Teleo Capital has acquired Plum Voice, which it will merge with Sharpen Technologies, assisting Sharpen in its mission to create the “contact center of tomorrow”.
Indeed, Sharpen will now gain access to Plum Voice’s technology platform, unlocking new IVR and conversational AI capabilities, including voice automation, speech recognition, and omnichannel capabilities.
Teleo Capital is a private equity firm, focussing its investments on software and technology, healthcare IT, business services, and industrial sectors.
In December 2022, it became the majority controlling shareholder of Sharpen, stating that it would provide its “operational resources and capital base to further accelerate SharpenCX”. It appears to be making good on that promise, although the terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Charlie Newark-French, CEO of Sharpen, commented on the merger: “The merger with Plum Voice represents an exciting milestone in Sharpen’s growth journey.
“We are thrilled to welcome Plum Voice’s talented team and innovative technology into the Sharpen family.
This partnership will enable us to offer even more powerful and seamless customer engagement solutions; and to continue delivering on our commitment to building the Contact Center of Tomorrow.
According to Sharpen, Plum Voice’s technology will enable businesses to communicate efficiently and responsively, as well as in a controlled and compliant manner.
Founded in 2000, Plum Voice has built a reputation for providing voice technology solutions that improve customer engagement and streamline business processes.
Its technology has been used by organizations across a number of industries to enhance customer service, increase efficiency, and grow digital transformation.
Sharpen says the merger acts as an example of its ongoing investment in innovation and meeting its customers’ needs. It is planning to continue to invest in product development and service excellence, supporting and adding value to its clients.
Matt Ervin, Founder and CEO of Plum Voice, gave his reaction to the merger as part of the press release: “It is exciting that Plum Voice is joining forces with Sharpen.
“Combining our AI-powered automation technology with Sharpen’s customer engagement platform results in a comprehensive suite of solutions that empower businesses to create exceptional customer experiences.”
Ervin commented further on LinkedIn:
It has always been my goal to create value and then find an exit that would be good for the team, products, and customers. We’ve reached that point.
Sharpen is a cloud-based customer engagement solutions provider. Its platform offers context-based routing, reporting, and dynamic scripting tools.
The company believes that its flexible architecture allows it to quickly adapt to meet its customers’ needs and promote operational efficiency.
Plum Voice is a leader in voice-based customer interaction technology, headquartered in New York, USA. Its customers include American Airlines, Boeing, NYC, ePayPolicy, Erie Insurance, Ally, GE Healthcare, and more.
Elsewhere, M&A activity is starting to increase in the CX space. Indeed, in recent months, NICE snapped up LiveVox, Enghouse snapped up Lifesize, and Cisco acquired Splunk in a whopping $28BN deal.
