Why the top ecommerce brands abandoned tickets in 2026

Most contact centers are built around tickets and cases. Every time a customer reaches out, they become a number. They repeat their name. They explain their issue again. And again.

This is the real problem most buyers miss. It's not just about moving from old systems to the cloud. It's about moving from treating customers like cases to treating them like people.

This guide covers the platforms, features, and use cases you need to know. Whether you're leaving a legacy system or picking your first enterprise platform, you'll find what you need here.

What contact center software does

Contact center software handles customer conversations across phone, chat, email, text, and social media. Unlike basic helpdesk tools built for email, contact centers manage high volumes of live conversations at once.

Modern contact centers go beyond just routing calls. They connect customer data, automate common questions, and help teams work faster without losing the human touch.

Two very different approaches

The most important choice isn't which vendor to pick. It's which model to use.

Ticket-based platforms create a new case every time a customer reaches out. Each channel opens a separate ticket. Agents must dig through ticket history to understand what's happening. Customers repeat themselves because each ticket lives on its own island. Zendesk, Salesforce, and Five9 work this way.

Conversation-based platforms organize around people, not cases. One continuous thread follows a customer across every channel and interaction. Agents see the full story instantly. Customers never repeat themselves.

This difference shapes everything. Ticket-based systems are built to close cases fast. Conversation-based systems are built to keep customers coming back.

Why this choice matters more than ever

New research from the 2026 Customer Expectations Report from Gladly shows the stakes have changed.

Customers now start with self-service, but they have conditions. 59% of customers prefer to begin with automated support. But 45% say that preference depends on one thing: they need an easy path to a human when automation falls short.

Resolution doesn't equal loyalty. 88% of customers say their issue got resolved through automation or a handoff to a human. Sounds great. But only 22% said that experience made them prefer that company over others.

The gap between "resolved" and "loyal" is where many brands lose.

Five exchanges is the limit. 57% of customers expect a clear path to a human within five back-and-forth exchanges. After 10 minutes, 54% give up entirely. Once customers feel stuck in a loop, trust erodes fast.

Handoffs make or break the experience. When customers hit a wall and can't reach a human, 40% abandon entirely or buy from a competitor. Among those who couldn't get through, 47% say they won't come back if it happens again.

The lesson here isn't to avoid automation. It's to design automation that knows when to step aside.

Features to look for

The basics

Omnichannel support means phone, chat, email, text, and social media all flow through one screen. Agents shouldn't toggle between systems. Neither should customers.

Smart routing sends customers to the right person based on their history, the issue type, and who's available. VIP customers can skip the queue. Complex issues go straight to specialists.

Self-service options let customers help themselves through voice menus, chat assistants, and knowledge bases. The best tools deflect simple questions without trapping customers.

Workforce tools cover scheduling, forecasting, and real-time tracking. Essential once you have 50 or more agents.

Reporting gives you dashboards, call recordings, quality scores, and customer satisfaction tracking.

Advanced features

Automation handles routine questions like order status, returns, and store hours. The goal is freeing agents to handle real problems. Modern automation can increase productivity by 14% and cut resolution time by 9%.

Integrations connect your contact center to your CRM, ecommerce platform, and order management system. For Shopify merchants, this means agents can see orders, process returns, and update addresses without switching tabs.

Quality management records calls, scores conversations, and helps managers coach their teams.

Security and compliance

Most enterprises need SOC 2 certification, data encryption, and role-based access control. Healthcare companies need HIPAA compliance. Financial services need PCI DSS for payment data.

Top platforms compared

Gladly

Gladly is built differently from every other platform on this list. Instead of tickets or call records, it organizes everything around customers as people.

What makes it different: One continuous conversation follows each customer across phone, chat, email, text, and social. No ticket numbers. No case IDs. When a customer calls after sending an email last week, the agent already knows what happened.

Best for: Most types of brands, including ecommerce, retail, and entertainment platforms that compete on experience. Companies with repeat customers and high order values. Teams are frustrated with ticket chaos.

Standout feature: Gladly understands context and emotion, not just keywords. It knows when to help and when to get out of the way.

Five9

Five9 is a strong choice for traditional call centers with high voice volume.

Best for: Organizations where phone calls are primary. Outbound sales and collections. BPOs.

Strengths: Reliable call routing, good workforce management, solid analytics.

Limitations: Voice-first design. Digital channels feel added on later. Complex pricing.

Genesys Cloud

Genesys Cloud handles large global operations with complex needs.

Best for: Enterprises with 1,000+ agents. Global operations. Companies migrating from Genesys on-premise.

Strengths: Full feature set, advanced routing, strong analytics.

Limitations: Complex to implement. Steep learning curve. Higher total cost.

NICE CXone

NICE CXone leads in workforce management and analytics.

Best for: Large contact centers focused on scheduling and compliance. Healthcare and financial services.

Strengths: Best-in-class workforce tools. Advanced quality management.

Limitations: Premium pricing. Long implementation.

Talkdesk

Talkdesk works well for mid-sized companies wanting modern features without enterprise complexity.

Best for: Mid-market (50-500 agents). Companies adding digital channels to voice.

Strengths: Modern interface. Good automation. Industry-specific versions.

Limitations: Voice-first design. Smaller integration ecosystem.

Amazon Connect

Amazon Connect is pay-as-you-go, built on AWS.

Best for: AWS customers. Technical teams building custom solutions. Variable volume operations.

Strengths: No per-agent fees. Scales infinitely. Deep AWS integration.

Limitations: Requires technical skills. Limited out-of-box features.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a digital-first helpdesk with voice added on.

Best for: Digital-first support teams. SMB ecommerce. Email and chat focus.

Strengths: Easy to use. Large app marketplace.

Limitations: Not a true contact center. Voice is an add-on. Ticket-based.

For Shopify Plus merchants

Shopify Plus stores have specific needs. With order volumes from 100 to 10,000+ per day, you need deep platform integration and the ability to scale fast during peak seasons.

What to look for

Deep Shopify integration means real-time order data, purchase history, the ability to modify orders and process refunds right from the conversation, and inventory visibility.

Handling order questions at scale matters because "where is my order" (WISMO) questions make up a huge support volume for most ecommerce brands. The best platforms automate these without frustrating customers.

Peak season readiness is critical. Black Friday and Cyber Monday can bring 5-10x normal volume. Cloud platforms scale instantly. Legacy systems don't.

Why Gladly fits Shopify Plus

The Shopify integration is native and deep. Agents see orders, process returns, and modify addresses without leaving the conversation. Automation handles routine questions while flagging complex issues for humans.

The conversation-based model prevents the ticket explosion that happens during peak seasons. One customer, one thread, regardless of channel.

Cloud vs on-premise

Most companies are moving from old on-premise systems to the cloud. Here's why.

Cost: No upfront hardware purchase. Predictable monthly billing. No maintenance.

Flexibility: Scale up or down instantly. Support remote and hybrid teams. Launch in weeks instead of months.

Innovation: New features arrive automatically. No upgrade projects.

Reliability: 99.99% uptime. Built-in disaster recovery.

The rare cases for staying on-premise include extreme security requirements (government, defense) and regulatory mandates that haven't caught up with cloud security capabilities.

What affects total cost

Software is just the start. Factor in implementation, integration work, training, and ongoing telephony fees. Hidden costs include overage charges, premium support, and running old systems during migration.

Making the switch

Most cloud implementations take 4-6 months including planning, setup, integration, training, and rollout. Simpler cases can go live in 8-12 weeks.

What makes implementation succeed

Executive support: Someone senior needs to champion the change and hold teams accountable.

Agent involvement: Include frontline teams early. They know what works and what doesn't.

Phased rollout: Start with 10-20% of agents. Fix issues before expanding.

Realistic expectations: Day one won't be perfect. Build time for adjustments.

The bigger picture

The 2026 Customer Expectations Report from Gladly reveals something important: automation works, but loyalty doesn't follow automatically.

88% of customers get their issues resolved. But the experience often leaves them neutral at best. The gap between "fixed" and "loyal" comes down to moments that feel small but add up fast: having to repeat yourself, getting stuck in loops, hitting a wall when you need a real person.

The damage compounds. Among customers who hit a blocked transfer, 40% abandon or switch brands. And of those who couldn't get through to a human, 47% say they won't come back if it happens again.

Increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25-95%. Contact center software sits at the center of that math. Every conversation is a chance to earn loyalty or lose it.

The choice isn't between efficiency and relationships. The right platform delivers both. Customers who feel genuinely served become customers who stay and spend more.