Genesys Acquires VoiceGenie

WOKINGHAM, U.K. -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA, NYSE: ALA) today announced its intention for its Genesys subsidiary to acquire privately held VoiceGenie in an undisclosed cash transaction. The deal is expected to close in a few weeks.

Founded in 2000, VoiceGenie is a leader in voice self service solutions, with a software platform based on Voice XML, an open standard used for developing self service applications by both enterprises and carriers. Voice XML is a critical underlying technology that is classically used in contact centres for customer voice self-service; widely deployed by telecom providers to support multimedia services such as directory assistance, navigation direction and virtual receptionists; and increasingly applied to speech-enabled enterprise applications such as order status. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with currently 90 people, VoiceGenie has established a strong position in the worldwide Voice Portal market, serving some of the largest carriers and application service providers (ASPs), including Verizon, AT&T, and Orange.

According to recent Garter/Dataquest estimates, VoiceGenie is number two in market share position, with Genesys in number one position. The combination of both companies will make Alcatel's Genesys the undisputed leader in a fast-developing market that is expected to double in the next three years, with nearly one-fourth of the market, almost two and a half times the size of its nearest competitor. Genesys expects to accelerate the trend away from legacy, proprietary IVRs (interactive voice response) to new Voice XML software standards. In addition, Genesys will expand its offerings for Service Providers allowing them to deploy a wide variety of internal and network services, including managed services.

"The increased adoption of speech recognition provides a strong driver for companies to replace aging proprietary IVR systems with the standards-based voice portal systems," Gartner Analyst Drew Kraus wrote in a recent report. "In addition, vendors announced end-of-life plans for their proprietary IVR systems, causing some companies to accelerate their plans to replace these systems."

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc.