Organisations want to improve their entire customer service process while maximising output of existing solutions. But new technologies and the need to expand contact centres makes them dependent on deploying point (or separate) solutions for each process whether speech analytics, performance management, e-learning or customer satisfaction surveys. For better results, however, integrating these solutions and optimising performance, is also important. But integration is not an easy process. The current trend in the industry is towards more integrated and robust software and services that are unified and complete solutions to all problems. Analytics is the need of the hour, and analytics-driven workforce optimisation is the focus of contact centers and leading BPOs.

Verint and Witness have tried to provide solutions that deal with all these issues at once. They provide a   holistic Workforce Optimisation and Quality Management package. Since Verint has been in India for long, they have an insider's knowledge of the Indian market, says Oscar Alban, Principal, Global Market Consultant, Verint. Talking about the complete workforce management solution Alban said, "Verint is a leader in workforce management, analytics and quality monitoring and with the acquisition of Witness in February this year, we have the best contact centre solutions."  Verint has organised seminars to increase the awareness about the importance and need for such solutions in the Indian contact centre industry. Sharing his views on the contact centre solutions industry, Alban said, "I see great potential in the growing Indian market. The industry has moved towards maturity."

He said, "It is still viable to use separate solutions for different functions in front office areas in the contact centre for they have proper Automatic Call Distribution System (ACD) and are manageable. But in the back office functions, quality monitoring and performance management becomes difficult as it has non-ACD environment. Our solutions work wonders for such companies."  Alban added, "We have opened up new market opportunities by catering to not just front office centres but back office contact centres as well. We are going to tap this vast opportunity soon."

Explaining the technology behind these solutions, Amit Bishnoi, Country Sales Manager, BIS and VIS, Verint said, "Our quality management and workforce management software works on Microsoft .net framework. The entire system is web based.  Verint's  software even function with remote agents, an area less noticed or worked for. Since the industry is moving away from being location specific,  it becomes imperative for organisations to implement a solution which is web based and easily accessible."

Verint's solutions can be integrated with the current WO and QM solutions available with the client. Alban says, "Our solution is not just a workforce management product but a unified whole wherein you can find all the solutions on  workforce optimisation, quality monitoring, call recording. Workforce management applications are integrated as one single unit. As an added advantage, Verint has also created change management, workforce optimisation, quality monitoring, call recording, and workforce management applications which work as a solution for its customers, enable them to analyse data and also add value to clients by way of suggestions as to how the company can leverage the best out of the available product."

Talking about Verint's position in the industry Bishnoi said, "At present, we have a presence  in three cities in  India including Bangalore, Gurgaon and Hyderabad." The company also lists all top BPOs as its client. Although the company does not want to disclose the exact investment made on various centres, they claim huge investments. "We have a base-center and primarily 200 client in India. Our clients are basically from Australian and US."

Sharing his plans about the future Bishnoi said, " We have been able to make a difference in a few years. Our clients are based out of  US and Asia Pacific region. Since the industry is maturing, Verint is also working with domestic players and has Aegis and Bharti among its partners and clients. We are growing with them."

"Our solutions are essentially business platforms. We hire people in the operations arena. These business consultants work with the customers or BPO/ITES."

He says proudly, "We are the leaders in the industry." Verint provides training and certifications for quality at its centers.

Competition is basically from traditional suppliers. The products which are available but neither unified nor scalable. There is a huge market which needs end to end solutions, so that contact centres can not only provide services but also value-added services.

Says Bishnoi, "This market has tremendous potential. Verint has not only global companies as clients but also many Indian companies. We have international and domestic experience as well. Besides this, business has been growing by leaps and bounds. We have major partners in the solutions industry like CISCO and Nortel that provide infrastructural solutions, and we are growing along with our partners. Since, in India growth is not limited to metros, Tier-II and Tier-III  present a vast picture of expansion.  We will look for expansion in these cities."  Talking about the trends in the industry he said, "Consolidation has happened and will happen. With mergers and acquisitions in the international market even the domestic market does not want to be left behind."

Most of the innovations presently take place in the US and Australia. Bishnoi disclosed the company's plans to shift a part of the innovations process to their Bangalore centre which is currently used for sales and marketing and training purposes.