Call Centers and the EMEA Region: A Different Look

October 13, 2015

Recently released research is adding more fuel to the fire about the expanding popularity of the cloud as it relates to contact centers, especially in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

According to research giant Frost & Sullivan (消息 – 警报), the growing consumer preference for self-education and self-help, along with the various ways these consumers broadcast their thoughts, ideas, and more about brands on social media, is enabling a huge change within the contact center industry. Vendors and end-users alike are adapting to new interaction channels that provide richer self-service capabilities. Because of this, Frost & Sullivan says, vendors will have 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 heavily into adjacent customer support areas such as omni-channel support, big data, and mobility,” said Frost & Sullivan Information & Communication Technologies Principal Analyst Nancy Jamison, in commenting on the study. “Integrating disparate solutions will quicken the move to omni-channel customer care.”

In recent years, the recovering global economy has affected some buying decisions and held back investment in new systems and upgrades, the report notes. Now, the emergence of hosted and cloud services, which allow companies to reduce capital and operational expenditure on contact center solutions, is even further affecting market revenues.

“Over and above discussing roadmap plans for various trends, buyers should understand how contact center systems providers are addressing the cloud,” Jamison says. “Whether it makes sense for a company to move all or part of their systems to the cloud, it is imperative for end users to understand its bearing on their infrastructure and business in the long run and make the right choice.”

Frost & Sullivan works in collaboration with clients to leverage innovation that addresses global challenges and related growth opportunities. Click 这里 to access a free download of an Executive Summary of the report.