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Ventana Research today released its 2016 Value Index for Workforce Optimization, a quantified, research-based index evaluating technology vendors and products for workforce optimization software. Ventana Research defines workforce optimization as the effective management of all activities associated with handling customer interactions to ensure an optimal customer experience and alignment to a common set of customer and revenue goals and objectives. Using this Value Index, business and IT organizations -especially those in call centers and customer service - will be able to evaluate existing workforce optimization software and examine software vendors' offerings in the context of their own business and technology requirements.

Ventana Research's Value Indexes are the products of more than two decades of experience in and knowledge of the market and they provide an in-depth analyses of technology suppliers' products. The Value Index for Workforce Optimization is based on a comprehensive examination of vendors' products in seven evaluation categories, five that evaluate the products' ability to support the full workforce optimization process and two that address vendor validation and total cost of ownership/return on investment. Making informed investments in such software can maximize an organization's ability to optimize workforce of agents from the capture and recording of interactions, quality management, training and coaching, agent compensation, workforce management and analytics.

The 2016 Value Index for Workforce Optimization finds that the companies that deliver the highest value, based on an overall weighted evaluation, are Verint, which qualifies as a Hot vendor, followed by six other Hot vendors: NICE Systems, Envision, OnviSource, Calabrio, dvsAnalytics and TelStrat.

Each Value Index is the result of a detailed evaluation of the suitability-to-task of each offering's capabilities as well as the product's support of usability, manageability, reliability and adaptability. These aspects of the evaluation reflect how organizations conduct RFI/RFP; they are unique to the Value Index report and are not covered in depth by other analyst firms' ratings, which often include limited (or no) evaluation of actual products. Unlike the Ventana Research Value Index, those reports are based on customer lists and revenue of the vendors being evaluated.  In contrast, the Value Index will help organizations confidently assess software and also develop the proper RFI/RFP for engaging in a well-designed and efficient selection process.

The Value Index also assesses the effectiveness of each vendor's support for the buying process and customer assurance. It gauges the value offered by a vendor and its products and presents the results in a clear and accessible graphic representation of a thermometer and in a precise numerical index. Technology vendors earning the highest Hot and Warm vendor classifications are those that Ventana Research certifies as most or more able to deliver value to buyers based on a thorough evaluation and audit - that is, based on research and verifiable facts. The Value Index is not just a selection of "cool" products; rather than evaluating a vendor primarily on its vision or market execution, the Index provides specific numerical ratings, both overall and for each of the seven components of the Value Index, for technology buyers to consider. Organizations can use the Value Index as a guide to assess existing technology providers and determine if their provider best meets their needs today and in the future.

"Workforce Optimization software is an essential foundation for every organization to effectively manage agents who interact with customers. It helps agents respond to and resolve client inquiries with the best possible experience through these interactions." said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer of Ventana Research. "This research provides an in-depth insight on the vendors and products that best fit the needs of contact centers by examining the range of evaluation criteria that is essential for an organization's management and operations of agents. Our research helps organizations assess and compare well-known suppliers as well as evaluate new ones through a practical and easy-to-use RFI/RFP approach compared to other comparisons that focus less on the products and the associated usability, manageability, adaptability and reliability."

This new Value Index is a fully independent, research-based undertaking. It is neither sponsored nor influenced by technology vendors and is conducted solely in pursuit of Ventana Research's mission to provide value to business and IT through benchmark assessments, workshops and advisory services. Ventana Research's goal is to help guide organizations to optimal efficiency in their use of technology investments for business and IT. To learn more and receive a complimentary copy of the 2016 Value Index for Workforce Optimization market report, please visit www.ventanaresearch.com/WFOvalueindex/.

About Ventana Research
Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research's insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations' use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.

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