2015 EMEA Customer Contact Company of the Year Award

Transcription

1 2015 EMEA Customer Contact Company of the Year Award 2015

2 Contents Background and Company Performance... 3 Industry Challenges... 3 Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact of Interactive Intelligence... 3 Conclusion... 7 Significance of Company of the Year... 8 Understanding Company of the Year... 8 Key Benchmarking Criteria... 9 Best Practice Award Analysis for Interactive Intelligence... 9 Decision Support Scorecard... 9 Visionary Innovation & Performance Customer Impact Decision Support Matrix The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards Research Methodology Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

3 Background and Company Performance Industry Challenges The European Contact Center market is a rich mix of legacy contact center systems and cloud solutions, from a myriad of solution providers. For decades, the adoption of onpremise contact center systems created a massive installed base throughout Europe that is currently in need of being upgraded or replaced. When cloud solutions arrived, sales took off. While the movement to the cloud has been considerable, many companies still have a preference for premise-based systems, citing lingering questions over issues such as security, a desire for customization, and other reasons. Further complicating the competitive landscape is the rapid development of new channels of customer interaction, including chat, the Web, social media, and mobile. The focus on improving the Customer Experience and engaging with customers in the manner they most desire has given rise to an influx of numerous solution providers, ranging from bestof-breed point solution providers, to vendors offering complete suites of products. Clearly, solution providers have been challenged to address the differing needs of customers, whether creating strategic multi and omnichannel customer care strategies, eliminating application silos, upgrading older systems and applications, or overcoming budgetary constraints. Additional challenges include providing real choice for customers while facing tight client budgets and creating hybrid deployment environments. For providers to win in this environment, they need to provide a wide range of deployment, feature, and customization options. Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact of Interactive Intelligence Criterion 1: Addressing Unmet Needs Interactive Intelligence offers impressive solutions for mixed application environments in need of an upgrade or aging infrastructure in need of replacement. With one of the broadest portfolios in the industry, delivered in an all-in-one software-based platform, customers can easily add functionality as their company s needs change. Further, capabilities aren t limited to the contact center, but span collaboration, unified communications (including IP PBX), and business process automation, enabling customers to access the full gamut of business collaboration, communications and customer engagement services without undo cost and complexity. Additionally, the company offers superior options. Unlike pure cloud or pure on-premise system providers, Interactive Intelligence customers enjoy the flexibility of choosing and moving between premise-based, cloud, or hybrid deployments. For instance, its Communication-as-a-Service (CaaS) solution was one of the earliest cloud contact center and business communications products on the market, and has brought Interactive Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

4 Intelligence great success in cloud and hybrid engagements. However, the company also created an additional cloud offering for customers. PureCloud is the company s comprehensive cloud suite of communications, collaboration, and customer engagement applications. It is a complete re-write of its application code atop a distributed, multitenant, enterprise-grade cloud platform using Amazon Web Services (AWS). It provides multi-tenancy and integrates easily with third-party applications using REST APIs. It consists of four offers for customers. PureCloud Collaborate includes persistent chat, presence, audio/video conference and content management, and is offered for free to customers. PureCloud Collaborate Pro (prices starting at $9.99/user/month) adds advanced multi-party conferencing and file sharing (future), and optional integration with Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, Workday, Salesforce, and others. PureCloud Communicate (prices starting at $19.99/user/month) is a full-fledged cloud PBX that also includes the entire Collaborate Pro feature suite. Finally, PureCloud Engage (priced at $99/agent/month) is a complete contact center offering that also includes Collaborate and Communicate capabilities. Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience One key to Interactive Intelligence s success in EMEA is its tailored, customer-centric approach to the sales process. The company has focused on ensuring it has the right incountry talent to support the sales process, staffing its teams with people who understand the languages, culture, and needs of the individual regions they are assigned to. The company also brings a consultative approach into the sales process. It has strong technical sales teams as well as sales engineers who understand both the technical and business needs of customers. This means that new customers going through the sales process have a team that understands the entire picture, and are able to translate business needs into technology, making sure that what is being proposed is specific to the customer s business environment. The company also has forged relationships with consultants well versed in the country-specific needs of their clients, who provide expertise and an independent voice for the customer during the sales process. Additionally, Interactive Intelligence has worked diligently at making the sales process simple through greater partner enablement, and has recently overhauled parts of the sales process. For instance, it reduced contractual commitments for CaaS solutions from five years to just one year, and greatly simplified and scaled down the complexity of its customer contracts, replacing existing templates with a three-page, customer-friendly version. Criterion 3: Implementation Best Practices The company also excels at ensuring a smooth handoff between pre and post sales, as all teams involved in the sales process are trained on the business and technical requirements of the products, as well as the benefits of the different deployment options it Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

5 offers. Moreover, strong regional teams of technical experts help deploy solutions, while professional services teams are adept at communicating requirements with customers, particularly in the realm of multi and omnichannel customer contact, and developing solutions and designs around those requirements. The company also is empowering its customers with more self-service options so that they can help themselves rather than go through the protracted process of opening trouble tickets. This tracks closely with the general consumer trend of preferring self-service channels. Customer training also is part of a new self-service portal. Criterion 4: Price/Performance Value Interactive Intelligence has a solid track record of offering a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than its competitors, and a rapid return on investment (ROI). The initial design of its flagship Customer Interaction Center (CIC) aimed at simplicity by being purpose built as an all-in-one, software-based platform. This has enabled customers to easily add on features without costly upgrades, and not just for the contact center, but for broader business applications, such as unified communication and business process automation. This design helps reduce costs through simplified administration, customization, and reporting. It also adds value by enabling customers to easily integrate contact center functionality with broader business applications such as unified communications and business process automation. However, the company has continued with this methodology as new platforms have been added. For instance, since the EMEA launch of its cloud-based Communications-as-a- Service platform (CaaS), Interactive Intelligence is one of the few companies that can offer cloud and premise-based deployments at competitive price points, while enabling customers to move back and forth between the two. Further, with the 2014 announcement PureCloud, Interactive Intelligence is in a great position to continue with this success as it launches in the UK, Germany, and other European countries throughout The platform s simple administration, web-based interface and quick deployment methodology provide an attractive way to add functionality quickly, or expeditiously turn up an entire cost-effective contact center. Criterion 5: Customer Ownership Experience Interactive Intelligence gets high marks for extending the positive experience it provides throughout the sales process, across the lifetime of its engagement with customers. The company philosophy on product design, mentioned above, which incorporates simplicity and flexibility, is a good example of this. For instance, the company has increased customer satisfaction by providing customers with flexible choices to fit their needs. For example, PureCloud offers a more extensive Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

6 feature set than most cloud offers, by allowing customers to utilize advanced contact center functionality, but also have it fully integrated with telephony and UCC applications, as well as content management capabilities. PureCloud is more modular, allowing customers to deploy a full-fledged contact center, or just the Collaborate or Communicate pieces. CaaS customers can also take full advantage of Collaborate and other services in the future. PureCloud also gives customers greater spending flexibility by offering monthto-month billing, rather than a CaaS contract. Customers also have come to expect continual innovation from Interactive Intelligence. The company has delivered this either through internal development or through assets acquired and improved upon. For instance, faced with the need for quicker, easier, and more accurate forecasting and scheduling functionality, the company acquired Bay Bridge Decision Technologies in 2012 and then improved upon the technology, creating a richlyfeatured application that is known today as Interaction Decisions. The company also invests in improving its core products, not just new functionality. In 2014, it improved the scalability and reliability of CIC, lowered bandwidth usage, and memory consumption. It also designed a new Interaction Desktop for agents and supervisors. Finally, from an organizational perspective, Interactive Intelligence ensures a positive Customer Experience by providing easy accessibility to product and solution experts and executive management. The company invests heavily in bringing together customers and partners at its annual 3-day global customer and partner Interactions conference, during which customers are privy to a plethora of educational breakout sessions, panel discussions, as well as opportunities to interact and exchange ideas and information with each other. Criterion 6: Brand Equity One of Interactive Intelligence s strengths has been in driving awareness of its brand through astute marketing and PR campaigns, and targeted online marketing assets such as blogs and microsites. This has helped to drive healthy growth for more than a decade and helped enable a seat at the Request for Proposal (RFP) table alongside the largest vendors in the contact center space. Continual adjustment and improvement of marketing campaigns is one of the hallmarks of its success. Indeed, the company is finalizing a project to refresh the brand from its corporate color palette and logo to web site design, has moved to an Agile marketing process, and moved analyst relations, marketing and public relations to a global/local marketing model for better reach and support. Additionally, the company invests in pre-sales, sales, and marketing personnel in individual countries throughout EMEA, educating customers and prospects as to the company s capabilities. That focus on EMEA is paying-off in terms of brand equity. Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

7 However, because a higher percentage of sales occur through partners in EMEA, the company also has established a strong combination of direct and indirect channel partnerships that include well-respected companies such as NTT Telecom in the UK, KPN in the Benelux countries, MTN in South Africa and Telefonica in Spain. One of the key ingredients of this success is in understanding the needs of each market it enters, and supplying the necessary resources to support excellence. In addition to incountry partners, Interactive Intelligence also has 240+ of its own employees responsible for marketing, sales, and support of the company s products working at offices in most major capital cities across EMEA. Conclusion Interactive Intelligence, a very strong contact center solutions supplier in North America, has replicated that success in EMEA. The company s all-in-one suite of scalable, rich contact center capabilities, integrated business communications applications and flexible deployment options, are just a few of the reasons Frost & Sullivan is presenting Interactive Intelligence with the 2015 EMEA Company of the Year award in Customer Contact. Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

8 Significance of Company of the Year To win the Company of the Year award (i.e., to be recognized as a leader not only in your industry, but among your non-industry peers as well) requires a company to demonstrate excellence in growth, innovation, and leadership. This kind of excellence typically translates into superior performance in three key areas: demand generation, brand development, and competitive positioning. These areas serve as the foundation of a company s future success and prepare it to deliver on the two criteria that define the Company of the Year Award (Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact). Understanding Company of the Year As discussed above, driving demand, brand strength, and competitive differentiation all play a critical role in delivering unique value to customers. This three-fold focus, however, must ideally be complemented by an equally rigorous focus on visionary innovation to enhance customer value and impact. Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

9 Key Benchmarking Criteria For the Company of the Year Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated two key factors Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact according to the criteria identified below. Visionary Innovation & Performance Criterion 1: Addressing Unmet Needs Criterion 2: Visionary Scenarios Through Mega Trends Criterion 3: Implementation Best Practices Criterion 4: Blue Ocean Strategy Criterion 5: Financial Performance Customer Impact Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience Criterion 5: Brand Equity Best Practice Award Analysis for Interactive Intelligence Decision Support Scorecard To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This tool allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to assign ratings on that basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for nuances in performance evaluation; ratings guidelines are illustrated below. RATINGS GUIDELINES The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria; the definitions for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research team confirms the veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis, which Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

10 confirms that small changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead to a significant change in the overall relative rankings of the companies. The results of this analysis are shown below. To remain unbiased and to protect the interests of all organizations reviewed, we have chosen to refer to the other key players as Competitor 2 and Competitor 3. DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD Measurement of 1 10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent) Company of the Year Visionary Innovation & Performance Customer Impact Average Rating Interactive Intelligence Competitor Competitor Visionary Innovation & Performance Criterion 1: Addressing Unmet Needs Requirement: Implementing a robust process to continuously unearth customers unmet or under-served needs, and creating the products or solutions to address them effectively Criterion 2: Visionary Scenarios Through Mega Trends Requirement: Incorporating long-range, macro-level scenarios into the innovation strategy, thereby enabling first to market growth opportunities solutions Criterion 4: Implementation of Best Practices Requirement: Best-in-class strategy implementation characterized by processes, tools, or activities that generate a consistent and repeatable level of success. Criterion 3: Blue Ocean Strategy Requirement: Strategic focus in creating a leadership position in a potentially uncontested market space, manifested by stiff barriers to entry for competitors Criterion 5: Financial Performance Requirement: Strong overall business performance in terms of revenues, revenue growth, operating margin and other key financial metrics Customer Impact Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar offerings in the market Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience Requirement: Customers feel like they are buying the most optimal solution that addresses both their unique needs and their unique constraints Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

11 Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience Requirement: Customers are proud to own the company s product or service, and have a positive experience throughout the life of the product or service Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience Requirement: Customer service is accessible, fast, stress-free, and of high quality Criterion 5: Brand Equity Requirement: Customers have a positive view of the brand and exhibit high brand loyalty Decision Support Matrix Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard, analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones are not yet operating at best-in-class levels. DECISION SUPPORT MATRIX FOR COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD High Interactive Intelligence Competitor 2 Competitor 3 Customer Impact Low Low Visionary Innovation & Performance High Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

12 The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards Research Methodology Frost & Sullivan s 360-degree research methodology represents the analytical rigor of our research process. It offers a 360-degree-view of industry challenges, trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies. Too often, companies make important growth decisions based on a narrow understanding of their environment, leading to errors of both omission and commission. Successful growth strategies are founded on a thorough understanding of market, technical, economic, financial, customer, best practices, and demographic analyses. The integration of these research disciplines into the 360-degree research methodology provides an evaluation platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at bestin-class levels. 360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN THE CHAOS Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

13 Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices Frost & Sullivan Awards follow a 10-step process to evaluate award candidates and assess their fit with select best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity of the Awards are based on close adherence to this process. STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT 1 Monitor, target, and screen Identify award recipient candidates from around the globe Conduct in-depth industry research Identify emerging sectors Scan multiple geographies Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all bestpractice criteria 2 Perform 360-degree research Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners Assess candidates fit with best-practice criteria Rank all candidates Matrix positioning all candidates performance relative to one another 3 Invite thought leadership in best practices Perform in-depth examination of all candidates Confirm best-practice criteria Examine eligibility of all candidates Identify any information gaps Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates 4 Initiate research director review Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles Brainstorm ranking options Invite multiple perspectives on candidates performance Update candidate profiles Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper 5 Assemble panel of industry experts Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders Share findings Strengthen cases for candidate eligibility Prioritize candidates Refined list of prioritized award candidates 6 Conduct global industry review Build consensus on award candidates eligibility Hold global team meeting to review all candidates Pressure-test fit with criteria Confirm inclusion of all eligible candidates Final list of eligible award candidates, representing success stories worldwide 7 Perform quality check Develop official award consideration materials Perform final performance benchmarking activities Write nominations Perform quality review High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees successes 8 Reconnect with panel of industry experts Finalize the selection of the best-practice award recipient Review analysis with panel Build consensus Select winner Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria 9 Communicate recognition Inform award recipient of award recognition Present award to the CEO Inspire the organization for continued success Celebrate the recipient s performance Announcement of award and plan for how recipient can use the award to enhance the brand 10 Take strategic action Once licensed, company may share award news with stakeholders and customers Coordinate media outreach Design a marketing plan Assess award s role in future strategic planning Widespread awareness of recipient s award status among investors, media personnel, and employees Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth

14 About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit Frost & Sullivan We Accelerate Growth