RingCentral has acquired CommunityWFM, an AI-powered workforce management provider, to enhance its contact center capabilities and integrate workforce management into its RingCX platform.

This strategic move aims to improve operational efficiency and agent experience through AI-driven scheduling, automated shift management, and real-time adherence monitoring.

Founded in 1999, RingCentral offers a comprehensive unified communications platform that supports hybrid and remote work environments, including voice, video, messaging, and contact center solutions.

CommunityWFM, established in 2005 with around 50 employees, serves approximately 600 customers across various industries such as financial services, insurance, and utilities, offering scalable product tiers for SMBs and larger organizations.

Industry data underscores the importance of workforce management, with 34% of organizations citing it as crucial for customer satisfaction and 46% for revenue growth, highlighting the strategic value of this acquisition.

The adoption of AI-powered workforce management tools is rising, as these solutions help balance efficiency, employee satisfaction, and customer experience amid industry challenges like high agent turnover.

This move aligns with industry trends where major contact center providers like Amazon and Zoom are developing their own WFM solutions, emphasizing the necessity of owning such capabilities.

The integrated AI-driven workforce management features, including forecasting, scheduling, and real-time adherence, will now be available as 'RingCentral AI Workforce Management' starting at $20 per agent per month, enhancing the company's offerings for hybrid work models.

RingCentral’s extensive channel partner network of over 16,000 worldwide will benefit from the native WFM capabilities, enabling them to attract new customers and expand existing accounts.

RingCentral’s President & COO, Kira Makagon, emphasized that integrating CommunityWFM’s solutions supports their broader AI-first strategy, aiming to improve both customer and employee experiences.

The acquisition is expected to close later in 2025, with the existing CommunityWFM team joining RingCentral as vice presidents, driven by customer demand for native workforce management within RingCX.

This strategic expansion reflects a broader industry shift towards unified, AI-enhanced contact center operations, positioning RingCentral to stay competitive amid shrinking third-party WFM solutions and increasing innovation from competitors.