Siemens invests in top cloud-based call center solution provider

MANILA, Philippines -  Siemens Enterprise Communications has made a strategic investment in inContact, the world’s largest cloud-based call center solution provider, which has recently built its Asia-Pacific headquarters at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

An affiliate of Siemens Enterprise Communications bought nearly $24 million in restricted common stock of inContact at a price of $3.32 per share, according to inContact.

“This equity investment will provide inContact with the strong balance sheet and financial capability required to continue to grow our cloud business and further strengthen our market-leading position,” said Paul Jarman, CEO of inContact.

“This renewed financial strength will enable us to extend our network and platform capability to effectively support enterprise customers and partners around the world,” Jarman said.

inContact has also entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Siemens Enterprise Communications, which will be the exclusive master distributor for the inContact cloud contact center software portfolio in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and will deliver the solutions under the Siemens Enterprise Communications “OpenScape Cloud Contact Center” brand name. The firm will also resell the inContact portfolio in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Junie Pama, country manager of inContact Philippines, said the cooperation of Siemens and inContact will have a tremendous impact to the business process outsourcing/call center sector. “The deal will reinforce the brand equity of inContact being the global leader of cloud-based software solutions. It is also a boost in distribution networks due to the already established distribution channels of Siemens,” Pama said.

Pama said the deal will result in stronger market presence of inContact with the foreseen technical support of Siemens. “”Siemens Enterprise Communications being a well known technology provider will also lend good reputation and credibility to inContact,” he said.

Under the commercial agreement, inContact will establish the cloud infrastructure in Europe required to support this new agreement and will enable and train the Siemens Enterprise Communications team to independently sell, implement and support its global cloud contact center customers.

Siemens Enterprise Communications committed to pay a minimum of $15 million of net software revenue to inContact over a two-year timeframe, with $5 million committed in 2012 and $10 million committed in 2013.

With more than 3,000 sales and support personnel as well as 3,000 channel partners around the world, the Siemens Enterprise Communications team is uniquely positioned to help inContact drive significant growth in the next several years.

Jun Banaria, country director of Siemens Enterprise Communications in the Philippines, described this collaboration a major step for both companies to leapfrog in the “cloud services” technology and offering towards our valued clients here and abroad. “We are even proud to say that the heart of inContact’s technology is powered by Siemens Enterprise Communnications’ Openscape portfolio – a technology which has a proven track record for many years since its market introduction,” he said.

Banaria said that with inContact, customers now can avail for cloud voice, unified communication and collaboration and contact center applications allowing them to ‘pay as they go’, buying only the services they need and overlaying onto existing voice and contact center investments; there even are more advantages like: minimize in-premise capital expense, lower total cost of ownership, fast deployment, secure & redundant, easier to manage and future proof.