Five9 to Acquire Workforce Optimization Company Virtual Observer

Intelligent cloud contact center company Five9 has announced it will acquire Virtual Observer (formerly CSI (News - Alert)), a provider of workforce optimization (WFO) solutions. The two companies have worked together as partners for more than three years and have more than 150 joint customers.

The acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of Q2, will enable Five9 (News - Alert) to expand its portfolio by adding cloud-based and integrated WFO capabilities. By incorporating WFO features into the contact center infrastructure, the company will be able to offer simpler administration along with streamlined data, which is beneficial as customers continue to migrate to cloud-based solutions.

“Technology is at its best when it empowers human connection,” said Rowan Trollope, CEO of Five9. “To create these memorable moments, contact centers need to empower agents and supervisors to better focus on the customer. The addition of Virtual Observer to the Five9 portfolio strengthens our ability to inspire agents and maximize the quality of customer interactions while reducing costs and maintaining regulatory compliance.”

The WFO solution from Virtual Observer is specifically designed for a cloud-enabled contact center. The offering features integrated omnichannel recording and screen recording, quality management and speech analytics. Additional capabilities include advanced security for PCI (News - Alert)/HIPAA, built-in surveys, workforce management and pre-built connectors for a variety of CRM applications.

Five9 said the company will continue to partner with other WFO companies after the acquisition to offer choice to its customers. Partnerships like Five9 WFO powered by Verint (News - Alert) are designed to address the specific needs of large enterprise deployments.

The company’s CRM partners include Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft, Netsuite and Zendesk. Five9’s extensive list of customers includes Citrix, DoorDash, lululemon, Phone.com and Siemens (News - Alert). 

Five9 also recently reported revenue growth of 28 percent in the last quarter of 2019, bringing in a record $92.3 million.

“Key to the power of the contact center is people working with people,” said Dan McGrail, CTO of Virtual Observer. “We pride ourselves on our ability to empower agents to deliver a high quality of service and an improved customer experience. We are excited to join the Five9 team as we continue to drive innovative WFO solutions in the contact center.”