This article originally appeared in the Sept. 2011 issue of  Customer Interaction Solutions

This year marks the 12^th installment for the prestigious TMC Labs Innovation Awards in Customer Interaction Solutions, where TMC Labs analyzes dozens of applicants to find the most unique and innovative products. Contact centers are constantly looking to increase agent productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction through the utilization of innovative products, from all-in-one suites to targeted add-ons. Like last year we have quite a few hosted offerings, but this year’s winners represent a very diverse range of technologies, featuring everything from hosted file storage to hosted workforce management. With the growth of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and now the emergence of Google+, it’s no surprise we have at least one winner that directly integrates with social media.

We are proud to bestow this award to the 17 worthy companies listed below, including both household industry names and some newer entrants. In-depth write-ups will be featured on TMCnet as well as in the October issue of the magazine.