Genesys Acquires Informiam

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, an Alcatel-Lucent subsidiary, announced this morning that it has acquired Informiam, a privately held firm that produces software designed to maximize customer service operations through real-time business performance management. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition -- which expands the Genesys line of reporting and analytic software -- was not expected to have a material financial impact on Alcatel-Lucent. "The Informiam acquisition provides Genesys with a key technology that brings in real-time information across multiple channels to provide line-of-business managers and contact center agents with actionable insights," said Sheryl Kingstone, CRM program manager for the research firm Yankee Group, in a written statement. "Organizations that are striving to improve customer loyalty and customer satisfaction find this is difficult to do without good key performance indicators that measure effectiveness over efficiency." Informiam -- which will become a business unit within Genesys and will be part of the Genesys' enterprise business group -- has a product suite that helps large enterprises to proactively manage their customer service operations. The software analyzes operational data in real-time and provides information tailored to the role of the user, be they agents, supervisors, or business managers. The company's software is built on an open system that is compatible with a wide variety of contact center platforms and systems. Informiam's solution is designed to improve revenue by minimizing business interruptions, and to provide a unified view of all contact center operations, according to the company. "This will take Genesys further into the analytics side of the business, where they've been trying to play for the last two years," Kingstone tells destinationCRM. The Genesys offering to date has concentrated on historical analytics and today's contact centers increasingly want the kind of real-time analytics that the Informiam solution provides, she says. "More of [Genesys'] customers want to move from operational, efficiency-driven call centers to effectiveness-driven call centers. They want to drive revenues, not just reduce costs." "In customer service, most organizations understand the advantage of having better insights to manage their operations in real-time," said Paul Segre, Genesys chief executive officer, in a statement discussing the acquisition. "However, these are complex environments where it is difficult to quickly identify problems and potential improvements, and take immediate action to sustain service levels. By adding Informiam, Genesys creates a unique set of solutions that deliver this insight and level of control." Adding Informiam may not be the last move Genesys makes toward expanding that set of solutions, Kingstone says; there may be other acquisitions to further extend its contact center offerings. "They [Alcatel-Lucent] have very deep pockets."

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