aspect-software

Businessmodel of Aspect Software

Customer Segments

Aspect Software has a mass market business model, with no significant differentiation between customer segments. The company targets its offerings at firms of all industries and sizes.

Value Proposition

Aspect Software offers five primary value propositions: accessibility, innovation, convenience, performance, and brand/status.

The company creates accessibility by providing a wide variety of options. It has acquired numerous firms since its founding, including LinguaSys, Voxeo, Quilogy, AIM Technology, and BlueNote Networks. This strategy has enabled it significantly expand its capabilities and diversify its portfolio.

The company embraces innovation as a part of its culture. Its groundbreaking efforts include:

  • The first intelligent Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) in the contact center industry
  • The first automated dialer in the contact center industry
  • The first workforce management (WFM) solution in the contact center industry
  • The first unified architecture in the contact center industry The company offers convenience by making life simpler for customers. It proactively provides software upgrades and updates at no additional cost for its most basic tiers of service. It also enables customers to make secure credit card payments for services through its website.

The company demonstrates strong performance through tangible results. Specific positive outcomes for clients include the following:

  • Complete Nutrition used Aspect Software’s solutions to establish a “Modern Portal Framework” for its communication, resulting in a 50% reduction in support tickets and an NPS of 87
  • Valley Medical Center used Aspect Software’s solutions to introduce enhanced patient communication technology, resulting in an increase in patient follow-up averages to 100%
  • Asurion used Aspect Software’s solutions to keep its contact center staffed and match call volumes, resulting in the reduction of 2,500 administration man-hours annually
  • VIPdesk Connect used Aspect Software’s solutions to implement a new cloud contact center system, resulting in the ability to track pertinent contact patterns

  • ResourceOne used Aspect Software’s solutions to upgrade its contact center technology, resulting in the ability to take on new customers even with seasonal fluctuations in call volume The company has established a strong brand due to its success. It touts itself as the world’s leading enterprise cloud contact center and workforce optimization solution. Its solutions are used by nine of the top 10 telecommunications providers. Prominent clients include Apple, AT&T, British Airways, Chase, Citi, CVS Pharmacy, Daimler, Dell, eBay, FedEx, HSBC, IBM, ING Direct, Microsoft, Starwood, Virgin Atlantic, and Vodafone. Lastly, it has won many honors, including the following:

  • The 2016 Ventana Research Technology Innovation Award for the Aspect Via product
  • Recognition as a 2016 Forrester Wave Leader in the Large Contact Centers category
  • Recognition as Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Global WFO Solutions Company of the Year
  • Recogntion as the #1 Global Workforce Management solution vendor by Pelorus Associates
  • The European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards (ECCCSA) for Application of Technology ### Channels

Aspect Software’s main channel is its direct sales team. The company promotes its offerings through its website, social media pages, and participation in expos, symposiums, and conferences.

Customer Relationships

Aspect Software’s customer relationship is primarily of a personal assistance nature. The company assists customers in the following ways:

Support Services – The company offers a single point of contact for customer service on a 24x7x365 basis, as well as regionally-deployed field engineers who can provide timely assistance.

Training Services – The company offers training courses that instruct clients on the use of its software. It assigns clients a delivery provider who puts together curriculums and schedules, and coordinates training across platforms and locations to make the experience simpler. Training is offered in traditional classroom, virtual instructor-led, and on-demand formats.

Professional Services – The company offers professional services to take customers’ experiences to the next level. Specific services are as follows:

  • Performance Improvement – Categories include Operational Excellence, Product and Technology, and Customer Care Strategy
  • Integration Services – Categories include Analytics, Unified Communications, Microsoft Professional Services, and Oracle Professional Services
  • Implementation and Optimization – Categories include Implementation Project Approach, Maximize Value, and Deployment Flexibility Despite this orientation, there is a self-service component. The company’s website features a “Resources” that includes white papers, case studies, data sheets, eBooks, and brochures. The site also features “Innovation Exchange“, a showcase for innovative cloud-based and mobile customer engagement applications.

There is also a community element in the form of a forum called Aspect Community, in which clients can ask questions of and exchange information with technology experts, business innovators, and company partners.

Key Activities

Aspect Software’s business model entails designing and developing software for customers and delivering related services.

Key Partners

Aspect Software’s key partners are the suppliers that provide the resources it needs to develop its software.

It also maintains the Aspect Software User Group Association (ASUGA), an organization focused on enhancing the client experience through the exchange of information between association members and the company’s business partners.

Lastly, Aspect Software provides tools for developers to help them create automated communications applications.

Key Resources

Aspect Software’s main resources are its human resources, who include the technology employees that design and develop its services, the sales employees that promote it, the training/consulting employees that provide instruction/advice, and the customer service staff members that provide support.

It places an important priority on intellectual property, with over 700 issued and pending patents worldwide. Lastly, as a startup it has relied on funding from investors, raising $50 million as of November 2002.

Cost Structure

Aspect Software has a value-driven cost structure, aiming to provide a premium proposition through significant personal service and frequent service enhancements.

Its biggest cost driver is likely cost of services, a variable expense. Other major drivers are in the areas of sales/marketing and customer support/operations, both fixed costs.

Revenue Streams

Aspect Software has two revenue streams: revenues it generates from the sale of its software products to customers, and revenues it generates from the sale of related services.

Written on October 25, 2017