For Customer Experience Professionals

Top Customer Experience Takeaways From SpeechTEK 2009

by Adele Sage, November 10, 2009

Forrester recently attended SpeechTEK 2009, where presenters focused on using speech technologies to improve the phone self-service customer experience. Among speakers' top recommendations: Don't ignore customer experience, do focus on target users and . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Smart Grid Technologies: Coming To A Utility Near You

Modern IT And Communications Systems Are Transforming The US Power Industry

by Roy C. Wildeman, October 19, 2009

Today's energy companies face an unprecedented quandary of regulatory requirements, market pressures, and public scrutiny that, in combination, act to disrupt traditional approaches to cutting costs and servicing consumers. With the recent federal stimulus . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise Networks And Telecommunications: 2009

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Ellen Daley, August 7, 2009

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European enterprises via our Enterprise And SMB Networks And Telecommunications Survey, North America And Europe, Q1 2009. Even given the current economic crisis, . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of SMB Networks And Telecommunications: 2009

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Ellen Daley, August 7, 2009

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European firms via our Enterprise And SMB Networks And Telecommunications Survey, North America And Europe, Q2 2009. Even given the current global economic crisis, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Case Study: How PerkettPR — An All-Virtual Organization — Is Powered By Remote Workers

How A Virtual Firm's IT Can Be Greener, More Accessible, And More Redundant Than Traditional Office Environments

by Chris Silva, Doug Washburn, July 28, 2009

PerkettPR made its strategic, and definitive, decision to focus investment on quality staff — not office space. Since its inception in 1998, the company has been a virtual organization with no intent of transitioning to a traditional office environment. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Premise-Based IVR/Voice Portals, Q2 2009

Genesys Leads, With Avaya And Cisco Systems Closely Following

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 17, 2009

In Forrester's 52-criteria evaluation of IVR/voice portal premise-based offerings, we found that Genesys, Avaya, Cisco Systems, and Nortel Networks lead the pack. These vendors deliver innovative solutions with advanced capabilities on their end-to-end . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Network-Based IVR/Voice Portals, Q2 2009

Tellme And Nuance Are Leaders, With Verizon And Voxeo Close Behind As Strong Performers

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 15, 2009

In Forrester's 53-criteria evaluation of network services providers for IVR/voice portal (VP) vendors, we found that Tellme and Nuance lead the pack with their all-inclusive platform support for advanced capabilities and innovative solutions. Verizon . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Identifying Components Of The Network Skills Gap

Identify Roles And Skills That Are Significantly Important For Successful Network Management

by Chris Silva, Usman Sindhu, June 12, 2009

Organizations are upgrading their infrastructure with technologies that improve network efficiency, performance, security, and management. As a result, IT ops pros' roles must also evolve in network, system, service, and operation management skills. These . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Lessons In Planning The Biggest Show On Earth

How ICT Will Be The Heartbeat Of The London 2012 Olympic Games

by Mike Cansfield, May 14, 2009

Regardless of whether you are a sports fan or not, the Beijing Olympic Games were one of the highlights of 2008. In 2012, it is London's turn to host the summer Olympic Games. Information and communications technology (ICT) is a key enabler in making . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Farewell To The Traditional Telecom Ecosystem

How Vendor Strategists Can Win With Customer-Led Ecosystems

by Mike Cansfield, May 7, 2009

Until as recently as 2000, it was pretty clear what the telecommunications sector was all about. Customers — consumers at home and firms at work — bought calls and lines from telcos, which in turn purchased the technology components required to create . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: UC IVR And IP Contact Centers, Q2 2009

by Elizabeth Herrell, April 23, 2009

The landscape for unified communications (UC), interactive voice response (IVR), and Internet protocol (IP) contact centers is talked about constantly. Forrester answered the inquiries of numerous end users from February 2008 to February 2009 on these . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The 2009 Outlook For Unified Communications In Europe

by Phil Sayer, March 24, 2009

Forrester survey data on unified communications (UC) from Q1 2008 showed great enthusiasm for UC, with 81% of European enterprises reporting that they were at some stage in a UC implementation. Since then the world has changed beyond recognition, with . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Ten Steps For Reducing Contact Center Expenses

Slow Economy Necessitates You Take A Close Look At Contact Center Costs

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 13, 2009

During an economic slowdown, customer service managers need to take a close look at their contact center operations to find ways to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of customer support. Too often, customer service managers continue with established . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Cut Costs On Voice: Prepare For Wi-Fi Calling Now

Market Overview: Firms Will Get Wi-Fi/Cellular Calling

by Chris Silva, December 23, 2008

As mobile device usage continues its uptick — as do its associated carrier costs — many companies are looking at dual-mode devices that can make calls over both carrier cellular and local area wireless networks (WLAN). By using WLAN for mobile calling, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Evaluating UC Vendors On Key Applications

How Vendors Stack Up On Voice/Desktop Call Control, Mobility, And Conferencing

by Elizabeth Herrell, December 22, 2008

Organizations considering unified communications (UC) solutions often find the vendor landscape overwhelming. During an economic slowdown it's more important than ever to invest in solutions that mirror the short-term and long-term goals of your company. . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Technology Trends: IMS Deals Slow Worldwide

Biggest Gains Are In Eastern Europe And Asia Pacific Regions

by Michele Pelino, November 18, 2008

Attention in the telecom community for the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) has been hard to ignore over the past few years. Service providers wanting new revenues from services at a reduced cost look to an IMS framework to help them. Forrester tracks IMS . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Market Overview: Firms Will Get Wi-Fi/Cellular Calling

But Adoption Will Take At Least Three Years

by Henry Dewing, Chris Silva, November 4, 2008

A single mobile device that allows calling over a mobile and wireless local area network (WLAN) network promises IT executives a potential way to decrease mounting mobile voice costs as minutes of use continue to increase. Firms face the challenge of . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Hot Companies To Watch: Q3 Update

Profiles of Emerging Companies And Technology Trends That Tech Vendors Should Consider When Planning Strategy

by Chris Andrews, September 10, 2008

In this series, we highlight interesting new vendors and important technology trends. At Forrester, we've seen a strong interest in emerging technologies among our technology strategist clients as vendors seek to stay innovative and identify the "next . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

2008 Contact Center Technology Trends

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 13, 2008

In 2008, contact centers are leaning toward an increased emphasis on self-service and applications that provide greater insight into customer experience. Organizations are also considering how to support their customers more proactively and reach beyond . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Criteria For Evaluating Speech Analytics

Vendor Selection And Key Benefits For Customer Insight

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 5, 2008

Speech analytics is becoming an important business tool that allows organizations to mine customers' conversations and better understand their attitudes and needs. Improved audio mining technology enables you to respond quickly to your customers and gather . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Insights: Contact Center Technologies,Q3 2008

by Elizabeth Herrell, July 17, 2008

From January 2007 to April 2008, Forrester's IT infrastructure and operations (I&O) team fielded 3,246 inquiries on a myriad of topics; 350 of those dealt with the key I&O themes in enterprise communications, including contact centers. As contact . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

North American And European Enterprise VoIP Service Adoption  (166 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, July 1, 2008

An overview of North American and European VoIP service adoption

For B2B Market Research Professionals

North American And European SMB VoIP Technologies Adoption  (165 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, June 24, 2008

A comparison of VoIP technology adoption in North America and Europe.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise Networks And Telecommunications: 2008

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Ellen Daley, June 13, 2008

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North America and European enterprises via our Enterprise And SMB Networks And Telecommunications Survey, North America And Europe, Q1 2008. Hot topics include mobility, unified . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Innovative Speech Apps Deliver Value

New Uses For Speech Improve Customer Support

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 5, 2008

Speech applications provide an opportunity to deliver higher value support by offering customers more options when interacting with companies. Speech applications also reduce high staffing expenses by directing more callers to complete self-service transactions. . . .