very few vendors earning top marks for digital interaction orchestration
One of even fewer earning top marks for agent workspace
Workspace can be configured to adjust dynamically based on case metadata
Intense level of customization supported with dynamic adaptation
Strong global partner network supporting contact center market share growth
Reference customers praise responsiveness and openness to collaboration

Cons:

High level of customization makes platform much harder to manage
Reference customers note customizations increase management complexity
Requires enterprise appetite and capability for extensive configuration

[24]7.ai - Challengers

Pros:

Unique multimodal engagement approaches including Active Share product
Voice agents can share content with customers through digital channels
Unique entry points for chat and messaging, such as interactive ads with embedded chat widgets
Reference customers appreciate solution's ease of use and adoption
Combines technology with human intelligence through engagement cloud platform

Cons:

Undergoing tech transition that remains incomplete
DCIS customers still rely on legacy product that is not competitive with today's market
Lacks sophistication in generative AI and interaction automation
Approach to integrations is below par
Vision centers on outsourcing services rather than technology leadership
Roadmap lacks concrete timelines with focus on workforce engagement, not DCIS
Digital outsourcing practice has taken focus from technology capabilities

eGain - Contenders

Pros:

Superior strength in knowledge management in this market
Knowledge solution supports customer-, admin-, and agent-facing use cases
Proven support for large-scale outbound messaging and notification programs
Supports multiple channels including physical mail for Fortune 100 companies
Only vendor achieving FedRAMP Moderate Impact Authorization
Strong partner ecosystem with deep relationships with Cisco and Avaya
Many customers select it exclusively for improving agent knowledge

Cons:

Innovation and roadmap focus oriented around genAI enhancements for knowledge hub with little focus on conversation hub
Conversation analytics are lacking compared to knowledge analytics
Interaction design tools less comprehensive than top-scoring vendors
Fewer features optimized for high-scale asynchronous messaging
Broader DCIS capabilities fall behind while capitalizing on genAI for knowledge

Gladly - Strong Performers

Pros:

Closest any vendor comes to offering channel-agnostic approach to interaction management
Excels at digital interaction orchestration
Enables both agents and customers to move fluidly across channels during interactions
Native voice capabilities for both agent-assisted and automated interactions
Powerful issue routing and resolution capabilities
Exceptional ease of use - users can be trained 'in hours, not days'
Differentiated customer-centric vision placing customer at center of operations
Strong roadmap focused on infusing AI more deeply and upleveling analytics

Cons:

Largest gap is in analytics - relatively thin reports and analytics compared to others
Reference customers acknowledge solution's shortcomings in analytics domain
Features must catch up to unique vision
Strong focus on user adoption requires customers to align with customer-centric vision

iAdvize - Strong Performers

Pros:

Excels at conversational commerce
Supports several pre- and postsales use cases
Powerful product recommendation via genAI
Market-leading genAI capabilities with significant adoption
Extremely intuitive tooling for interaction design
Approach to defining proactive engagement campaigns is notable highlight
Strong approach to innovation
Roadmap embraces out-of-the-box thinking
Reference clients appreciate commitment to thinking outside the box

Cons:

Lacks cross-channel orchestration - should improve digital interaction orchestration capabilities
Does not offer natively: voice, outbound messaging, and native knowledge base
Community and partner ecosystem below par for this market
References noted lack of support across time zones
Would benefit from investing in partner network or staff to fill time zone gaps

Intercom - Strong Performers

Pros:

Excels in issue routing and resolution
Modern take on ticket management blending ongoing interactions with back-office task tracking
Workflows feature is standout capability - no-code design canvas with extremely flexible capabilities
Can build automations of all kinds including customer-facing bots, proactive campaigns, agent automations
Specializes in tech-forward industries including fintech, e-commerce, and SaaS
Well-aligned recent innovations with strategy
Roadmap promises compelling enhancements to already strong solution

Cons:

Supports fewer digital channels than others in evaluation
Approach to digital operations is too asynchronous, likely holdover from email ticket orientation
Lacks broad market appeal - focused on tech platforms
Approach to adoption is hands-off, prioritizing self-service documentation
Shines in AI-driven service for tech platforms but lacks broad market appeal

Khoros - Contenders

Pros:

Tools for developing seamless experiences across digital channels without rework
One of market's strongest solutions for social care
Extensive support for social channels and review sites
Reference customers value ability to support marketing, service, and community use cases
Robust social media engagement capabilities
Combines strengths of legacy Lithium and Spredfast platforms with strategic acquisitions

Cons:

Vision and strategy for this market are unfocused and disconnected from today's market needs
Innovation approach raises questions - deployed few competitive innovations in past year
Roadmap disproportionately focused on self-service knowledge and automation
Generative AI capabilities feel unfinished, sentiment shared by reference customers
Agent-facing tooling is weak compared to other vendors with unintuitive tools
Reference customers wish integrating with other systems was easier
Integration requires change order and development effort

LivePerson - Strong Performers

Pros:

Enduring stalwart with three decades of consistent presence and reputation
Exceptional commitment to customer success
Ensures adoption of technologies and operational best practices
Unique 'Daily Active Relationship' pricing model allowing unlimited interactions within single day
Robust partner ecosystem focused on expanding across geographies and verticals
Multiple avenues for customer community building
Equipped to meet demands of most extensive enterprise messaging operations
Supports largest number of simultaneous messaging interactions among vendors
Dynamic capacity adjusts agent capacity on demand

Cons:

Strategy is more grounded than groundbreaking
Risks significant market share without more forward-looking vision
Provides sufficient digital channel support but lacks effective strategies to encourage consumer adoption
Limited to standard IVR-to-digital approach for channel adoption acceleration
Aims to be enterprise 'bridge' from telephony-centric to digital - pragmatic but not visionary

Unblu - Strong Performers

Pros:

Excels at digital interaction orchestration
Enables advisors to engage via messaging and easily shift to voice or video conversation
Support for document collaboration
Strong emphasis on security and compliance for regulated industries
Unique in supporting cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments with consistent features
Reference customers praise state-of-the-art integration capabilities and extensibility
Specialized digital customer interaction platform for financial services sector
Expertly tailors common DCIS product paradigms to meet needs of financial professionals

Cons:

Many weaknesses underscored by narrow focus on financial services
Social care and digital workforce optimization not major priorities
Needs to prioritize closing gaps in interaction automation and generative AI to stay competitive
May not have market's most 'advanced' features due to specialized focus
Focuses on financial services with specialized rather than sprawling capabilities

Verint - Contenders

Pros:

Strong knowledge management solution
Capabilities for supporting agent- and customer-facing knowledge
Good all-around solution offering modern messaging and social channels
Options for BYO telephony
Single-purpose 'bots' support workflows like interaction wrap-up and agent-led schedule changes
Open CCaaS platform champions 'open' approach
Places contact center automation and digital channels at center of platform decision

Cons:

Bot-centric strategy sidelines core DCIS investment
Innovation investments spread thin across vast portfolio, leaving core DCIS capabilities untouched
Integrations are more challenging
Does not offer publicly available API documentation unlike most vendors
Recent innovations focused on single-purpose automation bots, not core DCIS
Overall capabilities for digital customer interactions do not stand out from pack

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2024?

A: ASAPP, Sprinklr

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in the Forrester Wave are vendors that offer the strongest current offerings and have the most robust strategies in the market. Leaders demonstrate excellence across both current product capabilities and future vision, with strong scores in digital interaction orchestration, agent workspace, AI capabilities, and strategic direction. They typically show deep understanding of market needs, significant innovation, strong customer feedback, and clear roadmaps aligned with emerging customer requirements for conversational continuity, thoughtful AI embedding, and balanced automation approaches.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Digital Customer Interaction Solutions in 2024

Digital Customer Interaction Solutions Vendor Product Comparisons 2024

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2024?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

Reference