AI Revolutionizing How Enterprises Collaborate, ISG Says
Conversational assistants become essential to collaboration, customer interaction as autonomous AI agents emerge to take action and make decisions, new research says
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Collaborative AI and Communication, produced by ISG Software Research, provides the rankings and ratings of over 50 software providers and their products to support effective employee, partner and customer interactions. The research finds that many companies are embracing features powered by GenAI and agentic AI as they build systems to unify geographically dispersed workforces and engage more closely with customers.
“AI is not just modernizing but transforming how enterprises collaborate and communicate. The technology expands the boundaries of what is possible so companies can significantly increase workforce productivity,” said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. “This research provides the fundamentals for preparing to use conversational AI, including AI agents, for collaboration inside and outside an enterprise.”
AI is helping organizations meet the communication and collaboration challenges posed by hybrid work, data protection regulations and changing customer experience demands, the research finds. With edge computing capabilities and conversational and agentic AI, collaboration software is quickly evolving to deliver more automation and intelligence. Enterprises are seeking scalable platforms that maintain high performance, ensure compliance and provide balanced participation between in-person and remote attendees.
Despite advancements in collaborative AI suites and platforms, many organizations still use fragmented communication technologies, the research finds. For effective collaboration across multiple locations, enterprises need more integrated and intelligent tools. ISG predicts that through 2027, one-fifth of enterprises will use agentic AI with communications and collaboration software to guide employees through workflows.
AI is also rapidly improving communication platforms, often called communication platform as a service (CPaaS), the foundational layer for interacting with customers. As consumers expect more interactive experiences, these platforms have begun to include advanced AI that goes beyond basic chatbots, including AI meeting assistants that can perform real-time language translation, the research finds.
Conversational AI tools enabled by GenAI are revolutionizing question-and-answer interactions, ISG finds. Conversational AI can guide workers and customers toward information that is not otherwise easily accessible. ISG predicts that by 2028, automated systems will keep two-thirds of customer interactions within self-service by using improvements in conversational AI and knowledge retrieval.
The research also finds that AI agents are playing a growing role in these increasingly complex functions. Agents are evolving from components based on simple rule-based logic to multi-agent systems that can perform a wide range of tasks, including orchestrating actions across enterprise systems. By 2028, software providers will blend agentic AI with collaboration and communications software to offer digital assistants that increase productivity, ISG predicts.
For its 2025 Buyers Guides for Collaborative AI and Communication, ISG evaluated software providers across six platform categories — AI Agents, Collaborative AI Platforms and Suites, Collaborative AI Suites, Conversational AI for CX, Conversational AI for Workforce and Communication Platforms — and produced a separate Buyers Guide for each. A total of 52 providers were assessed: [24]7.ai, 8x8, Appian, Automation Anywhere, Avaya, AWS, Bandwidth, Bird, C3.ai, Cisco, CM.com, Dialpad, Fractal, Genesys, Google, GoTo, Gupshup, HCLSoftware, IBM, Infobip, IntelePeer, LivePerson, Microsoft, Mitel, Newgen, NiCE, OpenText, Oracle, Pega, RingCentral, Route Mobile, Salesforce, Sangoma, SAP, ServiceNow, Sinch, Sprinklr, SS&C Blue Prism, Syniverse, Tanla, Talkdesk, Tata Communications,
ISG Software Research rates software providers in seven evaluation categories. Five are related to product experience: usability, manageability, reliability, capability, and adaptability. Two are related to customer assurance: validation and total cost of ownership and return on investment (TCO/ROI). Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Within each platform category, those with the most Leader rankings are named as Overall Leaders.
The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guides for Collaborative AI and Communication were the following:
AI Agents: Oracle was the top Overall Leader, followed by ServiceNow and Salesforce. Oracle was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, ServiceNow in six, and Salesforce in two. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Appian, Automation Anywhere, AWS, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Pega, SAP, UiPath, Verint, and Zendesk. SS&C Blue Prism was rated Innovative.
Collaborative AI Platforms and Suites: Microsoft was the top Overall Leader, followed by Zoom and RingCentral. Microsoft was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories and Zoom and RingCentral in four categories each. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Zoho. Cisco was rated Innovative.
Collaborative AI Suites: Microsoft was the top Overall Leader, followed by Google and Zoom. Microsoft was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories and Google and Zoom in three categories each. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Dialpad, RingCentral, Salesforce, and Zoho. 8x8, Avaya, and Cisco were rated Innovative.
Conversational AI for CX: NiCE was the top Overall Leader, followed by ServiceNow and Salesforce. NiCE was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, ServiceNow in six, and Salesforce in two. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Dialpad, Genesys, Google, Infobip, LivePerson, Pega, RingCentral, Sinch, Sprinkler, Talkdesk, Twilio, Verint, Yellow.ai, Zendesk, and Zoom. 8x8, Cisco, CM.com,
Conversational AI for Workforce: Oracle was the top Overall Leader, followed by ServiceNow and Microsoft. ServiceNow was designated a Leader in six evaluation categories, Oracle in five, and Microsoft in two. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with AWS, Google, RingCentral, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Zoom. Appian and Pega were rated Innovative.
Communication Platforms: Infobip was the top Overall Leader, followed by Twilio and Zoom. Infobip was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories and Twilio and Zoom in two categories each. All three overall leaders were rated Exemplary, along with 8x8, Microsoft, Oracle, RingCentral, Sinch and
“Enterprises have the opportunity to significantly increase productivity and improve customer interactions through AI-powered enhancements to communication and collaboration software,” said Robert Kugel, executive director, Business Research, ISG Software Research. “This research provides insights into important AI advancements, helping organizations understand, assess and select software providers to build and execute an effective AI strategy.”
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Collaborative AI and Communication are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.
Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides™ for Collaborative AI and Communication and read executive summaries of each of the six reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.
About ISG Software Research
ISG Software Research provides authoritative coverage and analysis of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its ISG Buyers Guides™ help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessments powered by ISG’s proprietary methodology. Visit https://research.isg-one.com/ for more information and to sign up for free community membership.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
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Press Contacts:
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laura.hupprich@isg-one.com
Julianna Sheridan, Matter Communications for ISG
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Source: Information Services Group, Inc.
