CRM Junkyard TMC

Witness Insight Into Recent Acquisitions Boom

April 21, 2005

There have been numerous recent acquisitions and mergers�in the contact center and CRM market of late. Performance optimization software/services provider Witness�acquired Blue Pumpkin, a provider of enterprise workforce management solutions.�As well, Nice, a provider of content analytics solutions,�and recording systems provider Dictaphone earlier this month merged. And�infrastructure software provider Autonomy�announced earlier this week that it would be purchasing�e-Talk, a contact center software provider.

Witness Senior VP of Global Marketing Nancy Treaster recently took time to offer to the editors of TMC's Customer Interaction Solutions magazine her views on this such trend:

"Recent M&A activity in the CRM and contact center market, such as the Witness Systems acquisition of Blue Pumpkin, has confirmed the emergence of a new workforce optimization market, redefining traditional segments like quality monitoring and workforce management. How software and services are packaged, purchased and delivered in the future is transforming. While the emerging workforce optimization market offers customers clear and compelling advantages, such as a lower total cost of ownership, common customer support and a structured upgrade path, other recent buy-outs are more directly focused on buying market share, such as the Nice/Dictaphone merger and the Autonomy/e-Talk combination. These companies may experience some marginal short-term financial benefit as they restructure the acquired companies, adding no long-term value to the customer. While legacy recording companies are distracted with integrating ailing companies, others like Witness Systems are emerging to further transform the workforce optimization market."

Ouch.

But being Machiavellian in believing the ends justify the means, I think that, despite whatever purpose�these other companies have regarding this recent explosion of major�corporate integrations and acquisitions (better helping customers, furthering technologies, buying market share, etc.), it will be justifiable if the customers achieve significant�advantages and attain better service conclusions

Be sure to refer to the May issue of CIS magazine when it becomes available to learn more about the aforementioned mergers and buy-outs, as well as related news regarding Knowledgebase Marketing/Fortelligent, Talisma/Knowledgebase.net, Kanisa/ServiceWare, Synchronica/DAT, CEGEDIM/Target Software, Macromedia/Adobe--and a partridge in a pear tree.

(Editor's Note: There will be no reference in the May issue of Customer Interaction Solutions magazine about a "partridge in a pear tree." There may, however, be reference to�bad Canadian pop-rock by the likes of�Bryan Adams. Oh�but I've already said too much.)

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DRB



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