Nice Systems Acquires IEX and Performix

Nice Systems agreed April 28 to acquire both IEX Corp. and Performix Technologies. The deal is subject to regulatory approval. When completed, the purchases will enable Nice to build a package that integrates agent workforce management and strategic planning from IEX and contact center performance analytics from Performix with its already strong capabilities in voice recognition and analytics. We can expect this integrated offering to be marketed as delivering performance management for contact center agents, since both IEX and Performix individually focused on the agent. IEX's product helped tune agents' work schedules to forecasted call volumes and patterns, and Performix addressed agent quality monitoring and management of the full agent life cycle from hiring through training to rewards. Coupled with its own agent quality monitoring capabilities through voice recognition, Nice will be able to offer potential customers broad functionality from a single supplier.

Ventana Research believes that no one should underestimate the challenge of integrating two - let alone three - disparate companies and products. Nice heralds this move as redefining performance management and analytics in the contact center, so we will watch with interest to see when it will bring a fully integrated solution to customers. If it succeeds, Nice could take a leading position in this market.

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