I. Introduction
Engagement
platforms deliver significant returns for many companies, particularly those
with mid-market e-commerce brands and larger financial services businesses,
through a single strong customer engagement tactic. Recent reports indicate
that these platforms offer return rates measured in multiple hundreds of
percent. What is the timeframe for a return on investment? How do you choose
the right engagement platform based on company size?
This
guide offers actionable solutions for both questions. It covers the calculation
method for ROI, WHAT MEASUREMENT’S ARE MOST IMPORTANT? Factors that impact ROI,
and, finally, provides you with a vendor-by-vendor analysis look at 10 customer engagement platforms that
consistently deliver the best ROI in 2025, with Case Studies, Signs of
Speed to Value, and a Comparison Chart to Help You Choose.
II. Understanding Customer Engagement Platform
ROI
A. What
exactly is customer engagement ROI?
The return on investment (ROI)
associated with customer engagement represents the monetary value your company
will reap from the use of various approaches and technologies to reach and
interact with customers through multiple channels (i.e., email, in-app, SMS,
chat, push notifications, and self-service).
Customer
engagement ROI is essential to business success due to the shift in how
companies grow; modern businesses grow not only by attracting new customers but
also by continuing to create a long-term relationship with those same customers
by providing great engagement and support. This increased engagement increases customer lifetime value, reduces
customer churn, and increases the effectiveness of marketing dollars
spent on marketing.
ROI
metrics: Direct vs Indirect
·
Direct:
Revenue attribution for sales generated through email and SMS, conversion
lifts, and payback periods.
·
Indirect:
Time saved through automation, decreased customer service expense, improved NPS
and increased customer retention rates (which lead to increased revenue down
the road).
B. Key
ROI Metrics to Track
·
Customer
Lifetime Value (CLV) increase
·
Retention
rate improvement
·
Churn
reduction percentage
·
Revenue per
customer growth
·
Cost per
engagement reduction (e.g., cost per support
contact)
·
Time saved
through automation (hours/week saved × hourly
cost)
·
Conversion
rate improvements (landing pages, product flows)
C. How to Calculate Engagement Platform ROI
What to include in costs: subscription fees, implementation & consulting, onboarding/training, integrations, data work, ongoing maintenance.
What to include in gains:
incremental revenue attributed to the platform, cost savings (support
deflection, automation), and efficiency value (hours saved × hourly rate).
Realistic
timeframe: Expect measurable results within 3–12
months depending on complexity — simpler migrations (email-driven
platforms) often show value in 1–3 months; enterprise integrations may take
longer.
III. Factors That Impact Engagement Platform ROI
·
Business
size & industry: eCommerce benefits heavily
from email + SMS platforms; B2B may gain more from account-based automation and
conversational support.
·
Integration
capabilities: The platform must connect to
your CRM, data warehouse, commerce platform, and analytics to enable accurate
attribution.
·
Team
adoption & training: Tools are
only valuable when teams use them—invest in playbooks and training.
·
Feature
utilization rate: The more features you use
(personalization, predictive segments, cross-channel orchestration), the
greater upside—but only if used correctly.
·
Data quality
& segmentation: Clean, first-party data
multiplies ROI; poor data drags results.
· Campaign strategy & execution: The platform is an enabler — strategy and creative execution determine outcomes.
IV. Top 10 Customer Engagement Platforms with
the Best ROI (2025)
Each Customer Engagement
Platform has been rated for their Return
on Investment Score (0-10) based on documented case studies, time to value,
and suitability across businesses of all sizes.
Platform 1 — Hub Spot (All-in-one marketing &
engagement)
Overview
HubSpot combines CRM, marketing automation, sales, and service hubs with a
strong focus on ease of use and fast time-to-value. It’s popular with growing
companies that want a unified customer view and self-service onboarding. (Hub Spot)
ROI Highlights
HubSpot’s
customer ROI reporting shows many users see
increases in conversion and productivity, with a significant share reporting
returns within weeks. HubSpot publishes ROI calculators and case studies that
show quick wins for SMBs and mid-market teams.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Unified CRM + marketing data
(better attribution)
·
Prebuilt workflows and
templates (faster execution)
·
Built-in reporting &
attribution
Pricing structure
Free tier available; paid hubs by functionality and scale (Starter →
Professional → Enterprise). Cost-to-value improves when multiple hubs are
adopted.
ROI Score: 8/10
— strong for SMBs and mid-market teams seeking fast wins and unified data.
Platform 2 — Intercom (Conversational customer
engagement)
Overview
Intercom specializes in live chat, in-app messaging, and AI-powered automation
that make conversational support and sales scalable. Intercom has leaned
heavily into AI tooling for agents and bots.
ROI Highlights
Intercom
customers report reduced handling times and
improved conversion through proactive messaging and automation; Intercom’s
industry research shows rising expectations and a shift toward AI-augmented
support.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Conversational bots + human
handoffs (support deflection)
·
In-app onboarding flows (reduce
time-to-activation)
·
Outcome-based automation (save
agent time)
Pricing
Tiered by seats, bots, and advanced features; pricing favors growth companies
focused on product-led growth.
ROI Score: 8/10
— especially strong where conversational experiences directly affect revenue.
Platform 3 — Salesforce Marketing Cloud
(Enterprise-level engagement)
Overview
A robust enterprise marketing platform offering enterprise grade
personalization, cross-channel orchestration, and deep analytics. Often a fit
for large B2C/B2B firms.
ROI Highlights
A Forrester composite study found ~299% ROI over three years
for Marketing Cloud implementations in the study sample — an example of
enterprise ROI
when the platform is used holistically.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Deep personalization & predictive
modeling
·
Cross-channel orchestration at
scale
·
Enterprise analytics & data
integrations
Pricing
Enterprise licensing; pricing varies by volume and features — typically higher
TCO but strong for large scale use.
ROI Score: 8/10 — highest ROI for enterprises prepared to invest in integration and strategy.
Platform 4 — ActiveCampaign (Email automation &
CRM)
Overview
ActiveCampaign blends CRM, email automation, and predictive sending with
straightforward pricing and fast onboarding. Great for small-to-mid businesses
focused on email/SMS revenue.
ROI Highlights
ActiveCampaign
reports many customers see positive returns
within 90 days; aggregated industry reports suggest substantial ROI via
automation (time saved + revenue lift).
Key features that drive ROI
·
Sophisticated automations &
segmentation
·
CRM + automation in one tool
·
Time-saving templates and
reporting
Pricing
Tiered plans with scalable contacts; cost-effective for growing lists.
ROI Score: 8.5/10 — excellent cost-to-value for SMBs seeking fast revenue impact.
Platform 5 — Zendesk (Customer service engagement)
Overview
Zendesk focuses on support, self-service, and conversational channels with
proven outcomes in cost reduction and customer satisfaction.
ROI Highlights
A Forrester TEI
study reports a 301% ROI and payback in less
than six months for a composite organization; benefits include automated
resolution and reduced contact rates.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Self-service knowledge base
(deflect tickets)
·
AI and automation for workflows
·
Multichannel ticketing &
reporting
Pricing
Multi-tiered; flexible for support teams of different sizes.
ROI Score: 9/10
— one of the fastest payback platforms for support-heavy businesses.
Platform 6 — Braze (Mobile-first engagement)
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Braze is optimized for mobile and cross-channel orchestration with strong
creative and personalization features for consumer brands.
ROI Highlights
Customer case studies show meaningful ROI uplifts
— e.g., Brand X gained ~50% ROI increases and faster campaign build times after
migrating
to Braze. Braze emphasizes AI and decisioning to
optimize promotional spend.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Canvas journey orchestration
·
Native mobile & in-app
messaging
·
Personalization &
decisioning engines
Pricing
Volume and usage based; geared toward mid-market to enterprise mobile brands.
ROI Score: 8/10 — top choice for mobile-led businesses prioritizing engagement.
Platform 7 — Klaviyo (E-commerce focused engagement)
Overview
Klaviyo
is built for ecommerce data and powerful for email +
SMS attribution and revenue tracking on platforms like Shopify.
ROI Highlights
Klaviyo publishes case studies showing extraordinary returns — some customers
report double-digit revenue growth and astonishing ROI multipliers (example:
123× ROI reported for a specific apparel customer in 2024).
Key features that drive ROI
·
Deep Shopify/commerce
integrations and attribution
·
Email + SMS revenue attribution
(Klaviyo-attributed value metrics)
·
Prebuilt ecommerce flows and
templates
Pricing
Contact-based pricing; free tier for smaller lists.
ROI Score: 9/10
— arguably the best ROI platform for direct-to-consumer ecommerce brands.
Platform 8 — Customer.io (Data-driven messaging)
Overview
Customer.io emphasizes event-based messaging, developer-friendly APIs,
and first-party data orchestration — ideal for product and subscription
businesses.
ROI Highlights
Customer.io case studies show fast churn reduction and retention gains (e.g.,
LES MILLS+ retained a large portion of at-risk customers using Customer.io
flows). The platform also publishes buyer guides for ROI calculation.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Event-triggered workflows and
in-app messages
·
Flexible API for data
activation
·
Experimentation and
personalization
Pricing
Usage and event-based pricing; generally favorable for B2B SaaS and growth
startups.
ROI Score: 8/10
— strong for SaaS and subscription models focused on retention.
Platform 9 — MoEngage (AI-powered engagement)
MoEngage combines AI-driven insights, orchestration, and predictive
segmentation with a focus on mobile and omnichannel journeys. Trusted by
regional and global brands.
ROI Highlights
Multiple case studies report large uplifts (e.g., marketing automation ROI
improvements of 12–27× and conversion and CTR uplifts in the double digits). MoEngage’s
AI (Sherpa) is a differentiator for timing and channel optimization.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Predictive segmentation &
AI decisioning
·
Cross-channel orchestration and
analytics
·
Fast campaign templates
Pricing
Tiered; tailored for growth to enterprise.
ROI Score: 8.5/10 — very strong where AI personalization and local market expertise matter.
Platform 10 — Freshworks Customer Engagement (Freshdesk / Freshmarketer)
Overview
Freshworks
bundles affordable, easy-to-deploy support and
engagement tools with AI features aimed at rapid ROI and customer happiness.
It’s positioned as a lower-complexity alternative to the largest enterprise
clouds. (Freshworks)
ROI Highlights
Freshworks’ benchmark reporting and market
performance indicate faster implementations and improved CSAT; recent company
growth is attributed to AI features that lift support productivity and ROI.
Key features that drive ROI
·
Easy ticketing + automation
·
AI for answers and agent assist
·
Transparent pricing &
faster onboarding
Pricing
Clear, tiered plans with competitive entry pricing for SMBs.
ROI Score: 8/10
— excellent TCO for teams that want rapid deployment and measurable support
ROI.
V. Comparison Table: ROI at a Glance
Use this table to compare
expected outcomes quickly — choose the row that matches your use case
(ecommerce, SaaS, enterprise support, mobile app).
|
Platform |
Best
For |
Starting
Price Indicator |
Key
ROI Driver |
Avg
Time to ROI |
Overall
ROI Rating |
Integration
Score |
|
HubSpot |
SMB
→ Mid-market |
Free
→ Paid hubs |
Unified
CRM + automation |
1–3
months |
8/10 |
High.
|
|
Intercom |
SaaS
& product |
Seat
+ usage |
Conversational
automation |
1–3
months |
8/10 |
High.
|
|
Salesforce
MC |
Enterprise |
Enterprise
pricing |
Personalization
& scale |
6–18
months |
8/10 |
Very
high. |
|
ActiveCampaign |
SMB |
Affordable
tiers |
Email
automation |
1–3
months |
8.5/10 |
Medium.
|
|
Zendesk |
Support
teams |
Tiered |
Support
automation & deflection |
<6
months |
9/10 |
High. |
|
Braze |
Mobile
brands |
Usage
pricing |
Mobile
orchestration |
2–6
months |
8/10 |
High. |
|
Klaviyo |
Ecommerce |
Contact-based |
Email+SMS
attribution |
1–4
months |
9/10 |
Very high (Shopify). |
|
Customer.io |
SaaS |
Event
usage |
Event
messaging |
1–3
months |
8/10 |
High. |
|
MoEngage |
Mobile
& retail |
Tiered |
AI
personalization |
1–6
months |
8.5/10 |
High. |
|
Freshworks |
SMB
& mid |
Transparent
tiers |
Fast
onboarding + AI |
1–3
months |
8/10 |
High. |
VIII. ROI Success Stories & Case Studies
Case Study — Klaviyo & MESHKI (Apparel)
Challenge:
Scale revenue and attribution during growth.
Platform chosen:
Klaviyo — focused on email + SMS.
Implementation:
Migrated flows, created segmented journeys, attributed revenue to Klaviyo
flows.
Results:
Reported
123× Klaviyo ROI and ~19% of ecommerce revenue
attributed to Klaviyo in 2024. Key
takeaway: Tight commerce integration + flow optimization yields
massive ROI in retail.
Case Study — Zendesk (Composite TEI)
Challenge:
Reduce support costs and improve agent productivity.
Platform chosen:
Zendesk with automation and self-service.
Results:
Forrester TEI
reported ~301% ROI with payback in under six months,
driven by ticket deflection and speedier onboarding. Key takeaway:
Support platforms can pay for themselves quickly when combined with knowledge
management and automation.
Case Study — MoEngage (Retail)
Challenge:
Personalize campaigns and improve conversion.
Results:
Multiple customers reported
10–27× marketing automation ROI and
double-digit conversion uplifts via AI-driven personalization. Key takeaway:
AI decisioning multiplies limited marketing budgets when applied to
segmentation and timing.
IX. How to Choose the Right Platform for Your
ROI Goals
Decision Framework
1. Assess
current situation
o Audit
current engagement metrics, attribution gaps, churn drivers, and available data
sources.
2. Define
ROI objectives
o Retention
vs revenue vs efficiency: which matters most in the next 6–12 months?
3. Evaluate
& compare
o Run
free trials, pilot campaigns, and reference checks. Use vendor ROI calculators
(many vendors provide TEI or ROI tools).
4. Calculate
projected ROI
o Use
the ROI formula above. Build conservative, base, and optimistic scenarios.
Include implementation costs and team time.
5. Operational
readiness
o Ensure integrations, data quality, and training plans are in place — these factors often determine success more than the platform choice.
XI. Conclusion
Selecting
a customer engagement platform in 2025 should start with ROI, not features. The
platforms above — from Klaviyo
for ecommerce to Zendesk
for support and HubSpot
or ActiveCampaign
for integrated marketing — each offer clear return pathways when matched to the
right business model and execution plan. Case studies show returns that can be
startling (double, triple, or even triple-digit ROI), but those outcomes depend
on clean data, adoption, and a focused campaign strategy.
Finally:
It is rare for businesses to see instant ROI on engagement platforms. The
best-case scenario is to have an optimized
platform, quality data, and standard playbooks to follow when running
campaigns. If you like, share your business type with me (eCommerce, SaaS, B2B,
Enterprise Support) and I will suggest the top 2 platforms from the above list and provide a detailed 90-day ROI
plan for piloting these solutions. ✨