In a rapidly-changing communication ecosystem, there’s no one-size-fits-all for delivering great CX. Increasingly, companies are searching for environments where they can build their own ecosystem, using a range of best-in-class tools. That’s where solutions like the Five9 CX marketplace come in.
Five9, one of the market leaders in CX and CCaaS solutions, strives to make it as easy and convenient as possible for customers to access all the tools they need for success in one environment. Launching the new Five9 CX App Marketplace will serve this need, creating a new landscape for ISV partners to list and showcase their tools.
I spoke to Scott Black, the Senior Director for Business Development at Five9, to learn more.
Tell Us About the New CX Marketplace
Although Five9 already offered access to various integrations and apps before the launch of the new marketplace, the upgrade will take this concept to a new level. According to Scott, Five9 has been making significant investments in partnerships and marketplace opportunities; to give today’s businesses more freedom in the CX stack.
“We’re rolling out a platform where we’ve evaluated various vendors and chosen the right companies to deliver the most value to customers. We wanted to make it very simple and easy for customers to find solutions they couldn’t get natively in the Five9 portfolio. You can search and filter based on categories, capabilities, and regions.”
Partners can submit their own listings to the Five9 marketplace to request approval too, so the marketplace can continue to develop over time. “We’re really trying to make it easy for our customers and partners to have better connections.”
What’s In It For Five9 Partners?
Scott told me the biggest opportunities for partners who join the Five9 CX marketplace; are increased is reach; and access to new customers. By making it easier for customers to find approved and certified partners for use within the Five9 ecosystem, Five9 is ensuring partners have more opportunities for sale.
“Around 60% of our overall business is done with a technology partner of some sort, whether they provide UC, CRM, or other solutions that complement our capabilities. Partners have built these integrations to a Five9 standard, and we’re helping to deliver them to the customers that need them most.”
According to Scott, if a customer was interested in a “co-browsing” feature, which Five9 doesn’t offer natively, they can easily search for the function in the marketplace and be connected to a salesperson in no time. Five9 also plans to enable chatbots to help customers self-serve in the app marketplace.
How Quickly Will the New Marketplace Grow?
Five9 will be launching its new CX marketplace with over 100 listings of trusted partners designed to give customers choice and confidence. However, the focus of the company is less on rapidly increasing quantity and more on addressing the specific needs of customers in addressing their specific needs.
“We add apps based on the things our customers are asking for, and whether the partner makes sense within our marketplace. We’re all about customer choice.”
Scott believes there’s phenomenal potential in the app marketplace, and the Five9 team are exploring possibilities such as implementing their own virtual agent applications, as part of the platform, too.
While the main focus of the app marketplace will be on partner offerings, Five9 will also be offering professional services and assets, so customers have a more complete experience.
To ensure the app marketplace can grow as effectively as possible, Five9 is also making it as easy as possible for partners to submit their solutions for consideration. “The partner joins the program, and we set them up with the tools they need to build their integrations. After that, our product teams review the integrations and list them on the marketplace. We have partners who have moved through the process within a couple of weeks.”
What’s Next for the CX Marketplace?
According to Scott, Five9 is leveraging its Workforce Automation platform to create “no-code” scenarios for partners to build integrations that are easier to access. “As we’re rolling out this platform, you’ll see more scenarios leveraging Five9 workflow automation and no-code platforms to help partners build integrations.”
Looking ahead, Scott says that success for Five9 is delivering a really simple and convenient solution for accessing partner tools. Five9 wants to give its customers the ability to trial solutions with the app marketplace, access tools with ease, and find the services they need in as little time as possible. The Five9 team will continue investing in the marketplace to make it as effective as possible.
“You can count on Five9 to continue to extend our reach, and make sure we’re giving our customers the best possible options and choice.”
