ECKOH AND GENESYS ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP TO PROVIDE HOSTED SPEECH-BASED SELF-SERVICE SOLUTIONS

Eckoh, a leading European provider of speech-based self-service solutions for contact centres, and Genesys, world leading provider of contact centre software, have joined forces to address the rapidly growing market for hosted self-service solutions. According to analysts, Datamonitor, the market for hosted telephone-based self-service in the UK alone is expected to grow from $241.3m to $283.7 million between now and 2012; the market for hosted speech solutions, in particular, is expected to double within the same time frame.

The partnership will give Genesys’ clients access to Eckoh’s proven hosted self-service capability which enables contact centres to reduce operating costs while providing customers with flexible, 24-hour services. Eckoh will be able to offer clients a wider choice of solution including Voice XML, viewed by many as the industry standard for the development of IVR solutions, and other enabling technologies such as CTI and VOIP.

“We recognise that the market’s appetite for hosted solutions – where the technology infrastructure that underpins the service remains within the supplier’s ownership – is growing. Eckoh is our natural partner in this high growth market. Its hosted platform is the largest in Europe and is complemented by its extensive solution design experience,” says Mark Turner, Managing Director, UK, Genesys.

Jim Hennigan, Executive Director of Eckoh comments: “Hosting offers companies an attractive alternative to ‘own your own’ solutions because it reduces their upfront investment costs and places responsibility for ongoing technological maintenance and development in the supplier’s hands. Return on investment is achieved in a matter of weeks or months and total cost of ownership significantly reduced.”

Eckoh’s clients are able to take advantage of a number of technological advances encapsulated in Genesys’ technology, which will supplement Eckoh’s hosted solutions. These include more advanced computer telephony integration (CTI) capabilities, which allow customer data to be transferred between agents and applications along with calls and between locations without any additional telephony charge. In addition IVR solutions may be built using the Voice XML standard.

Eckoh will benefit from exposure to Genesys’ extensive global client base of more than 4,000 companies in 80 countries. “Over the longer term, too, we envisage that the Genesys partnership and our increased use of Voice XML will enable us to develop hybrid business models,” says Hennigan. “For example, a client that has already invested in an ‘own your own’ solution may wish to add overflow hosted capability to handle call volumes that exceed their own technology’s capacity. Or organisations may wish to have an on-site solution that is managed and maintained by a third party. We will work with Genesys to provide flexibility and choice for clients as they develop their self service strategies.”