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Summary
Managing the pool of agents who work in a contact center is a complex task that requires more capabilities than can be found in a single software application. Complete agent management includes call recording and screen capture, workforce management, agent assessment, training and coaching of agents, and a comprehensive set of key performance indicators to monitor and assess how well the agents are performing. Envision was one of the first vendors to bring out a suite of products that cover these areas and with its latest release the company has both improved the base platform and made the modules easier to use. Benchmark research from Ventana Research confirms that managing the agent pool is high on the list of priorities for companies that have contact centers, so we recommend they take a look at Envision’s latest offering to help optimize the performance of this vital customer service resource.

Assessment
Our recent benchmark research shows that companies recognize the importance of customer service agents in satisfying customers. The research shows that the two actions companies take most often to improve the customer experience are to improve agent training and to improve the agent quality-monitoring process. Envision is an established vendor in this market whose products address both these issues, along with call recording and screen capture, workforce management and reporting and analytics. The new version of its suite, Envision Centricity, is built on an updated, unified platform and has improved functionality.

The new platform’s architecture is Web-based, although some modules have not yet been upgraded from the previous architecture. The new version is easier to install, gives the modules a common look and feel, provides more integration between modules and comes with centralized administrative functionality. The modules are customizable, allowing permission-based access through a user ID, each user to have a personalized view that matches his or her role, and flexible reporting and analytics.

Modules in the first release of the new version are Envision Quality Monitoring, Envision eLearning and Envision Analytics. The company says new releases of Envision Workforce Management and Agent Desktop will follow, but meanwhile customers can continue using the existing versions of these modules. Purchasers can choose the modules they want and pay for them and the number of supported seats.

Market Impact
Envision is one of a small group of vendors that provide a suite of products supporting agent performance management. Among others are KnoahSoft, Nice Systems, Verint and Voice Print International, which variously support call recording, screen capture, workforce management, quality monitoring, coaching, e-learning and agent-focused business intelligence and analytics. Envision has achieved success with its current products, but we believe these upgrades are essential to keep it competitive with developments being made by other vendors. As the base platform is now Web-based, it will gain easier acceptance with IT departments. In addition, the modules now share the same look and feel which, along with the greater integration, should make the product more appealing to users. And their functionally is sufficient to support core operational requirements. These advances should enable the company to hold its position in what we believe will be a growing market.

Recommendation
Despite the proliferation of alternate channels of communication, our benchmark research shows that good agents to field phone calls are essential for companies to deliver positive experiences to their customers. Companies know that the fully loaded cost of the agent pool is a significant expense in interacting with customers. Therefore they should examine how to get the best performance from this vital resource, and as they do so we recommend that they evaluate whether the Envision Centricity suite can help them in these efforts.

Related Research Notes:
Customer Performance Management Research Agenda for 2008