Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

August 11, 2008

Interactive Intelligence, UC Originator, Posts Second Quarter Gains

By Michael Dinan

TMCnet Editor

An Indianapolis-based company that develops unified IP business communications solutions today reported second quarter revenues of $30.6 million, a 13 percent increase over the same period last year.

Officials from Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert) Inc. say they received a number of orders in the second quarter and found more and more new customers licensing their solutions.

Even so, according to Donald E. Brown, the company’s chief executive officer, Interactive Intelligence did see a lower dollar amount of orders from existing customers.

That’s attributable “to the current economic slowdown,” Brown said.

“While we see no change in our long-term market opportunity or in the competitive advantages our solutions offer, we are responding to this tougher sales environment by adjusting our previously planned operating expenses until general market conditions improve,” Brown said.

Company officials today also announced that Interactive Intelligence’s board of directors has approved a share repurchase program for common stock, under which the company may purchase up to $10 million over the next year.

With the program, Brown said, the company is reaffirming its confidence in Interactive Intelligence’s long-term future.

“Our balance sheet and liquidity are strong and the value of our products is being recognized by the market,” Brown said. “We believe that we can invest in the growth initiatives that are key to our future success and take this step to enhance returns.”

The 14-year-old company has more than 3,000 customers worldwide and earned Product of the Year awards in 2007 from TMC’s (News - Alert) “Internet Telephony,” “Customer Interaction Solutions” and “Call Center” magazines.

In a blog entry today, the company earned praise from TMC President and Group Editor-In-Chief Rich Tehrani for its forward-thinking ability.

“While the rest of the communications space was awash is individualized, siloed solutions, Interactive Intelligence was busy building solutions which minimized the traditional box overload most call centers had to contend with,” Tehrani writes.

Because Interactive Intelligence may be viewed as “the original UC innovator,” particularly in the contact center arena, Tehrani said he recently interviewed the company’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Joe Staples, who was involved UC’s precursor, “unified messaging,” in the mid-1990s. The podcast of that interview is available here.

Meanwhile, Interactive Intelligence’s second quarter successes appear to stretch across more than a mere three months. According to the company, for the six months ended June 30, 2008, revenues were a record $60.1 million, a 17 percent increase from $51.4 million in the same period in 2007.

Don’t forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users. Today’s featured white paper is The Compelling ROI Benefits of Contact Center Quality and Performance Management Technologies, brought to you by Voice Print International (News - Alert).

Michael Dinan is a contributing editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To read more of Michael�s articles, please visit his columnist page.

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