It’s been a busy week in the CX sector, with rumors of a NICE takeover of Playvox, Gamma’s acquisition of BrightCloud, and a court ruling on SAP’s sale of Qualtrics.
Here are the extracts from some of our most popular news stories over the last seven days.
Rumors Circulate Over a NICE Takeover of Playvox
Social media is ablaze with rumors that NICE is set to acquire Playvox, the workforce engagement management (WEM) provider.
Adam Saad, CTO and Founder of Tech Stack Advising, seemed to start the rumor mill churning last night with a LinkedIn post.
In the post, he wrote:
NICE has long been THE gold standard for WEM for over a decade now – so it’s interesting to see the acquisition intent.
Indeed, while Playvox offers workforce management (WFM), quality assurance (QA), and gamification tools, there’s little that NICE doesn’t have already.
As such, the potential move seems less about extending NICE’s portfolio and more about landing new customers, which it can expand its business with over time.
Additionally, there may be a more sinister motive behind the potential move (Read on…).
Salesforce Announces Its First Product Discovery Solution for Customer Service
Salesforce has announced My Service Journey, its first product discovery solution for customer service.
Currently available in open beta, the tool helps users navigate the capabilities available in Service Cloud, ensuring contact centers understand everything available to them.
The move is significant, as the product discovery experience across deep platforms – like Service Cloud – is highly fragmented.
Of course, there are webinars and events, support documents, release notes, communities, and social media to learn more about such CX platforms.
Nevertheless, if a brand relies on a source, like release notes, to comprehend the full capabilities of Service Cloud, it’ll have to flick through 15 years worth of content.
Thankfully, My Service Journey aims to simplify and personalize this product discovery process.
Speaking on a recent webinar, Matt Kravitz, VP of Product Management at Salesforce, stated:
This is really intended to answer two huge questions: give me some idea of what I should do next? And what do I already have access to through my licensing?
It does so through three core product features… (Read on…).
Gamma Rolls Up BrightCloud, Targets Enterprise CX Expansion
Gamma Communications has confirmed the acquisition of BrightCloud Group.
The purchase is part of Gamma’s aim to bolster its customer experience and contact center capabilities.
Gamma – a provider of CCaaS and unified communications services – is aiming to become a “leading managed service provider for enterprises across Europe” by leveraging BrightCloud’s extensive enterprise expertise.
Indeed, BrightCloud is currently deployed as the leading CCaaS European Enterprise partner for Cisco; a role that has seen the company preside over a large estate of Cisco Contact Centre installations and Webex CCaaS solutions.
As part of the acquisition, Gamma will benefit from BrightCloud’s enviable client list, as well as the organization’s experience in implementations, and support and expert services.
In discussing the sale, Gregor Campbell, Director of CX Practice at BrightCloud, was enthusiastic about how the company’s infrastructure will be adopted by Gamma:
We’re excited to become part of Gamma for many reasons: the culture, the ambitious growth plans, and strong leadership that align well with our company ethos.
Another key aspect of the deal was BrightCloud’s impressive record on CX transformation (Read on…).
Court Approves SAP’s $12.5BN Qualtrics Sale, Dismisses Stockholders’ Conflict Claims
A chancery court has dismissed the suit brought forward by two Qualtrics stockholders accusing the company of favoring a conflicted offer for the $12.5 billion sale of the company in March of last year.
The class case alleged that Qualtrics and SAP – which owned a 71 percent stake in Qualtrics at the time – accepted an $18.15 per-share bid from Silver Lake and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, despite having also received a $21 offer from Thoma Bravo.
Counsel for the plaintiffs claimed that the agreed deal benefitted SAP rather than the stockholders, arguing that the company chose to sell to an ally in Silver Lake rather than a rival in Thoma Bravo, costing investors and stockholders money in the process.
Indeed, CX vendors within Thoma Bravo’s portfolio include Calabrio, Qlik, and – most interestingly – Qualtrics’s closest competitor, Medallia.
They also stated that the terms of the deal – which included the continuation of intercompany agreements between SAP and Qualtrics – were “generally favorable to SAP.”
However, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster ruled in Qualtrics and SAP’s favor, claiming that the plaintiffs were unable to prove any tangible benefit for SAP in selling to Silver Lake rather than Thoma Bravo (Read on…).
