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			Business Research: Contact Center Technology Research: Operational Intelligence Imperative Research: Business Innovation, Performance Improvement, Process Improvement
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Merced Systems and Aspect Software have announced a joint agreement that will see Aspect bring to market a new product called Aspect Performance Management that is powered by Merced Performance Suite. They join a growing trend of vendors partnering in the contact center market; this collaboration will raise the profile of performance management and offer customers a wider choice of options. As a result of this OEM-style agreement, Aspect will embed the Merced Performance Suite into its product line and market it under the Aspect brand with  full support and services. The two companies are working closely together to complete the first contracts, but the short-term objective is for Aspect to become self-sufficient, offering customers independent marketing, sales, delivery and first-line support. Over time Aspect will tightly integrate the new product with its existing contact center products, which should simplify implementation. But both companies are committed to a best-of-breed approach, so Aspect Performance Management will also be available on a stand-alone basis, giving customers an alternative to some of the suite-style solutions being created through other takeovers such as NICE Systems’ of Performix.

For customers, the new arrangement offers the ability to step outside the contact center and provide support for operational improvements based on a common source of performance information. As a result of the agreement, potential customers will have two options of how to buy and a greater expertise available to support them. In Ventana Research’s view, Aspect and Merced Systems provide leading products in their own right; together they will offer customers a powerful solution that will extend their already competitive positions.