Report:

Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center

Top Vendor Products for CRM Customer Engagement Center in 2025

• Microsoft
• Oracle
• Salesforce
• ServiceNow
• Zendesk

CRM Customer Engagement Center Vendor Product Comparisons 2025

• Creatio - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • No-code composability: Creatio's modular architecture and robust low-code/no-code tools enable rapid application customization and extension using reusable components and embeddable AI skills. This enables enterprises to scale and adapt the CEC solution, allowing for rapid innovation, seamless integration and business agility while avoiding vendor lock-in and legacy system constraints.
  • Operational viability: Service Creatio's consistent year-over-year growth and agile, AI-embedded platform is well-suited for enterprises interested in deploying rapid customer engagement innovations.
  • AI Command Center: Creatio's AI Command Center centralizes the management of AI skills and agents, supporting real-time risk detection, proactive service optimization and dynamic event-driven actions. This enhances operational resilience and customer experience (CX) while maintaining oversight and governance of AI activities.

  Cons:

  • Starter AI use cases: Creatio offers a limited list of starter AI agents and AI skills for customer service. For organizations seeking to build more advanced AI use-cases on their AI journey, this may mean having to build use cases from scratch to be able to use the AI assistant chat panel.
  • Global reach: Creatio's global presence and operations are limited in areas such as the Middle East, Africa and LATAM. Prospective global enterprise customers should evaluate local support needs and consider available mitigation options.
  • AI consumption pricing: Creatio's token-based AI consumption pricing model is defined around requests sent to the model or responses received. Furthermore, it is not transparent about intermediate data processing or external integration use case costs.


• eGain - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • Platform agility: eGain's architecture incorporates extensive APIs and prebuilt connectors, resulting in an agile platform. This design simplifies integration with existing enterprise systems, such as CRMs and back-office systems, and accelerates time-to-value for customers.
  • Knowledge foundation: eGain's advanced knowledge automation capabilities are central to its AI Knowledge Hub and CEC architecture. This approach distinguishes it from other vendors that offer knowledge management as a secondary feature or an add-on via third-party integrations.
  • Composable architecture: The eGain platform is built on a modular architecture with packaged business capabilities and comprehensive open APIs and events. It includes a 'Bring Your Own AI' option, enabling enterprises to integrate their own large language models and various third-party systems, such as CRMs, CCaaS, content management and AI engine applications, that are available in its marketplace.

  Cons:

  • Market presence: eGain primarily operates in North America and Western Europe. Prospective customers based or with operations in regions outside these areas should review references and confirm whether the company can deliver, implement and support its solutions to meet local and regional requirements.
  • Partner network: Compared to other vendors in this Magic Quadrant, eGain has a limited number of partners and select system integrators (SI) in Europe and North America. This may limit the availability of skilled implementation resources for customers and prospects.
  • Delivery consistency: Gartner clients have reported issues with eGain's ability to meet implementation and support service delivery commitments. Such issues may impact timely fulfillment of agreed-upon services crucial for maintaining strong client trust and satisfaction, and prospective customers may need to invest in vendor management to ensure service expectations will be met.


• Freshworks - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • AI-driven innovation: Freshworks' Freddy AI Copilot is integrated into its CEC, providing agent assistance features such as real-time coaching, conversation summarization and response suggestions. This functionality is designed to improve agent efficiency and response accuracy, reducing reliance on external integrations and manual effort.
  • Unified CX platform: Freshworks offers a unified CX solution, which is built on a single platform that covers marketing, sales and service operations. This architecture provides a simplified, end-to-end CX solution that is suitable for SMBs.
  • Deployment agility: Freshworks demonstrates quick deployment and ease of setup, with a minimal learning curve for users and low reliance on external consultants for administration or customization. This facilitates quick value realization for customers, positioning deployment agility as a differentiator.

  Cons:

  • Midmarket execution: Freshworks' emphasis on expanding further into the midmarket, while simultaneously serving its base of SMBs, may challenge its ability to execute across these distinct market segments. This dual focus could impact the depth of engagement achieved in either market.
  • Product packaging: Advanced AI features, such as Freddy AI Copilot, are offered as add-ons that customers purchase at an additional cost, which is a point of contention for customers who expect simpler all-inclusive packaging from the vendor. Some Gartner clients have indicated that this makes Freshworks' CEC difficult to cost-justify in their procurement decisions.
  • Enterprise platform scope: While Freshworks articulates a vision for an intelligent engagement platform, its capabilities for deep integration with complex enterprise ecosystems, including ERP and customer data platform products, are still evolving. As a result, large organizations seeking a comprehensive solution for customer engagement and back-office operations may find the platform's current scope to be limited.


• Microsoft - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Strategic AI: Microsoft's AI strategy aims to evolve customer engagement toward autonomous workflows, optimizing service experiences and marking a shift from assisted service to agentic AI-powered self-service models. Customers could benefit from opportunities to test novel AI capabilities as they get deployed to CEC.
  • Extensible environment: Microsoft's platform features a modular architecture built on the Microsoft Power Platform, supporting low-code and no-code development for UI and user experience (UX) design, business logic, workflows and data services. It offers open APIs and SDKs, support for the MCP and numerous marketplace applications for solution extension.
  • Platform ecosystem: Dynamics 365 Customer Service benefits from deep integration with a broad Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft 365, Azure and Power Platform. This approach streamlines operational processes and provides a consistent UX, shared data and seamless workflows.

  Cons:

  • AI value proposition: Although Copilot functionality is included with Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise and Premium licenses, the need for Copilot Credits for some features makes cost and deployment complexity less predictable than competitors offering AI natively without additional charges. Gartner clients have reported concerns such as unexpected costs, implementation issues and mixed results from their deployments.
  • Limited industry templates: Microsoft does not offer turnkey industry solutions, unlike some competitors that offer industry clouds and preconfigured templates. Organizations should weigh the benefits of Microsoft's flexible, component-based approach against potential delays and associated costs, particularly if they need rapid, standardized deployment.
  • WEM maturity: Microsoft's Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) capabilities show gaps in core functionalities, with areas like quality monitoring, coaching tools and integrated employee satisfaction tracking less mature than those offered by some CEC competitors. Organizations prioritizing robust WEM capabilities may find Microsoft's current offering to be limited.


• Oracle - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Embedded AI: Oracle embeds AI capabilities directly into its Fusion Service platform as standard features, without additional licensing costs. This includes real-time agent assistance, autosummarization of interactions, AI-powered triage and resolution, and the AI Agent Studio, which allows organizations to build and manage AI agents across applications within a governed framework.
  • Partner ecosystem: Oracle maintains a global partner network of over 15,000 authorized implementation partners and more than 2 million certified professionals. This broad ecosystem supports complex enterprise-grade deployments across a diverse range of industries.
  • Enterprise platform: Oracle provides an end-to-end service solution connecting CEC functions with broader enterprise applications such as ERP, supply chain management and human capital management. This integration offers a single source of truth for shared data across the enterprise, supporting enriched real-time interactions, AI workflows and seamless service automation.

  Cons:

  • Limited proof of concept: Oracle's prepurchase evaluation primarily involves sales engineers configuring demo environments tailored to specific customers rather than allowing extensive independent trials. This limits prospective customers' ability to conduct hands-on testing or pilot deployments with their own operational data, which is crucial for validating product fit and assessing time-to-value.
  • Third-party channels: Oracle relies on third-party products or services for several digital engagement functionalities, including SMS, digital voice, dialed voice (public switched telephone network), social and external communities, social care, video chat and co-browsing. This reliance may introduce additional complexity and costs for customers.
  • Validating adoption: Oracle is less likely to showcase customer success stories than many of its CEC competitors. This gap in public validation impacts how Oracle's innovation vision is perceived and independently confirmed, making it challenging for prospective customers to gauge real-world impact and adoption of its advanced CEC capabilities.


• Pegasystems - Visionary
  

  Pros:

  • Workflow-centric AI: Pega Customer Service is designed as a unified AI and automation service platform that enables a journey and workflow-centered solution. This approach emphasizes end-to-end orchestration across the entire customer journey, connecting front- and back-office operations, and positioning robust workflow as critical for the reliable and purposeful functioning of AI.
  • Enterprise scalability: Pega focuses on serving the largest and most demanding organizations, particularly in regulated industries. Its modular low-code architecture is specifically engineered to accommodate multidimensional business complexity and ongoing change, allowing for the rapid creation and deployment of tailored case workflows.
  • Low-code agility: Pega provides a low-code development environment that integrates AI-powered design tools to accelerate application development. This approach, combined with embedded declarative testing and model-driven DevOps, fosters efficient solution delivery in complex service environments.

  Cons:

  • Pricing transparency: Pega does not publicly disclose pricing for its CEC product and uses a user- or consumption-based adaptive pricing model, making it challenging for prospective customers to estimate total cost of ownership (TCO) without direct engagement. Gartner clients seeking clear CEC pricing models to simplify procurement decisions have indicated reluctance to shortlist Pega Customer Service.
  • Narrow market focus: Pega explicitly targets large and extra large enterprises with a tailored go-to-market approach. Enterprises outside these segments would find that Pega's solutions are not optimal or prioritized for their scale and operational requirements, impacting solution fit, delivery and support.
  • Platform complexity: Although Pega recommends moving to the next-gen Constellation design system, Gartner clients have reported that the lack of a clear transition path has resulted in some difficulties during the migration. Before undertaking this shift, current customers should consider securing specialist skills or consulting services and account for the additional effort required to complete the transition.


• Salesforce - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Unified AI platform: Salesforce's CEC is unifying AI, data and automation on a platform designed with deep industry capabilities for personalized service resolution on a multitenant architecture. AI investments in its CEC functionality, including Agentforce Service Agent for self-service and Service Rep Assistant for service reps, demonstrate execution toward this vision.
  • Global partner ecosystem: Salesforce's ecosystem of hyperscalers, independent software vendors, GSI and SI partners provides customers with an array of connected and extensible solutions. This network facilitates functional extension and enrichment, enabling customers to achieve successful implementations for diverse use cases in highly specialized environments.
  • Industry-specific strategy: Salesforce's strategy of delivering end-to-end service across diverse industries is supported by 14 purpose-built industry products. This approach offers out-of-the-box, industry-specific capabilities and agentic actions to expedite time-to-value for customers, reflecting a strong understanding of vertical market needs.

  Cons:

  • AI value proposition: While Salesforce champions its AI capabilities, its delivery may involve leveraging add-ons like Salesforce Data Cloud, Mulesoft and Digital Engagement licenses. These may require additional investment or substantial configuration.
  • Total cost of ownership: To achieve end-to-end service automation, including back-office integration or specialized functionalities, customers may need to integrate multiple Salesforce or third-party products to its CRM CEC. Prospective customers should evaluate their AI, data and automation expectations and compare the TCO against Salesforce's prepackaged product editions to mitigate.
  • Cost forecasting: Gartner clients report significant complexity in forecasting costs when implementing Salesforce Service Cloud, often necessitating reliance on third-party consultants and Salesforce-certified developers. To mitigate the complexity further compounded by consumption-based components like Agentforce and Data Cloud, customers should utilize pricing calculators provided by Salesforce or consider products that bundle such consumption components into more predictable per-user seat licenses.


• SAP - Challenger
  

  Pros:

  • AI-first vision: SAP's design strategy for the CRM CEC market is AI-centric, embedding SAP Business AI throughout the service journey. This strategy leverages SAP's Joule AI copilot, which delivers real-time analytics, contextual summaries and role-specific content generation grounded in business data across the SAP ecosystem.
  • Integrated back end: Native integration between SAP Service Cloud and SAP's ERP ecosystem enables seamless end-to-end service delivery across front-, middle- and back-office functions, and improves TCO and ROI for SAP Business Suite customers.
  • Partner effectiveness: SAP's certified global partner network extends the geographical and industry coverage of SAP Service Cloud by selling and implementing the offering to SAP and non-SAP ERP customers.

  Cons:

  • Market expansion focus: SAP's CEC demand generation strategy is strongly focused on the SAP ERP installed base. While SAP also pursues net new customers, this approach reflects a measured stance toward market share expansion in broader CEC segments, which may impact the prioritization of features and integrations for customers outside the SAP ERP environment.
  • Ecosystem integration: Customers requiring highly tailored service functionalities find that custom service development and deployment are handled outside the core SAP Service Cloud environment. While this approach offers extensibility, it can add complexity for customers managing highly diverse IT landscapes and can increase reliance on external development efforts for custom-made solutions.
  • Knowledge management integration: Advanced knowledge life cycle management and dynamic authoring are not included natively. Customers may need to acquire and manage an additional solution for these capabilities that support a wide range of AI applications.


• ServiceNow - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • AI-driven workflow vision: ServiceNow's CRM CEC market focus is to progressively adopt agentic AI and GenAI, deeply integrating these technologies with its workflow and data platform. This strategy aims to unify and simplify work across departments, enabling automated task completion with cross-functional visibility and delivering faster time-to-value at a lower TCO.
  • Unified platform: ServiceNow orchestrates end-to-end service experiences on a unified platform and single codebase. This approach facilitates the management of complex service cases across diverse enterprise functions by leveraging AI, data and workflows within a cohesive system of action, where work is routed, automated and completed at a lower TCO.
  • Partner network: ServiceNow's partner ecosystem contributes a significant portion of customer implementations and net-new contract value. By requiring partners to maintain high customer satisfaction scores, ServiceNow demonstrates a strong commitment to successful deployments and effectively extends its market reach and service delivery capabilities.

  Cons:

  • CRM breadth: ServiceNow offers limited native CRM front-office and sales capabilities, with no native marketing functionalities. Organizations prioritizing a robust and natively integrated sales and marketing suite alongside service management should evaluate alternative platforms.
  • Analytics breadth and depth: ServiceNow's real-time dashboards lack a unified view across Sales, Service and Field Service solutions. Advanced analytics often require integration with external data visualization tools, increasing the effort and complexity for customers seeking a holistic view of their customer experience operations.
  • Deployment complexity: Implementation can involve substantial configuration and expertise, which may extend deployment time and costs. Some Gartner inquiry clients have described the UI, particularly for agents, as less intuitive and feature-rich, potentially impacting user adoption and operational efficiency.


• Zendesk - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • AI-first resolution vision: Zendesk offers an AI-first Resolution Platform that integrates AI-assisted workflows, copilot tools to enhance agent productivity and workforce engagement capabilities. The platform is designed for a cohesive experience from a single agent workspace that streamlines operations.
  • Integrated WEM: Zendesk offers native WEM features, including automated QA for voice and bots, enabling consistent quality scoring across interactions. These integrated WFM and QA functionalities are seamlessly embedded within the Zendesk Suite, offering tools for tailored coaching and risk detection to improve agent performance.
  • Global operations: Zendesk's substantial global operations include research and development (R&D), sales, and marketing personnel across North America, Europe and APAC. This broad presence supports its ability to execute on a global scale and meet diverse regional market demands.

  Cons:

  • Service scope: Zendesk's strategic emphasis is around core customer service case management, which may present limitations for enterprises requiring a broader, integrated service management approach that encompasses middle- and back-office operations. This focus may not fully address the demand for extensive cross-departmental orchestration and industry-specific workflows increasingly sought by larger, more complex organizations.
  • Pricing and licensing issues: Several Gartner clients have reported dissatisfaction with price increases at renewal and licensing constraints, such as usage limits that prevent downgrading to lower tiers when higher ones are unnecessary. Prospective customers should negotiate pricing and licensing terms during procurement to retain flexibility and cost predictability.
  • Vertical specialization: Zendesk's installed base leans toward retail and technology-driven B2C service environments, with growing expansion into sectors like financial services and manufacturing. Prospective customers in complex B2B organizations or highly regulated industries should evaluate whether leveraging Zendesk's partner ecosystem would meet their requirements.


• Zoho - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • Affordable value: Zoho offers a significantly lower TCO compared to many CEC market competitors. This is achieved via an internal development model, reducing acquisition and integration expenses. Transparent pricing plans further attract organizations with constrained budgets seeking core functionality.
  • Proprietary infrastructure: Zoho operates its own private data centers in multiple countries, ensuring data privacy, security and integrity, unlike many CEC vendors that rely on public cloud providers. This infrastructure supports a broad suite of integrated applications designed to fit business needs within a single system.
  • Partner ecosystem: Zoho's extensive global sales and implementation partner network, which is crucial to reducing TCO for its customers, is comparable in size to market leaders. Organizations of all sizes will find it easy to access solution delivery and postimplementation support services through the partner network.

  Cons:

  • Limited breadth of innovation: Zoho has delivered limited new features and enhancements to current functionality compared to other providers evaluated for this Magic Quadrant. This may impact organizations that prioritize rapid feature evolution and continuous service innovation.
  • Case management: Zoho Desk's case management functionality includes case creation and treatment, round-robin case distribution and case imports from spreadsheets. However, it does not offer competitive advanced case automations such as autocomplete and next-best-action recommendations, which are important for high productivity and superior service experiences.
  • Global operations: Zoho's R&D personnel are exclusively based in the APAC region, and its global customer service and professional services teams are comparatively small. This concentration may present challenges for large enterprises or those outside the APAC region requiring extensive, localized or high-touch product insights and support services.

Reference

• Gartner, Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center, 27 October 2025, ID G00826574

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