If your company is looking for a cloud-based communication platform, then Twilio and Five9 are likely on your shortlist.Â
As two of the most popular call center platforms on the market, both Twilio and Five9 provide top-of-field features that can help you connect with employees and customers in a variety of ways.
How can you decide which of these business communication tools is right for you? Â
We are here to help. In this article, we will examine Twilio and Five9, compare their key features and pricing, and detail the other considerations that can help you make the right choice for your business.
What is Twilio?
Twilio is a Communications-as-a-Service vendor that provides businesses with the tools they need to build their own telephony communication systems.Â
Through access to Twilio’s APIs, a business can create scalable and customized communication networks that connect to the various tools and applications of their marketing, sales, and customer support teams.
What is Five9?
Five9 is a cloud-based, multichannel contact center software platform that enables businesses to engage with their customers through a variety of means, including phone calls, email, chat, SMS, and via social media platforms.Â
Five9 uses practical AI (artificial intelligence), advanced automation features, and the cloud to improve the efficiency and quality of customer communications.
Twilio vs. Five9: Side-by-side
Twilio and Five9 are two comprehensive call center solutions that take very different approaches to the delivery of their product.Â
Twilio provides a robust toolset that can be added piecemeal into your existing tech stack using APIs and code.
Five9 offers a complete omni-channel call center right out-of-the-box, with very little setup required.Â
Both software vendors have all the tools and features you need in a communication platform, and both are able to integrate with a wide variety of third-party systems.
So how do you decide which one is right for you?
We are here to help. We will compare the key features, pricing, and support options of both Twilio and Five9 to see if any differentiators might make your choice easier.
Twilio vs. Five9: Feature comparison
When it comes to feature selection, both of these communication platforms provide a broad offering, including:Â Â Â Â
- Call Logging, Routing, Recording, Monitoring, and Blocking
- IVR / Voice Recognition
- Integrations with leading tools such as CRM and ERP
So they have a lot in common, but what features set Twilio and Five9 apart from the competition (including each other).
- Twilio lets you build your own custom communication platform- Twilio gives you all the tools you need to create a complete call center from the ground up.
The advantage of this approach is flexibility. You can choose what tools you want to use, design call flows that suit your specific needs, and integrate with your tech stack in a way that makes sense for your business.
- Five9 offers some of the best call routing capabilities in the industry- Five9’s advanced call routing features allow for customer calls to be directed based on caller ID, time of day, the skills/specialty of the agent (language, expertise), geographic location, and more.
Winner- Five9 wins this one in a photo finish. Both communication vendors provide all the tools you need to run a top-of-field call center, Five9 just has a few more nice-to-have features to round out their offering.
Twilio vs. Five9: Pricing
When evaluating the cost of any software tool, you have to look beyond the price tag. ROI comes down to getting the most out of the features available, so payment structures that are scaleable and flexible are a must.Â
- Twilio- Twilio’s pricing plan is usage-based, which can make it tough to calculate without defining your specific needs.
In saying that, this model fits perfectly with their service structure which offers a variety of tools and features that you can mix and match to create a personalized solution.Â
- Five9- Five9’s payment plans follow the standard tiered model so popular with B2B SaaS vendors, with higher tiers unlocking omni-channel support, advanced automation features, and analytics and reporting tools.Â
Starting at $149 for the Core tier, Five9’s payment plans are on the more expensive side for a VoIP provider. That said, they offer the most robust set of calling center tools available on the market so you do get what you pay for.
Winner- Twilio has the edge when it comes to pricing, as the ability to pick features individually rather than by tier is a big boon. Twilio does require more work to implement, however, and those costs should be factored into your estimates.
Twilio vs. Five9: Customer support comparison
Customer support is an often overlooked component when shopping for software tools. Yet, when issues arise, it quickly moves to the top of the priority list.Â
The challenge is that assessing the quality of a vendor’s customer support can be difficult before the purchase because you won’t get many opportunities to use it.
To get an idea of the level of customer service you can expect, begin by looking at what support channels exist.
- Is it all over email or is there a phone/chat option?Â
- Are the options available 24/7 or are you restricted to business hours? If so, what time zone?Â
- Is the support provided by the vendor or a 3rd party support team?
After exploring the support options available, take a look at the knowledge base provided (if there is one).Â
- Is the information current? When was the last update?
- Is the information organized and easy to find? Â
- Is the information comprehensive?
- Is the information accurate?
You may not be able to evaluate all of these things before you buy, so take the time to read some customer satisfaction reviews. Just keep in mind that customers tend to leave reviews when they are either very happy or very upset, and as such, the claims can be a little skewed toward the extremes.
Now, let’s see how Twilio and Five9 compare when evaluating their customer support options.
- Twilio- Twilio offers a tiered support structure that provides more options as you advance. The price of each tier is based on your monthly spend.
- Email support is available at every tier
- Live chat support is available in the Production tier (4% of monthly spend)
- Phone support is available in the Business tier (6% of monthly spend)
- A technical account manager and support escalation line are available in the Personalized tier (8% of monthly spend)
Twilio’s knowledge base is robust, accurate, and well organized, exactly what you would expect from a company with a focus on user-empowerment.
- Five9- Five9 offers excellent customer support across a variety of channels, including:
- 24/7 phone support for every customerÂ
- 24/7 online chat support for every customer
- Email support
Plus, Five9 has Premium support options available, such as a dedicated support engineer, a technical account manager, or a team of experts.
The Five9 knowledge base is well-supported and up-to-date. With articles and topics organized by product, category, and topic, finding answers is fast and easy.
Winner- Five9 takes this one. The base level of service you get from Five9 exceeds that of almost any other company in the space, and their Premium options are a cut above as well.
Twilio vs. Five9: Which is right for your business?
Both Twilio and Five9 are excellent choices for a communication platform. So which is right for you? Â
- Twilio is right for- Twilio is a great VoIP solution for companies with the technical know-how to take advantage of its highly flexible toolset.
- Highly customizable- With access to Twilio’s APIs, you can build a complete communication system that integrates into your tech stack in whatever way makes the most sense for your business
In fact, Twilio’s tools can help you get more out of the other communication tools you may already be using, adding ROI to everything it touches.
- Five9 is right for- Five9 is particularly well suited for companies that want to implement a complete contact center.
- High volume communication management- Few VoIP solutions, if any, can equal the communication management capabilities that Five9 provides.Â
Five9s advanced routing features allow you to create a customized and efficient process for handling all your customer communications across a variety of channels.
For additional resources that can help you find a communication platform that is right for you, check out our comparison of:
Whether it’s Twilio or Five9, FreeAgent has you covered
FreeAgent CRM integrates with the industry’s top tools to offer a complete work management solution for your business. That means whichever solution is right for you, FreeAgent has you covered. Plus, FreeAgent is:
- Easy to use- FreeAgent’s modern user interface is quick to learn and easy to use, encouraging teams to work within the platform, driving up adoption and aligning your work processes.Â
- User-configurable- With FreeAgent, the power is in your hands. You can customize and personalize FreeAgent to fit the specific needs of your business and teams without external support.Â
- Flexible and adaptable- FreeAgent’s robust toolset and extensive integration library supports teams and businesses of all types and structures. Whatever challenge you face, FreeAgent can help.
To see FreeAgent in action, get a demo, and discover for yourself how we are leading the way to a better workday.
