Like almost every facet of the customer experience and service tech stack in recent times, the CRM Customer Engagement Center (CEC) landscape is in the midst of an AI-powered rethink.
Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center (CEC) 2025 underscores how swiftly the market has shifted from digital engagement to intelligent orchestration, with AI agents, automation frameworks, and composable platforms defining the new service stack.
While last year’s report reflected stability, 2025 marks a decisive pivot.
A fresh evaluation model, new scoring criteria, and a heavier focus on agentic AI have redrawn the map.
However, despite the changes, Salesforce was still comfortably the top of the pack, with Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Zendesk some of the major names trying to chase it down.
The Definition of CRM Customer Engagement Center (CEC)
But before we get into the rankings, what exactly is a CRM CEC?
Gartner defines it as a unified, AI-augmented suite that delivers both customer interaction and service process orchestration.
In essence, these systems are no longer just case management hubs; they are engagement engines, tying together data, workflows, and outcomes across front, middle, and back-office environments.
While case management, digital engagement, and knowledge management remain mandatory features, “automation of engagements” and “real-time continuous intelligence” have also become table stakes.
That means agentic AI, contextual orchestration, and low-code extensibility are now baseline expectations rather than differentiators.
Here’s how Gartner rates the field for 2025.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 2025: Leaders
This year’s Leaders are:
- Salesforce
- Microsoft
- ServiceNow
- Zendesk
- Oracle
Salesforce
Still the benchmark for enterprise CRM, Salesforce continues to consolidate its position as the most complete AI-enabled service platform.
Service Cloud now unifies data, AI, and automation through Agentforce Service Agents and Service Rep Assistant, bridging front-line and back-office operations.
Gartner also outlined the vendor’s industry-specific strategy, with 14 tailored products and an ecosystem that spans hyperscalers and GSIs.
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Customer Service keeps building momentum with a deepening AI strategy and an expanding footprint across the enterprise.
Gartner believes that the arrival of Dynamics 365 Contact Center signals a clear intent: unify CRM, CCaaS, and agentic AI under one roof.
Gartner also praised Microsoft’s extensible Power Platform, which underpins its modular design and low-code agility.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow’s Agentic Workflows and GenAI-powered agent assist position it as the go-to choice for enterprises seeking cross-departmental automation.
Gartner also highlighted the company’s unified platform and partner ecosystem, which together deliver low TCO and strong deployment consistency.
ServiceNow’s blend of ITSM pedigree and AI-driven orchestration continues to blur the line between IT and CX – and that’s where Gartner believes the market is heading.
Zendesk
The launch of Zendesk’s Resolution Platform has helped move the vendor up from a Visionary in 2024 to a true Leader in 2025.
The solution integrates copilot tools, real-time QA, and voice-bot intelligence, all within a single agent workspace.
Gartner also credited the company’s integrated WEM suite and its ability to execute globally across retail, tech, and service sectors.
Oracle
Oracle’s Fusion Service rounds out this year’s Leaders with a clear differentiator: embedded AI without extra licensing costs.
In addition, its AI Agent Studio was praised for its ability to enable users to build and manage custom agents inside the governed Fusion framework, complementing its rich enterprise data model.
The report also highlighted Oracle’s end-to-end enterprise integration – spanning ERP, supply chain, and HCM – and a vast partner network.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 2025: Challengers
This year’s Challengers are:
- SAP
SAP
SAP’s AI-first vision, anchored in its Business AI strategy, helped catapult it from a Niche Player in last year’s report to the sole Challenger this time around.
Joule, SAP’s copilot, drives contextual recommendations across the service journey, while Resolution Room brings collaborative case solving to life.
Native ERP integration remains SAP’s trump card, tying front- and back-office data into a single service flow.
Yet, Gartner noted that SAP’s expansion remains focused on its ERP base, and advanced knowledge management still requires external tools.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 2025: Visionaries
This year’s Visionaries are:
- Pegasystems
Pegasystems
Unfortunately, while Zendesk managed to move up, Pega dropped down from a Leader in 2024 to a Visionary in 2025.
Despite this, Gartner still highlighted the company’s workflow-centric AI and low-code agility as anchors for a CEC built for scale in highly regulated industries.
Gartner also praised its end-to-end orchestration capabilities, connecting customer journeys to operational workflows — something many competitors are only now attempting.
However, Pega’s opaque pricing and enterprise-only focus limit its broader appeal. Migrating to its new Constellation design system also requires significant change management.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 2025: Niche Players
This year’s Niche Players are:
- eGain
- Freshworks
- Zoho
- Creatio
eGain
Like Pega before it, this year also saw eGain trending in the wrong direction.
Yet, there’s still plenty of positives to take from another Magic Quadrant appearance.
Gartner praised the vendor’s AI Knowledge Hub, which has been expanded with GenAI for summarization and content orchestration.
Unfortunately, eGain’s limited partner reach and delivery consistency issues pushed it into the Niche camp.
Freshworks
The report outlined Freshworks’ Freddy AI Copilot, which now offers real-time coaching and next-best-action guidance. The platform has also grown to cover marketing, sales, and service.
Gartner cites deployment agility and unified CX design as wins, but notes execution risk in balancing SMB and midmarket ambitions, along with concerns around add-on AI costs.
Zoho
Gartner believes that Zoho remains one of the strongest value options in the CRM field. The vendor’s Zoho Desk feature delivers essential case management at a fraction of the cost, supported by a proprietary cloud infrastructure and vast partner network.
Gartner spotlights its affordable TCO and data-privacy control, but flags limited innovation pace and weaker automation depth.
Creatio
The final entrant in the 2025 report is Creatio, with its Service Creatio platform credited for bringing no-code composability to the CEC stage.
Its new AI Command Center was also highlighted for its ability to unify AI agents for proactive service optimization.
However, Gartner did question the company’s AI consumption pricing and limited reach in emerging markets.
Key Takeaways: A Market Redrawn by Agentic AI
The Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 2025 reflects a fundamental shift: CECs are no longer just about “case to resolution”; they’re becoming AI-driven orchestration platforms that operate across the enterprise.
Salesforce, Microsoft, and ServiceNow dominate thanks to unified data models and composable AI layers.
Oracle strengthens its AI-embedded value proposition, and Zendesk doubles down on agent experience.
Meanwhile, SAP’s ERP-centric AI vision and Pega’s automation depth remind us that the enterprise backbone still matters.
For buyers, the takeaway is clear: the next wave of customer engagement platforms won’t just manage service interactions; they’ll think, act, and adapt in real time across the customer journey.
Discover more CX Today rundowns of other Gartner Magic Quadrant reports below:
