To ensure the accuracy of the information we collect and ensure that the Value Index reflects the concerns of a well-crafted RFP, we require participating vendors to provide evaluation data across all seven categories. Ventana Research then validates the information, first independently through our knowledge base of product information and extensive web-based research, and then in consultation with the vendors.
The Value Index is designed to be independent of the specifics of vendor packaging and pricing and whether the products are priced or sold as part of a suite or bundle or individually. To represent the real-world environment in which businesses operate, we include vendors that offer suites or packages of products, as the relevant individual modules or applications must still be evaluated by those responsible for those business processes. We take no position on the offering approach of the products or packages being offered; where options exist, organizations using the Value Index will need to decide whether they choose a suite of products or individual applications that best meet their requirements.
For inclusion in the Ventana Research Contact Centers and Agent Management Value Index for 2023, a vendor’s primary source of revenue must be software-related. The actual or projected annual revenue must be at least $50 million in USD or equivalent for contact center platform vendors; or at least $20 million for vendors of exclusively agent management systems. The firm must operate across at least two countries and have at least 50 customers.
All vendors that offer relevant products and meet the inclusion requirements are invited to participate in the Value Index evaluation process, at no cost to them. If a vendor does not respond to or declines the invitation, a determination is made whether to include it in our analysis based on our defined set of inclusion criteria. These criteria are designed to ensure we include in our evaluation vendors’ geographic operations, customer base and revenue as well as all relevant aspects of the products’ fit for the particular category being evaluated. If a vendor is actively marketing, selling and developing a product as reflected on its website that is within the scope of the Value Index, it is automatically evaluated for inclusion. We have adopted this approach because we view it as our responsibility to assess all relevant vendors whether or not they choose to actively participate.
Vendors in the contact center and agent management segments will be evaluated based on the capabilities that include:
To qualify for inclusion in the contact center evaluation, a vendor’s offering must include:
To qualify for inclusion in the agent management evaluation, a vendor’s offering must include:
If a vendor is actively marketing, selling and developing a product as reflected on its website that is within the scope of the Value Index, it is automatically evaluated for inclusion. We have adopted this approach because we view it as our responsibility to assess all relevant vendors whether or not they choose to participate.
Completed surveys and customer references for this Value Index are due on May 19th, 2023. Publication is currently scheduled for July 2023.
Please upload the submission package and all supporting documents in our FileCloud portal. For all questions regarding FileCloud, please contact the research analyst Hayden at Hayden.Christie@ventanaresearch.com.
We ask that you provide three to five customer references along with your completed submission package. You can enter this information in the appropriate fields in the Intro&Data document or you can provide it directly to the research program manager. We send each reference an email message with the questions below; alternatively, we are happy to have a phone call if the reference prefers to answer the questions that way. In all the process should not require more than 15 minutes of a reference’s time. All responses are confidential; while customer feedback is a valuable part of our evaluation, we do not share the content of reference interviews with the vendor or the general public.
Below is a list of questions we ask references. Analysts may follow up with an email message or phone call for clarification or further details.
We strongly encourage full participation in the Value Index, but if this is not possible, we suggest you provide whatever documentation you have on your product — release notes,
any publicly available information and anything else that will help provide an accurate picture of the product for the analyst. We also suggest you provide customer references and
schedule a briefing with the analyst during the scoring period. Please contact Research Analyst Hayden Christie for further information about limited participation.
Prior to initiating any new Value Index, our leadership team develops criteria that include the nature of the product, product marketing, overall revenue and countries of operation. All products that meet the criteria are included in the Value Index. In our view this policy is essential for ensuring our evaluation is unbiased and that it accurately represents the state of the marketplace and the needs of business executives pursuing RFPs. The inclusion criteria for this Value Index are as follows:
For inclusion in the Ventana Research Contact Centers and Agent Management Value Index for 2023, a vendor must be in good standing financially and ethically, have at least $10 million in annual or projected annual recurring revenue (ARR), operate across at least two countries, and have 50 or more customers. The principal source of the relevant business unit’s revenue must be software-related and there must have been at least one major software release in the last 18 months. In addition, a vendor must provide products that support RPM for revenue processes and at least three of the functional areas that should be part of the vendor products:
These functions should be available on mobile and collaborative channels and should integrate with CRM, SFA, Finance, HR and order systems to support management, operations, analysts and administrators in finance, HR, sales and IT roles.
If a vendor is actively marketing, selling and developing a product as reflected on its website that is within the scope of the Value Index, it is automatically evaluated for inclusion. We have adopted this approach because we view it as our responsibility to assess all relevant vendors whether or not they choose to participate.
Yes, briefings are required for the purpose of confirming the analysts’ assessment and clarifying any outstanding issues. The analyst or research program manager will contact you to set this up during the scoring period.
We ask that you imagine the briefing as a final pitch for a $1 million deal. Please plan for an hour and understand that schedules often prevent extending these sessions. We suggest you structure the briefing as follows, allotting about 15 minutes per segment: Company overview, product overview and demo, discussion of product as relates to the Value Index evaluation categories and Q&A.
More information about the Ventana Research Value Index is on our website here. To purchase a value index, please contact sales@ventanaresearch.com.
We will share the courtesy copy of the Value Index Report 72 hours prior to publication.
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