Genesys, a leading provider of contact center as a service (CCaaS), is at the forefront of integrating generative AI (GenAI) into its offerings. This strategic move, first announced in June last year, has been years in the making and is now showing significant results. With over 1.5 million agents utilizing the platform and more than half already leveraging GenAI capabilities, Genesys is redefining the landscape of customer service technology.
The journey to GenAI integration
The integration of GenAI into Genesys’s platform is a testament to the company’s long-term vision and commitment to innovation. The journey began several years ago with a strategic imperative to invest in AI, machine learning, and GenAI technologies. This conscious investment has enabled Genesys to develop a robust GenAI solution that offers significant value to contact centers.
The primary use cases for GenAI within Genesys’s platform include agent copilots, which help streamline operations by summarizing customer interactions as well as pulling in data from across entire CRM and ERP ecosystems, thereby reducing call handling times, enhancing agent efficiency, and improving customer satisfaction.
The introduction of these capabilities has not only improved operational efficiency but also started generating substantial annual recurring revenue (ARR) within just a few weeks of its launch.
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Discovering the value of usage-based pricing and hybrid models for GenAI
In a bid to further enhance its value proposition, Genesys is transitioning from a traditional user-based pricing model to a more flexible, hybrid model, adding in a usage-based component.
“To make the transition easier for our customers, we’re going for a token-based model,” explains Ramya Raj, VP & Global Head of Go-to-Customer Solutions at Genesys. “Customers can get bulk credits and use them across their seats or based on their AI engagements.”
This innovative pricing strategy is particularly beneficial for organizations of different sizes and needs. Small to medium-sized companies can fully leverage AI capabilities while maintaining a smaller agent base, whereas larger enterprises can use a mix of AI and human agents to optimize their operations.
Genesys’s new usage-based, hybrid approach helps reduce the friction of AI adoption and provides flexibility, making it easier for customers to see the value of AI without being locked into a specific pricing structure.
“One of our core values is empathetic experiences, so the value we can drive for the customer is more of a priority than the cost … our priority was more on the value metrics and differentiation in the market, which would drive our profitability in the market.”
– Ramya Raj, VP & Global Head of Go-to-Customer Solutions, Genesys
Overcoming challenges
While the integration of GenAI and the shift to usage-based pricing are significant advancements, they come with their own set of challenges. Genesys recognized the need for a platform capable of detailed usage measurement and transparent customer communication.
“From a customer centric perspective,” Ramya explains, “you really need to know what tools are you building so that you can actually predict the usage so that customers can budget it and then they can pay you.”
This requires a tight partnership between product teams and go-to-market operations to ensure that the transition is smooth and that the value of AI is clearly demonstrated to customers—but more importantly—Genesys will need the right technology to make this happen.
Implementing the right technology for success
For years, Zuora has empowered Genesys to automate an entire end-to-end process from customer acquisition to billing and cash collection, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for both the company and its customers.
Now, as Genesys embarks on the next leg of its transformation journey, collaboration with Zuora will be a key enabler, allowing the company to focus on delivering cutting-edge AI solutions while managing the complexities of usage-based pricing and billing with ease.
“With Zuora, what really interested us is the billing capability with the advanced capabilities on the metering and the rating flexibility,” Ramya notes. “Because we have very complex metering and rating that was needed. And that was going to be a critical piece to help with the scale and time to market and time to value.”
Leading the charge to revolutionize CCaaS
Genesys’s integration of GenAI and its innovative usage-based pricing model, supported by Zuora, are setting new standards in the CCaaS industry. By prioritizing customer value and flexibility, Genesys is well-positioned to lead the market in AI-driven customer service solutions and continue its journey of innovation and growth.