The needs of midsize contact centers are unique. Although companies supporting contact centers with 100 to 500 seats face growing customer expectations just like their larger counterparts, they often lack the resources to manage procuring, installing, and maintaining best-of-breed solutions that support the growing number of channels (phone, email, web chat, and social) customers now use.

The new report, The Forrester Wave™: Contact Center Interaction Management for Midsize Contact Centers, Q3 2016, serves as an invaluable industry resource for contact center and IT leaders who are evaluating CCIM providers in context of midsize contact center requirements.

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It is one of two new, independent Forrester Wave™ reports from Forrester Research that evaluate midsize and large CCIM vendors. In both reports, Genesys was recognized as a “Leader” with highest scores in the current offering category as well as in the omnichannel capabilities and reporting and analytics criteria, and the highest possible score in the CRM integration, user interface and third-party ecosystem criteria.

With the publication of the Forrester Wave™ reports, we asked Genesys Chief Marketing Officer Merijn te Booij to share his perspective on the reports, previously discussing the large contact center, but in this discussion will focus on midsize contact centers, its findings, and key takeaways.

Q: What do you consider the most notable finding in the Forrester Wave™ Contact Center Interaction Management for Midsize Contact Centers, Q3 2016 report?

Merijn te Booij: The ability to support the contact center in a SaaS deployment is clearly important for midsize contact centers. However, most CCIM vendors are still offering only on-premise solutions and haven’t made the commitment to their own cloud offering. Genesys was named a leader because of our scores in the current offering and strategy categories. We offer both on-premise and cloud options. It’s also interesting that the cloud-only companies didn’t make the list for inclusion in the evaluation at all because they didn’t meet the report inclusion criteria of an installed base of more than 500 customers.

Q: What are contact center and IT leaders looking for when searching for a CCIM suite for a midsize contact center?

Merijn te Booij: A single customer experience platform has become very important for companies to stay competitive and meet customer expectations. Decision makers are looking for an all-in-one solution that provides openness, omnichannel capabilities, and orchestrated routing. As well, the majority want integrated workforce optimization or employee engagement capabilities. They’re also choosing a provider that offers choice in deployment – whether that’s on-premise, in the cloud, or hybrid.

Q: What is the biggest differentiator between Genesys and its competitors when it comes to CCIM suites for midsize contact centers?

Merijn te Booij: Our true omnichannel capabilities and orchestrated routing certainly set us apart. We offer an all-in-one solution and provide greater choice in both capabilities and deployment options.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting the process of evaluating CCIM suites? 

Merijn te Booij: It is consistent with the advice I’d give to someone evaluating CCIM suites for large contact centers. Look to the industry experts and their understanding to help you better tailor your criteria. Use tools like the Forrester Wave™ to identify specific requirements of your business and rely on the insights you find during your evaluation. You’ll want to carefully consider what’s important for your business today and tomorrow. Look for openness, scalability, deployment flexibility and experience. Make a decision that will address your long-term requirements.

Download the Forrester Wave™: Contact Center Interaction Management for Midsize Contact Centers, Q3 2016 here.

The Forrester Wave is copyrighted by Forrester Research, Inc. Forrester and Forrester Wave are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. The Forrester Wave is a graphical representation of Forrester’s call on a market and is plotted using a detailed spreadsheet with exposed scores, weightings, and comments. Forrester does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in the Forrester Wave. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change.

The Forrester Wave™: Contact Center Interaction Management for Midsize Contact Centers, Q3 2016, Art Schoeller with Christopher Andrews, Meredith Cain, and Peter Harrison, Published September 2016.