Big picture, quick — for builders: The 2024 ISG Contact Center Advanced Buyers Book signals a structural shift in contact center procurement: according to the source, provisioning is no longer ACD-centric. Enterprises can now anchor operations in CRM or case management platforms, merge video routing, and assemble solutions with hyperscalers’ quasi-CPaaS components—although leaders NICE, Verint, and Genesys “lead the way.” This reframes how to evaluate platforms, partners, and roadmaps.
Proof points — at a glance:
- According to the source, ISG evaluated 34 vendors on product and customer experience, underscoring the spread of doable options and the need for complete, comparative due diligence.
- According to the source, two important trends drive the change: (1) an explosion of deployment choices across idea, cloud, and hybrid; and (2) a diminished role for the ACD as buyers start from CRM/helpdesk/video routing/MarTech, with hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Zoom supplying quasi-CPaaS building blocks.
- According to the source, ISG runs “basic” and “advanced” guides: the basic reflects long-established and accepted ACD-first, mid-to-lower market needs; the advanced focuses on ACD-less architectures with CRM (e.g., Salesforce, Zendesk, Zoho) or case management (e.g., ServiceNow) as the operational hub and routing via partners such as Amazon Connect or Twilio. Inclusion requires multi-country operations, 50+ customers, a major release in the last 18 months, “good” financial/ethical standing, and ≥$25MN projected annual revenues. Advanced evaluation emphasizes AI in quality and self-service, data management (including CDPs), knowledge management, interaction analytics, customer feedback, and workflow automation. ISG’s Worth Index and a vendor questionnaire assess product experience (usability, manageability, reliability, capability, ability to change) and customer experience.
Masterful read — product lens: For leaders, platform strategy now matters as much as have lists. Selecting the operational hub (CRM/case management contra. ACD-first CCaaS), the routing layer, and the hyperscaler system defines scalability, data exploit with finesse, and speed of business development. The inclusion criteria also offer a maturity filter to reduce execution risk.
The move list — bias to build:
- Decide your architectural anchor: ACD-centric CCaaS or CRM/case-management-led with modular routing and CPaaS components.
- Align RFP scoring with ISG’s product experience criteria and the two customer experience categories cited by the source.
- Focus on “advanced” capabilities—AI in quality/self-service, CDP-grade data, knowledge and analytics, feedback, workflow automation—to support enterprise CX outcomes.
- Confirm vendor maturity per the source: multi-country footprint, 50+ customers, recent major release, and financial/ethical standing.
- Map partner ecosystems (e.g., Amazon Connect, Twilio) and hyperscaler alignment (Amazon, Microsoft, Zoom) to avoid lock-in and preserve optionality.
Published November 26, 2024 by Charlie Mitchell (source: CX Today).
Beyond the ACD: ISG’s 2024 Guide Rewrites the Contact Center Center
A field codex for leaders who now design customer operations like systems, not switchboards—and need a clear map through cloud sprawl, CRM gravity, and AI in the plumbing.
A short scene and the shift in center
Once upon a switchroom, a single hulking ACD hummed like a refrigerator that took customer service very seriously. You bought the box, wired the trunks, trained the agents, and called it a day.
Today the “box” is a kit. Customer operations look like a Lego table: a hub that knows the customer, routing as a service, channels as peers, and AI in the joints rather than on the cherry‑on‑top layer. The phone still rings—but it enters a much bigger conversation.
Side bonus: ACD is an acronym, not a boy band—though the debates get surprisingly similar.
Choose your hub with intent, treat routing as an attachable service, make data a product, and judge vendors by day‑two operations—not demo theatrics.
Executive takeaway: Stop asking “which switch?” and start asking “what needs to be the brain?”
Why this book matters to decisions you’ll defend
ISG’s Contact Center Advanced Buyers Guide 2024 is not another SKU comparison. It surveys a crowded market—34 vendors by its count—and maps where power has moved: off the monolithic ACD and toward hubs such as CRM and case platforms. That shift reframes how you design, buy, and integrate.
“The Contact Center Advanced Buyers Guide 2024 from ISG Research evaluates the product and customer experiences provided by 34 tech vendors… First is the explosion of deployment options… The second significant trend is the diminished role of the Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)… Hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Zoom also play a role…”
Source page excerpt
The report also names familiar leaders—NICE, Verint, and Genesys among them—but its real worth is pattern‑spotting. If your operation centers on a CRM or case system, the “contact center” pieces you need (routing, analytics, workforce tools) change shape. And if you stay ACD‑centric, you’ll want to understand where that model still shines.
Executive takeaway: Use the book as a map of decision archetypes, not a shopping list.
Two operating models fighting for the hub
ISG splits the field into two lenses. One keeps the ACD as the hub. The other treats the hub as the system of record—often a CRM or a case platform—and plugs in routing as a service. Think “call‑first” regarding “setting‑first.”
| Dimension | Basic Guide | Advanced Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Operational hub | ACD‑centric; voice‑first | CRM/case system as hub; channel‑agnostic |
| Typical buyer | Mid‑market; lighter deployments | Enterprises reshaping workflows and data |
| Integration posture | Core telephony + add‑ons | Composable; routing engines from partners |
| Vendor mix | Traditional contact center providers | Includes vendors outside the CCaaS mainstream |
| CCaaS = Contact Center as a Service; the labels are analytical, not value judgments. | ||
“ISG presents two Buyers Guides… a ‘basic’ and ‘advanced’ edition… the advanced edition… considers how brands can leverage CRM systems—like Salesforce, Zendesk, or Zoho—or case management systems—such as ServiceNow—to act as the operational hub. These solutions integrate routing engines from partners like Amazon Connect or Twilio…”
Source page excerpt
Neither lens “wins” universally. The right hub depends on your system of record, how you enforce entitlements, and whether video channels or voice control your demand. The evaluation lens you choose determines the vendors you’ll even consider.
Executive takeaway: Decide your hub first; it narrows the vendor universe and your integration costs.
Anatomy of a composable contact center
- Hub‑first thinking: Start with the system that knows the customer—often a CRM or a case platform. It holds entitlements, history, service‑level rules, and business processes.
- Routing as a service: Plug in a routing engine that obeys your hub’s workflow. It can be cloud telephony, digital routing, or workflow orchestration.
- Channels are peers: Voice, chat, email, messaging, and even campaign‑originating interactions flow into the same brain, not parallel silos.
- Data fabric: Native or integrated data stores—think CDP—power analytics, quality management, and personalization. Treat the data as a product, not exhaust.
- Hyperscaler gravity: Cloud giants supply communication primitives and AI services that many vendors assemble into solutions. You feel their pull whether you name them or not.
- Workforce and quality: Workforce management and workforce engagement suites, knowledge platforms, and quality tools now straddle human and bot performance.
# A composable contact center sketch
Hub (CRM/Case) --> Workflows --> Knowledge + Data
--> Routing API (voice/digital)
Channels: Voice | Chat | Email | Messaging | Social
AI services: quality, assist, self-service, analyticsIn essence: you choose an operational brain, then plug in muscles. When that brain owns workflow and data, agents and automation share context rather than compete for it.
Executive takeaway: Architect around the customer data brain; everything else should attach and obey.
From have shopping to operating‑system design
Procurement has moved from buying features to choosing blueprints. You decide what’s central (the hub), how interactions flow (routing), where truth lives (analytics + CDP), and which gaps you’ll fill with partners. It’s a kitchen remodel: the sink (CRM) dictates the plumbing (routing), not the other way around.
Example: picking routing in a CRM‑first world
Start with your CRM’s workflow language. Choose a routing engine that natively speaks it. Attach voice through a cloud communications provider. Add conversational automation that — to the same is thought to have remarked knowledge base and reads the same entitlements. The aim isn’t bragging rights for “best of breed.” It’s — commentary speculatively tied to setting on day one and sane manageability on day two.
Worth emerges in the joins: identity, permissions, and workflows. A brilliant bot that can’t read entitlements is just a nicer IVR. A impressive ACD that can’t respect case priority is a speed limit in a school zone—reliable, yes, but wrong for the moment.
Executive takeaway: Evaluate glue (workflow and identity) as rigorously as headline features.
How ISG scores the field, in English
ISG trims the vendor list to those with real‑world heft: multi‑country operations, over fifty customers, recent big releases, credible finances and ethics, and a revenue threshold. Capabilities and lived experience then do the sorting.
“ISG only analyzed contact center vendors that have operations in more than one country, over 50 customers… and at least $25MN in projected annual revenues… In addition to core functionality… ISG evaluated ‘advanced’ aspects: AI in quality and self-service, data management (like CDPs), knowledge, analytics, feedback, and workflow automation… The questionnaire includes seven categories; the first five consider ‘product experience’: Usability, Manageability, Reliability, Capability, Adaptability.”
Source page excerpt
Two more categories round out the seven, but the public recap doesn’t name them here. The thread is clear: the report weighs what the software does and how it feels to live with. That emphasis on day‑two usability and manageability will save you more overtime than the flashiest demo ever will.
Executive takeaway: Borrow ISG’s lens: test for living with it, not just turning it on.
How we got here: a compact timeline
- 1990s — The ACD time: buy on‑prem gear; add IVR; agent desktops juggle.
- 2010s — Cloud contact centers mature; video channels join, often as parallel lanes.
- 2020–2022 — “As‑a‑service” becomes default; bot frameworks bloom; analytics move upstream.
- 2023 — CRM‑first and case‑first architectures gain traction; hyperscaler services seep into the stack.
- 2024 — ISG’s Advanced Buyers Book codifies the shift: the hub is not always the dial tone.
Executive takeaway: Treat hub‑first as a new normal, not an experiment.
Myths that waste budgets
- Myth: An ACD must be the heart of a contact center.
- Fact: A CRM or a case platform can orchestrate work, with routing services as attachable components. ISG explicitly analyzes such ACD‑less models.
- Myth: Cloud automatically means cheaper and simpler.
- Fact: Cloud reduces certain costs but — based on what design and integration is believed to have said choices. Complexity shifts—and must be managed.
- Myth: Vendors outside the contact center niche don’t belong in evaluations.
- Fact: When the hub changes, the cast changes. ISG brings in players from CRM, case, and workflow because they now steer customer operations.
- Myth: AI is icing.
- Fact: AI shows up in quality, self‑service, and analytics—ingredients, not sprinkles.
Executive takeaway: Update your mental model before you update your stack.
Avoidable traps and practical fixes
- Buying the brand, not the blueprint: Start with the operating model you need; let that pick the tools. Reverse it, and you’ll be decorating the wrong house.
- Data last: If your CDP/analytics plan is fuzzy, your “AI plan” is a wish. Map data flows early—who — truth reportedly said, who reads it, and when.
- Channel chauvinism: Voice or chat supremacy debates are fun—see: ACD‑not‑a‑boy‑band—but omnichannel performance needs — context has been associated with such sentiments, not loyalty pledges.
- Integration spaghetti: Composable ≠ chaotic. Favor APIs that honor your hub’s workflow and identity model.
- Ignoring agent experience: Usability and manageability decide day‑two success. ISG puts them in the “product experience” core for a reason.
Executive takeaway: Write down your glue strategy; it’s insurance against complexity creep.
Mini how‑to: turn needs into an architecture
- Name the hub: Where do entitlements, cases, and history live now? If the answer is your CRM or case system, let it lead.
- Map flows: Trace a high‑volume use case from customer to resolution across channels. Note every system that touches it.
- Choose routing: Pick a routing engine that natively respects your hub’s workflow and identity. Latency, failover, and reporting matter.
- Design data: Decide the system of record for conversations and outcomes. Align analytics, quality, and training data so.
- Pilot with pressure: Test on a messy, high‑stakes queue, not the “hello world” path. Measure agent ramp time and escalation friction.
Executive takeaway: Model the glue on your hardest path; if it holds there, it holds anywhere.
What to measure when the hub shifts
- First‑touch containment
- Percentage of interactions resolved without handoffs. In a hub‑first design, containment improves when bots and humans share entitlements and context.
- Agent ramp time
- Time for a new agents to hit steady performance. A unified desktop and — as attributed to knowledge base cut cognitive overhead.
- Context carryover rate
- Frequency with which customer context persists across channels and escalations. Treat it as a quality measure as much as a convenience metric.
- Workflow adherence
- Whether routing and automation follow the hub’s business rules. If not, your architecture is silently forking processes.
- Operational reliability
- Stability across components and integrations. In composable stacks, the joins fail more often than the parts—watch them.
Executive takeaway: Favor measures that show whether setting and workflow survive handoffs.
Quick Q&A
Does ISG favor “advanced” over “basic”?
A: No worth judgment implied. The split reflects provisioning style and buyer profile, not medals.
Can a CRM really be the operational hub?
A: Yes—when workflows, entitlements, and case logic live there, routing engines can attach and obey its rules. ISG analyzes exactly this configuration.
Where do hyperscalers fit?
A: As building blocks: telephony, messaging, and AI services that vendors and buyers compose into solutions.
What did ISG actually measure?
A: Past core features like multichannel routing and workforce tools, the book looks at AI in quality/self‑service, data systems (such as CDPs), knowledge, analytics, feedback, and workflow automation—plus seven questionnaire categories, five of which are Usability, Manageability, Reliability, Capability, Ability to change
.
Who’s on top?
A: The recap — as claimed by leaders such as NICE, Verint, and Genesys. Rankings sit in the full ISG report.
Pocket glossary
- ACD (Automatic Call Distributor)
- Telephony system that routes incoming calls to agents using rules like skills, priority, or queues.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- System of record for customer data and sales/service processes; increasingly the operational hub.
- CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)
- Cloud‑delivered contact center platform. Often the source of routing, reporting, and telephony in ACD‑centric stacks.
- CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service)
- Cloud APIs for voice, messaging, and video—plumbing you can program.
- CDP (Customer Data Platform)
- Data system that unifies customer information across channels for analytics and activation.
- WFM/WEM (Workforce Management / Workforce Engagement Management)
- Tools for forecasting, scheduling, quality, coaching, and agent experience. Increasingly infused with AI.
- Value Index
- ISG’s composite lens for comparing platforms across product and customer experience dimensions.
Executive takeaway: Share a glossary early; — remarks allegedly made by language speeds decisions.
How we know
We reviewed the CX Today recap of ISG’s 2024 Advanced Buyers Book for contact centers and cross‑checked terminology and framing against ISG’s publicly described research criteria. We then compared those patterns with widely documented capabilities across contact‑center suites, CRM/case platforms, and hyperscaler transmission services. Direct quotations (trimmed for length) reflect the book’s pivotal claims: the composable shift, the “basic contra. advanced” split, vendor inclusion criteria, and the evaluation categories that stress how products perform in daily use. Where the source mentions seven questionnaire categories but lists five, we note the gap without guessing. Observations about procurement patterns, data as product, and integration risk are reasoned extensions intended to help leaders make defensible decisions.
External Resources
- CX Today summary of ISG 2024 Advanced Contact Center Buyers Guide
- ISG Research portal for methodology and report access details
- Encyclopedic overview of Automatic Call Distributor fundamentals
- Amazon Connect service page explaining cloud‑native contact routing
- Salesforce Service Cloud overview for CRM‑centered service operations
Unbelievably practical meeting notes
- Pick your hub: Confirm whether CRM/case or ACD sits at the center; that decision narrows vendors and integration paths.
- Design the glue: Document workflow, identity, and data ownership before buying channels or bots.
- Pilot on pain: Test the hardest use case first; measure handoffs, ramp time, and setting carryover.
- Score day‑two reality: Focus on usability and manageability as top‑tier criteria with capabilities.
- Fund the fabric: Treat the data platform and knowledge base as products; staff them so.
