REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Support.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPRT), a leading provider of cloud-based software and services for technology support, and Frost & Sullivan, a growth partnership company, today announced research that identifies a new but fast-growing contact center software category: Support Interaction Optimization (SIO). SIO combines customer web self-service, remote support, guided resolution, analytics, and performance management applications to deliver highly streamlined and effective technical support.
Frost & Sullivan values the SIO market at $1.3 billion globally in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 12.1%, doubling to reach $2.6 billion by 2020. Guided resolution is the fastest growing market segment, at a CAGR of 20.2%.
"There has long been a need for a set of solutions that enable customers and support staff to rapidly and cost-effectively resolve critical and complex issues to customers' satisfaction," said Brendan Read, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "While most vendors have had bits and pieces of SIO capabilities, only now are they seeing the whole picture and connecting the parts to create a complete solution."
Support Interaction Optimization Fills Critical Gap in Support Software Landscape
According to Frost & Sullivan research, SIO allows companies to manage and solve support issues in less time, with consistent service and improved agent performance, by providing step-by-step guidance and automated technologies integrated with knowledge bases and interactive analytics. Analytics tools built into SIO solutions provide insights into agent behavior, support processes, and product data. These tools uncover which resolution paths – guided, custom, or support agents' free-form replies – solve problems faster and more effectively.
SIO solutions also ensure agent compliance with policies and procedures and identify process bottlenecks that are causes of average handle time (AHT) spikes, and can detect product errors and malfunctions. "As a result, SIO can reduce AHT by as much as 50%."1
SIO Need Driven by Growth of Internet of Things (IoT) and Mobile Adoption
Technology support issues that are handled by live agents via phone and chat are increasingly complex as more technology products are entering the home and business, putting pressure on contact centers to onboard and support devices in complex environments. These products and services include smartphones and tablets, connected devices such as home automation, Internet of Things, personal health monitoring, and wearables.
Frost & Sullivan forecasts that there will be 410 million smartphones shipped in North America by 20182, 50 billion connected devices globally by 2020 and 177 million wearable devices globally by 20183.
"This increasingly connected world presents a growing challenge, but also an opportunity for device-specific technical support," said Nancy Jamison, Principal Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "SIO solutions that provide guided resolution give agents or self-service applications real-time best practices. In doing so they help companies dramatically cut support costs and increase customer satisfaction."
For complimentary access to the Frost & Sullivan SIO white paper, visit corp.support.com/sio
Support.com Offers Nexus®, a SIO Solution
Nexus, with its unique Guided Paths™ functionality, is the first SIO solution to combine agent interaction data with device data and process detail, providing deeper insights and continually optimizing support interactions. Nexus is available immediately through Support.com. For more information please call 866-635-5457 or visit corp.support.com/products/nexus-service-platform.
"Agent performance, cost savings and customer satisfaction are top priorities for contact centers and are the focus of this new and exciting research from Frost & Sullivan," said Elizabeth Cholawsky, CEO of Support.com. "As we look at the opportunity to optimize the next frontier of support, we are thrilled to be able to offer customers a solution that not only addresses today's important SIO challenge but also prepares them for the future as technologies become increasingly interconnected and more complex."
For complimentary access to the Frost & Sullivan SIO white paper, visit corp.support.com/sio
Two charts accompanying this release are available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/cache/19299/file/30595.pdf
http://media.globenewswire.com/cache/19299/file/30596.pdf
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the Global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
About Support.com
Support.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPRT) is a leading provider of cloud-based software and services for technology support, including cloud-based Nexus® Support Interaction Optimization (SIO) solution that enables companies to boost their support productivity, dramatically improve their customer experience and resolve connected technology issues quickly. Our technology support programs help leading brands create new revenue streams and deepen customer relationships. Support.com is the choice of leading communications providers including 3 of the top 5 cable companies in North America, top retailers, and other leading brands in software and connected technology. For more information, please visit us at: www.support.com.
The Support.com, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=25440
Copyright © 2014 Support.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Support.com and Nexus are trademarks or registered trademarks of Support.com, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and is subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements include, for example, all statements relating to expected financial performance; the plans and objectives of management for future operations, customer relationships, products, services or investments; personnel matters; and future performance in economic and other terms. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that involve a number of uncertainties and risks that may cause actual events or results to differ materially including, among others, our ability to successfully develop support products beyond those for personal computers and home networks, our ability retain and grow existing programs, our ability to expand our customer base, our ability to market and sell our Nexus service delivery platform on a SaaS basis, our ability to successfully develop new products and services, our ability to maintain and grow revenue from new programs, our ability to manage our workforce effectively, our ability to retain key personnel, and our ability to control expenses and achieve desired margins. These and other risks may be detailed from time to time in Support.com's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, its latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained from www.sec.gov. Support.com assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements.
| 1 Frost & Sullivan, "Support Interaction Optimization - Tackling Tech Complexity with Advanced Support Tools", (4 December 2014) | |
| 2 Frost & Sullivan, "Analysis of the Global Smartphone and OS Market",(30 April 2014) | |
| 3 Frost & Sullivan "The Office of the Future", (9 October 2014) | |
