Google Cloud and Salesforce Enter the Fray
In addition to the traditional CCaaS vendors and UCaaS providers, Google Cloud and Salesforce – two tech giants with strong CX portfolios – made significant Enterprise Connect 2025 announcements
In addition to the traditional CCaaS vendors and UCaaS providers, Google Cloud and Salesforce – two tech giants with strong CX portfolios – made significant Enterprise Connect 2025 announcements that CCaaS buyers should note:
Google Cloud Customer Experience Suite: Google used its keynote to evolve its Contact Center AI (CCAI) offering into a more full-fledged Customer Engagement Suite (CCaaS platform), infusing it with new agentic AI capabilitiestechtarget.comtechtarget.com. Google introduced pre-built AI agents for common tasks (flight booking, shopping, appointment scheduling, etc.) which organizations can use out-of-the-box or customizetechtarget.comtechtarget.com. This is Google leveraging its AI prowess and broad data to jumpstart virtual agent creation – essentially templates built from its experience in those domains. For live agents, Google launched AI Coach (real-time agent assist powered by its upcoming Gemini model) and AI Trainer (which simulates customer interactions to train agents)techtarget.com. These agent-assist and training tools show Google applying its AI both during and outside of calls to boost performance. Outside pure AI, Google added long-awaited co-browsing (letting agents see the customer’s screen with permission) and new dashboards in its suitetechtarget.comtechtarget.com, as well as finally releasing a standalone agent desktop for its CCaaS (previously, customers had to use partner desktops like UJET)techtarget.comtechtarget.com. The standalone desktop is a big deal – it signals Google is serious about being considered a full contact center platform, not just an AI add-on to others. Some of Google’s features are in preview, but many are available nowtechtarget.com. Strategically, Google is combining its cutting-edge AI (LLMs, etc.) with core contact center functionality to offer a one-stop solution. For buyers, if you’re inclined towards Google’s ecosystem (Dialogflow, etc.), this means you could consider Google as your CCaaS provider directly, rather than using a third-party CCaaS with Google CCAI bolted on. Google’s focus is on agentic AI that takes action – similar buzz to others, but with Google’s tech (for instance, an AI that can handle a task like booking a ticket end-to-end via their pre-built agent)techtarget.com. One caution: Google’s contact center offering is newer and often needs integration (the new native desktop will help). But Google’s entry is significant – it can bring massive AI R&D to bear, and its pricing may be cloud-competitive. Enterprises already using Google Cloud for AI should watch this space – Google is aiming to “meet you where you are” by bridging self-service and agent assist in a unified way. That said, Google’s approach seems to still rely on partners for telephony in many cases (though they do have telephony in their suite now). As a CCaaS buyer, the key takeaway is that Google is moving from toolkit to platform, and its emphasis on agent assist (AI Coach) and orchestration (pre-built agents) could reduce development time for AI use cases if you align with their solutions.
Salesforce Service Cloud “Agentforce” Updates: Salesforce, a CRM powerhouse with a stake in contact centers via Service Cloud, announced Agentforce 2dx, a next-generation AI capability for its customer service platformbcstrategies.com. Salesforce’s framing of agentic AI (which they call Agentforce) involves AI reasoning within workflows and even taking actions autonomously or in “assisted mode”bcstrategies.com. Specifically, Agentforce 2dx offers new low-code and pro-code tools to configure, test, and deploy AI-powered autonomous agents more quicklybcstrategies.com. Salesforce is integrating these AI agents into the fabric of CRM workflows – meaning the AI can execute plans through Salesforce’s process flows just like a human agent would, but faster. Nichols from Salesforce outlined a progression for customers to adopt AI agentsbcstrategies.combcstrategies.com: start with agents that answer static FAQs (grounded in company data), then move to personalized Q&A using customer-specific info, and finally let AI agents actually take action on behalf of the customer using the same workflows agents use (for example, cancelling an order in the system)bcstrategies.com. This phased approach is practical and resonates as a roadmap to autonomy. Salesforce also highlighted an integration with Amazon Connect – not surprising as Salesforce had partnered with AWS for Service Cloud Voice, but it shows they continue to ensure their platform works with leading CCaaS telephony like AWS Connectbcstrategies.com. For CCaaS buyers, Salesforce’s announcements are a reminder that CRM-centric contact centers (those who live in Salesforce) will have increasing AI capabilities natively. If you use Salesforce, you could soon choose between using AI in your CCaaS vs. using Salesforce’s Agentforce AI. It will be important to ensure they complement, not conflict. Salesforce’s strengths are using all that rich CRM context when automating service – they can draw on customer history, preferences, etc., which pure-play CCaaS might not have as deeply. The challenge for Salesforce is real-time execution and telephony, which is why they integrate with others. So a likely scenario is a combined solution: Salesforce’s AI handles some of the logic and knowledge (via Agentforce bots or assist), while a CCaaS like AWS Connect or Genesys handles the interaction routing and voice. The fact that Salesforce is heavily investing in low-code AI for service is positive: it means anyone using Service Cloud will get easier tools to add AI-driven automation. They also hinted at upcoming AI assistants for agents that handle complex questions and guide resolution plansbcstrategies.com, which sounds like agent assist on steroids (perhaps similar to a “case swarming” AI assistant that finds solutions).
Implication for buyers: Google and Salesforce entering/upgrading their presence in CCaaS means more options and potentially more integration complexity to navigate. If you’re a Salesforce-heavy org, you might lean into their AI and use a lighter CCaaS for voice. If you’re a Google Cloud user, you might consider Google’s CCaaS to consolidate vendors. The key is to evaluate openness – both Google and Salesforce talk about integrating with others (Google with UJET historically, Salesforce with AWS and others). They themselves are emphasizing agentic AI that can orchestrate actions across systems, which aligns with the industry trend of blurring lines between CRM workflows and contact center workflows. For example, if Google’s AI can update a CRM and trigger a follow-up task, or Salesforce’s AI can execute a return process end-to-end – these are forms of orchestration.
Both announcements reinforce that the ecosystem is moving toward more autonomous and integrated solutions. Google and Salesforce, coming from different starting points (AI vs CRM), are converging on the contact center problem domain with significant resources. This could accelerate innovation but also present a dizzying array of choices.
For a buyer, a pragmatic approach is: if you are already deeply tied to one of these ecosystems, leverage it. If not, ensure any CCaaS you choose can interoperate (most do via APIs). And watch for pricing impacts: these players might bundle AI with their existing products (e.g., Salesforce might include some Agentforce features in certain licenses, Google might bundle AI agents with their cloud usage). That could make some AI features effectively “free” add-ons if you’re in their stack, versus paying extra for a third-party solution.
In summary, Google and Salesforce at EC2025 signaled that AI-powered contact center capabilities are not just the domain of CCaaS vendors; platform players are deeply involved. Google wants to be your contact center’s AI brain and backbone, Salesforce wants to embed an AI brain in your CRM-driven service processes. Both approaches can yield value – in fact, one could foresee scenarios using all of the above (Google AI for voice bot, Salesforce Agentforce for processing that bot’s output in CRM). The industry is likely heading towards more cross-pollination where CCaaS, CRM, and cloud AI providers collaborate and compete at the same time. Buyers should thus prioritize vendors that embrace openness and integration – so you can mix and match the best AI components for your needs.