Given the variety of contact center solutions in the marketplace, it can often be confusing for companies to choose one. While the process starts with evaluating the contact center’s needs, it continues with picking the right vendor. Many companies are most comfortable with going with a tried-and-true platform that has ample customer success stories and recommendations based on independent market research.
Analyst group Frost & Sullivan conducts extensive research on contact center systems, and based on recent analysis, it has awarded Indianapolis-based Interactive Intelligence with its 2013 EMEA Frost & Sullivan Award for Contact Center Company of the Year.
Despite a world economic slump, Interactive Intelligence has been turning in impressive sales numbers. The company has increased its market share in all segments of contact center systems, including hosted automatic call distribution (ACD) and agent performance optimization. Frost & Sullivan noted that it should be particularly commended for its uptake of its intelligent call routing, one of the hardest hit segments of the contact center systems market during the global economic slowdown.
Specifically, Interactive Intelligence increased its 2012 EMEA revenues by 12 percent to $47.7 million, with market share improving for its premise-based software suite, Customer Interaction Center (CIC). This growth was also boosted by the European launch of its cloud-based Communications as a Service (CaaS) offering. To support the launch, the company has aggressively built up its network of European distributors and its direct sales force in the EMEA region.
“[Interactive Intelligence] is one of the very few companies that can offer cloud and premises-based deployments at competitive price points, while enabling customers to move back and forth between the two,” wrote Frost & Sullivan analysts in the report.
In fact, note the analysts, Interactive Intelligence provides customers with the option of using the cloud-based CaaS offering for overflow of their premises-based CIC system, or they can start in the cloud and later migrate to a premises deployment.
As the call center industry grows worldwide, both new and existing contact centers are seeking more flexibility in their contact center solutions, as well as support for a true “omnichannel” customer support environment.