October 13, 2015
Recently released research is adding fuel to the fire regarding the growing popularity of the cloud as it relates to contact centers, especially in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
According to the research firm Frost & Sullivan (News – Alert), the growing consumer preference for self-education and self-help, along with the various ways these consumers share their thoughts, ideas, and more about brands on social media, is driving a major transformation within the contact center industry. Vendors and end-users alike are adapting to new interaction channels that offer richer self-service capabilities. Because of this, Frost & Sullivan says, vendors will need to stay ahead of the innovation curve to gain market share.
That’s the gist of F&S’s new report, the “2015 EMEA Contact Center Systems Buyers Guide,” released last month.
“Contact center systems suppliers in EMEA will need to expand more aggressively into related customer support areas such as omni-channel support, big data, and mobility,” said Nancy Jamison, Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan’s Information & Communication Technologies practice, in commenting on the study. “Integrating disparate solutions will accelerate the shift to omni-channel customer care.”
The report notes that in recent years, the recovering global economy has influenced some purchasing decisions and held back investment in new systems and upgrades. Now, the emergence of hosted and cloud services—which allow companies to reduce capital and operating expenses on contact center solutions—is having an even greater impact on market revenues.
“In addition to discussing roadmap plans for various trends, buyers should understand how contact center system providers are addressing the cloud,” Jamison says. “Whether it makes sense for a company to move all or part of its systems to the cloud, it is imperative for end users to understand how this will affect their infrastructure and business in the long run and to make the right choice.”
Frost & Sullivan works with clients to harness innovation that addresses global challenges and related growth opportunities. Click HERE to access a free download of the Executive Summary of the report.