Genesys Cloud Review: Features, Alternatives & Pricing for 2023
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
Marianne is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business phone services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools.
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
Genesys Cloud is a contact center solution for businesses wanting to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalized experiences for agents and customers. It has extensive tools for digital customer engagement, outbound campaigns, and workforce management. Monthly plans start at $75 per user, billed annually. In this Genesys Cloud Review, it earned perfect ratings in standout features and ease of use but scored lower in pricing due to the lack of discounts.
Genesys Cloud Review: At a Glance
Overall Score:
3.99 / 5
What We Liked
- Strong AI capabilities
- Extensive outbound dialing modes
- Flexible plan options: named user, per hour, and concurrent pricing
- All plans include complete unified communications and collaboration tools
What's Missing
- Local calling, toll-free services, and number porting require add-on fees
- Inability to customize reports
- Advanced capabilities may be overkill for small businesses
- Base plan lacks omnichannel support
When to Use Genesys Cloud
- AI and automation: Genesys Cloud’s turnkey AI solutions, like voicebots and speech-enabled interactive voice response (IVR), make it one of our best IVR systems.
- Outbound campaigns: Genesys Cloud joins the list of the top predictive dialer software due to its rich outbound campaign tools, including preview, power, and agentless dialing modes.
- Information security and compliance: Genesys complies with multiple regulatory standards to overcome security challenges in various industries.
When to Use an Alternative
- Budget-friendly contact center software: For a more affordable alternative, consider Freshdesk, a telephony-first contact center solution that offers a free version and a cheap monthly base plan at only $18 per user.
- Companies with a global consumer base: Local and overseas calling rates at Genesys Cloud are usage-based. Try 8×8 to get unlimited voice calling for up to 48 countries.
- Easy to use and customizable reporting solutions: Consider RingCentral Contact Center, which offers a custom report feature organized into specific categories, such as agent, IVR, and blended.
Genesys Cloud Deciding Factors
Genesys Cloud comes with prebuilt integrations, self-service tools, automation features, and telephony service. It unifies agent and customer touchpoints across phone, text, email, chat, and social media, delivering personalized experiences. Built-in unified communication (UC) and collaboration tools benefit small to mid-sized businesses that want to keep agents engaged and productive.
Best For | Small to mid-sized companies that need advanced contact center features like automation and workforce management |
Standout Features |
|
Pricing Plans | $75 to $150 per user on a monthly basis (billed annually) |
Annual or Volume Discounts Available | No discounts for annual billing or volume purchases |
Integrations |
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Customer Service | 24/7 phone and email support |
Genesys Cloud Alternatives
Genesys Cloud is not a great fit for businesses looking for affordable paid plans, unlimited voice calling, and custom reporting tools. If these are your priorities, below are some alternatives to consider:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Small businesses looking for a free or low-cost contact center solution | Companies with high call volumes in international countries | Businesses with distributed call center teams |
Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Free or $18 for the first paid tier | $85 | $25 (billed annually) |
Learn More |
Looking for a business phone instead?
Check out our list of the best small business voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services. While at it, visit our guide about business phone systems to help you understand which option is the right fit for you.
The price for Genesys Cloud services starts at $75 per user on a monthly basis (billed annually). We gave it a score of 1 out of 5 because its subscription fees are relatively higher than other competitors like Freshdesk and CloudTalk. Discounts for annual billing and volume purchases are also lacking.
Genesys Cloud offers three preconfigured plans and one custom version. There are three payment options: named user, by-the-hour, and concurrent pricing. The named user subscription is charged per unique login in a billing period, while an hourly user is billed at an hourly rate for the total duration of time the user is logged in. Concurrent roles incur a premium and are charged based on maximum occupancy in a billing period.
Genesys Cloud Plans & Pricing | CX 1 | CX 2 | CX 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Small businesses that need a voice-based contact center | Businesses needing AI and automation tools for voice and digital interactions | Companies that need workforce management features |
Annual Pricing ($/User/Month)* | $75 | $110 | $150 |
Hourly Pricing | $0.68 | $0.99 | $1.35 |
Unified Communications & Collaboration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Analytics & Reporting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Chat, Email, SMS & Messaging | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Chatbots | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Workforce Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Speech & Text Analytics | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*Contact the sales team for month-to-month billing and a la carte pricing.
Optional Add-ons
Genesys Cloud pricing scheme doesn’t allow users to mix tiers, but it offers a variety of add-ons to extend the capabilities of your plan. A la carte licensing is available if you want to assign add-ons to users based on their needs. See more information about each add-on below:
- Unified communications: Unify all your business communication needs using Genesys Cloud’s native UC capabilities or integrate your existing UC provider through prebuilt integrations or APIs.
- AI Experience: Implement Genesys Cloud’s AI solutions, including predictive engagement, voicebots, AI-enabled knowledge bases, and predictive routing.
- Digital: Add digital channels to your Cloud CX plan to engage your agents and customers in seamless interactions across chat, email, text, and social media channels.
- Workforce Engagement: Get built-in workforce engagement management tools into your Cloud CX platform, such as gamification, workforce planning, and speech and text analytics.
- Telephony: Connect your contact center with your preferred telecom provider or use Genesys’ native telephony solution, which includes local calling, number porting, and toll-free services.
- AppFoundry Marketplace: Discover a wide range of integrations, services, and customer service applications to address your unique business needs. If you want to sell your third-party utilities, the Genesys sales team will handle all the work for you.
Genesys Cloud Features
Genesys Cloud comes with robust capabilities to create seamless experiences across voice and digital channels. Its contact center solution enables businesses to meet customers on their channel of choice. Custom dashboards and reports help you identify key events and interaction insights. It also provides support for more advanced capabilities, such as co-browsing, social messaging, and advanced agent tools like surveys and sentiment scoring.
Genesys Cloud’s phone system checks all of the boxes when it comes to basic contact center functionality. It provides a single automatic call distribution (ACD) for voice and digital interactions, allowing agents to get all the information in one place. For agent collaboration, all plans include video meetings, presence, and a unified inbox. Monitoring and coaching tools are also available for managing in-progress conversations.
Genesys Cloud allows users to create chat groups based on departments, skills, or special interests. (Source: Genesys Cloud)
Genesys Cloud got another perfect score for niche features as it provides advanced capabilities for managing workforce engagement and automating routine tasks. Outbound campaign tools and extensive dialing modes make it easy to reach customers across channels. The Genesys AppFoundry offers a marketplace of business solutions, including case management, compliance, and operations.
Click on each feature below to learn about Genesys Cloud’s niche offerings.
AI & Automation
Genesys Cloud enhances call center efficiency through bots and automation tools. The predictive routing feature uses artificial intelligence (AI) to match customers to the agents most likely to provide the best service, while predictive engagement is designed to engage customers at the right time using customer experience maps. The agent assist feature offers potential answers to customer questions based on the context of the conversation or by manual search.
Genesys Cloud uses AI-powered predictive routing to optimize queue performance and drive business outcomes. (Source: Genesys Cloud)
Digital Customer Engagement
Genesys Cloud offers an all-in-one suite of digital capabilities, allowing agents and customers to interact across channels such as chat, email, text, and social media. The omnichannel interface provides agents with contextual and unified experiences across all digital messaging platforms. It also comes with automated social listening to monitor what customers tell about your brand on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Genesys Cloud enables agents to handle multiple interactions from a single dashboard. (Source: Genesys Cloud)
Workforce Engagement Management (WEM)
Create great employee experiences with Genesys Cloud’s WEM tools—gamification, forecasting, scheduling, and performance dashboards. Gamification elements empower agents to manage their key performance indicators (KPIs) while allowing managers to measure agent performance in real time. AI-powered forecasting tools create actionable insights and speed up the analysis of historical and current data.
Genesys Cloud shows how employees rank against their teammates with visualized data and shared leaderboards. (Source: Genesys Cloud)
Genesys Cloud received a score of 3.75 out of 5 for customer service because while it lacks a live chat channel, phone and email support are available 24/7. For self-service, visit the Resource Center to find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) or sign up for a free Genesys Beyond account to access eLearning modules. Another option is to request a My Support account to open cases through the customer care portal.
We scored Genesys Cloud 5 out of 5 for ease of use because its intuitive interface is easy to use and configure without needing technical expertise. Genesys Cloud’s all-in-one software utilizes an open architecture that makes it simple to integrate with existing solutions or extend functionality. This lets agents quickly master its platform to deliver more personalized customer experiences.
Genesys Cloud earned a 4.13 out of 5 in our expert assessment, given its user-friendly design, flexible pricing options, AI-driven features, and dedicated technical resources. However, the lack of volume discounts and expensive monthly plans prevent this provider from getting a perfect score. Many users also point out that certain features need improvements, including the ability to customize reports and better workforce management features.
Here are the most recent Genesys Cloud reviews from popular rating platforms:
- G2: 4.4 out of 5 based on 811 reviews
- TrustRadius: 8.6 out of 10 based on 473
- Software Advice: 4.30 out of 5 based on 162 reviews
How We Evaluated Genesys Cloud
As the basis for our evaluation, we compared Genesys Cloud with other leading contact center providers in the market. We tested the software ourselves and checked the feedback that verified users posted on reliable review websites. From there, we used several criteria, including pricing, standout features, customer service, and ease of use.
Learn how we evaluated Genesys Cloud by clicking on the tabs below:
20%
Pricing
25%
General Features
20%
Niche Features
10%
Customer Service
10%
Ease of Use
15%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We checked the availability of a free plan and discounts for annual billing and volume purchases. Higher points are awarded for multiple plan options and a base plan costing $70 or less.
25% of Overall Score
We highly favor providers that offer all the essential contact center features, such as an ACD, omnichannel support, call monitoring tools, and call analytics. We gave additional points if it supports a wide range of digital channels and a comprehensive analytics suite.
20% of Overall Score
We examined premium features that would provide users with better value for money. These include AI-powered tools, workforce management, outbound dialers, and integrations.
10% of Overall Score
We looked at the types of support channels the provider offers, including phone, email, chat, and a ticketing system. Additional points are awarded if all support channels are available 24/7.
10% of Overall Score
To assess the platform’s user-friendliness, we checked customer reviews on credible websites. We particularly considered if users encountered learning curves during the setup phase and how easy it is for them to utilize all its features and carry out specific tasks.
15% of Overall Score
We weighed the provider’s popularity among businesses and whether users see value for money in its features. We awarded points for its standout features and ease of use.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
Genesys Cloud is an excellent solution for small to mid-sized businesses wanting to harness the power of AI in delivering personalization and efficiency in every communication channel. Powerful outbound campaign tools enhance campaign efficiency, while workforce management tools help elevate the agent experience. Consider signing up for a 30-day free trial to further explore its powerful capabilities.
