The North American agent performance optimization (APO) markets were flat during 2009. With Greenfield growth opportunities diminishing in North America, vendors in this space are scouting around for other growth avenues, which include expansion in international markets and competitive displacement. They are also searching for movements outside the contact center and up the value chain to enhanced applications and services. However, among smaller vendors there is a significant move towards aligning with new technology and channel partners to broaden the exposure to potential new market regions.
The new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “North American Agent Performance Optimization Markets,” has revealed that the market has earned revenues of more than 373.0 million in the year 2009 which is estimated to reach $583.3 million in 2016.
In a release, Frost & Sullivan’s Principal Analyst, Keith Dawson, commented, “The growth drivers for the quality monitoring sector of APO are going to be the attractiveness of enhanced applications like analytics, performance management and coaching. If contact centers are willing to invest in those tools, then the category will grow, but if centers merely refresh the core call recording hardware, then the category will remain stable.”
The overall marketplace for APO has merged around a number of large players, who hold the majority of the market share in both APO categories. NICE, Verint, and Aspect have all extended their market footprint through acquisition and internal product expansion. In the middle of the market, vendors like Envision, HigherGround, VPI, and others have joined forces with application partners to fill in the gaps in their APO offerings.
In the release, Dawson said, “With the core APO market relatively mature, it is imperative for vendors to provide a business rationale for upgrades and enhancements to a very well established technology. That rationale will likely be found in value-added applications that combine performance improvement with deeper analytic insights into customer behavior.”
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, facilitates clients in accelerating growth and achieving the best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company leverages more than 45 years of experience in partnership with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses from 40 offices on six continents.