Bangalore: Microsoft has merged its interactive selfservice assets with 24/7 Inc (formerly 24/7 Customer) and in return has taken an undisclosed stake in the latter . 24/7 started as a BPO company, with focus on call centre operations, but has increasingly moved towards larger technology solutions, which explains the rechristening . The company, founded by P V Kannan and S Nagarajan , is headquartered in the US but has the bulk of its operations in Bangalore.
Microsoft's assets being merged are a part of its natural user interface initiative, assets that it got when it acquired voice service provider Tellme Networks some four years ago. It allows people to use speech when dealing with interactive voice response (IVR) systems. These assets, combined with 24/7's data and analytics capabilities , are expected to predict what callers to IVR systems want, so that they can be served better. P V Kannan, CEO of 24/7, said, "By combining the technologies into one unified cloud platform, we will deliver solutions and services that truly enable businesses to differentiate through customer service."
With the merger, 24/7 will have about 100 people in the division, and also acquire Microsoft's clients in this space, including Avis Budget Group and United Airlines . Nagarajan said that after the integration, 24/7 would become a $250 million revenue company. It has over 10,000 people globally.
The combined technology called predictive experience (PX) platform will span interactive self-service (across mobile, Web and voice channels), big data analytics, and speech and conversational interfaces. If, say, your flight is cancelled , and the airline IVR system calls to inform you about it, the combined technology will now enable the system to offer more precisely the new options you may want and complete a fresh transaction.
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