If you’re shopping for a cloud contact center solution, you’ve probably run across Five9. Maybe your team’s tired of duct-taping calling tools together, or you’re scaling B2B sales and support and need something that actually works. This review cuts through the marketing noise and gets straight to what Five9 does, what it doesn’t, and whether it’s worth your money—especially if you’re looking at B2B go-to-market (GTM) use cases.
What Is Five9, Really?
Five9 bills itself as a “cloud contact center platform.” At its core, it’s a service for handling inbound and outbound calls, texts, emails, and chats—all under one roof. Think of it as an upgrade from the old-school call center phone system, but with some automation, reporting, and integrations thrown in. It’s aimed at businesses that actually talk to customers (not just send emails) and need to manage a team of agents, whether they’re selling, supporting, or both.
You’ll see Five9 pitched for everything from tiny teams to giant enterprise call centers. If you’re B2B, it’s most useful when you need to coordinate high-touch sales, renewals, or customer support—basically, anywhere humans still matter.
Key Features (What Matters, and What Doesn’t)
Five9’s feature list is long, but not all of it is equally useful. Here’s what’s actually worth your attention:
The Good Stuff
- Omnichannel Routing: Calls, texts, chat, email—your agents can handle it all from one screen. This is a real time-saver if your team’s juggling multiple channels.
- Predictive Dialer: For outbound sales or collections, the dialer can make a big difference in agent productivity. It weeds out voicemails and disconnected numbers, connecting agents only when there’s a live person.
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response): Lets you build phone menus and basic self-service options without hiring a developer. Not sexy, but practical.
- Real-Time and Historical Reporting: The dashboards are decent. You get live stats (calls waiting, agent status) and historical data. Not as customizable as some BI tools, but good enough for most.
- Integrations: Works with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, and a handful of others out-of-the-box. The Salesforce integration is especially robust—think screen pops, click-to-dial, and activity logging.
The “Meh” or Overhyped
- AI Assistants: Five9 has “AI” features for things like call summaries and sentiment analysis. Useful in theory, but these are still hit-or-miss. Expect some awkward transcripts and the occasional “robotic” customer experience.
- Workforce Optimization (WFO): Scheduling, quality monitoring, etc. It’s fine, but don’t expect miracles. Many companies still use spreadsheets or third-party tools for serious workforce management.
- CRM-lite Features: Five9 tries to offer some light CRM capabilities, but honestly, if you have a real CRM, stick with it. Five9’s built-in stuff is basic and not worth switching from Salesforce or HubSpot.
Where Five9 Shines (and Where It Doesn’t)
What Works Well
- Scaling Up or Down: It’s cloud-based, so you can add or remove agents without hassle. Super handy for seasonal businesses or fast-growing teams.
- Remote Work: Agents just need a browser and a headset. Five9’s softphone works fine even on home Wi-Fi (assuming your internet isn’t terrible).
- Compliance: If you care about things like TCPA, GDPR, or call recording laws, Five9 checks most of the boxes out-of-the-box.
- Agent Experience: The interface is straightforward. New hires can get up to speed fast—even non-techies.
What Still Needs Work
- Pricing Transparency: Five9’s pricing isn’t listed on their site. You have to talk to sales, and the final cost depends on your negotiation skills and contract size. More on that below.
- Reporting Limits: You get the basics, but if you want deep analytics or custom dashboards, you’ll run into walls. Some data exports are only available at higher tiers.
- Setup Complexity: Initial setup can be a slog, especially if you have complicated call flows or a lot of integrations. If you don’t have IT support, expect a learning curve.
- International Support: Five9 is strongest in North America. If you need local numbers or support in Asia or Africa, double-check coverage before you commit.
Pricing: What You’ll Actually Pay
Here’s the honest truth: Five9 pricing is complicated, and rarely the same for any two customers. You’ll see ballpark figures tossed around—usually $100 to $200 per agent per month—but your actual cost will depend on:
- Number of agents (the more, the better your rate)
- Features you need (voice only, or omnichannel? Do you want WFO? AI add-ons?)
- Contract length (multi-year deals are cheaper)
- Usage (some plans charge per minute, others are unlimited)
Pro tip: Negotiate. Five9 expects it. Get quotes from competitors (like Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud, or NICE CXone), and use them as leverage. Also, watch for hidden fees—implementation, support, and advanced analytics can drive up your first-year spend.
Bottom line: If you’re a small team (<20 agents), Five9 might be overkill—and overpriced. For midsize to large B2B teams, the flexibility and features can be worth it, but only if you use most of what you’re paying for.
B2B Go-To-Market (GTM) Use Cases Compared
Let’s get specific. Here’s how Five9 stacks up for the most common B2B GTM scenarios:
1. Outbound Sales (SDRs, BDRs, Inside Sales)
- Strengths: Predictive dialer, call monitoring, Salesforce integration. Makes reps more productive.
- Weak Points: If your team mostly emails or uses LinkedIn, Five9 is overkill. It shines when phone volume is high.
- Alternatives: Outreach and Salesloft for multi-channel cadences; Five9 wins if you’re all-in on voice.
2. Customer Support / Success
- Strengths: Omnichannel routing means you don’t miss a customer inquiry. Real-time reporting helps you spot fires before they spread.
- Weak Points: If your support is mostly ticket-based (email/web), Zendesk or Freshdesk might be simpler.
- Alternatives: Five9 is best when you need phone-first support with solid compliance.
3. Renewals / Account Management
- Strengths: Blended inbound/outbound makes it easy for account managers to handle renewals and upsells in one platform.
- Weak Points: CRM integration is essential—otherwise, agents are toggling screens all day.
- Alternatives: If your team is small and doesn’t need call recording or advanced routing, you might get by with your CRM’s built-in calling tools.
4. Collections / Billing
- Strengths: Predictive dialer and call scripting help scale collection efforts. Compliance features are a plus.
- Weak Points: Expect to spend time customizing workflows for your specific needs.
- Alternatives: Five9 is a leader here, but if you just need simple outbound dialing, cheaper tools exist.
How to Get the Most Out of Five9 (Without Losing Your Mind)
If you do pull the trigger on Five9, here’s how to avoid the common pitfalls:
- Map Your Workflows First: Before you buy, sketch out your call flows, reporting needs, and integrations. This saves headaches during setup.
- Get IT Involved Early: Don’t leave this to your ops team alone—the technical setup is non-trivial.
- Start Simple: Launch with your core use case (e.g., inbound support or outbound sales). Add bells and whistles later.
- Train Your Agents: Five9 is easy to use, but don’t just throw people in. Run a hands-on training session.
- Monitor Usage: Keep an eye on licensing and feature adoption. If you’re not using a feature, cut it at renewal time.
Honest Pros and Cons
Pros: - Reliable, scalable platform for voice-heavy teams - Strong integrations with Salesforce and Microsoft - Good compliance and security features - Cloud-based—agents can work anywhere
Cons: - Pricing is opaque and can get expensive fast - Setup can be complex without technical help - Reporting is good, but not best-in-class - AI and automation are promising, but not magic
Final Take: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Buy the Hype
Five9 is a solid choice if you need a robust, scalable contact center for B2B sales or support—especially if calls are still a big part of your business. Just don’t expect it to solve all your GTM problems or automate your way to growth.
Start with your actual needs, keep your stack as simple as possible, and iterate as you go. Don’t let shiny features or sales pitches distract you from what matters: helping your team connect with customers, without a lot of hassle.
If you’re on the fence, get a demo, grill the sales rep, and insist on a trial. That’s the best way to see if Five9 is hype—or actually helpful—for your team.