nGUVU, a Montreal-based tech startup that offers an employee engagement platform for contact centers, has been acquired by Genesys, a United States-based software company that focuses on customer experience software.
“This marks a major milestone for nGUVU and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Founded in 2013, nGUVU uses machine learning and ‘gamification’ to make work experience better for contact center agents in the hopes of reducing employee turnover. Its cloud-based software uses machine learning and behavioural analytics to improve employee engagement and performance.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though, Genesys noted that its acquired the Montreal company as a way to bolster its employee experience capabilities and “empower tomorrow’s workforce with gamification and machine learning.”
“Helping organizations elevate ordinary transactions into meaningful connections that reinforce to customers how much they matter is central to our vision,” said Tony Bates, CEO of Genesys. “While this is no easy feat, it can be done with a combination of advanced cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and a highly engaged workforce … that’s why we are bringing nGUVU into the Genesys family to help organizations positively influence employee behaviour and performance.”
In 2016, nGUVU raised $3 million in funding from Brightspark Ventures and Desjardins Venture Capital. At the time, Pierre Donaldson, CEO of nGUVU, said the startup’s mission was to “revolutionize contact centres by putting the agent at the core of our strategy.” He pointed to an opportunity of more than four million agents in North America and 20 million agents worldwide.
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It is unclear at this time how the acquisition will affect nGUVU as an organization. According to the company’s LinkedIn profile, it has seven employees. Donaldson hinted in a press release that nGUVU will be joining the Genesys team.
“This marks a major milestone for nGUVU and we couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “The scalability we gain from Genesys Cloud WEM benefits our existing customers and gives organizations of all sizes across the globe a powerful gamification solution to help their employees become more effective and engaged.”
Genesys noted that nGUVU’s solution, nGAGEMENT, has already been integrated with Genesys Cloud and is available as a premium application through its offerings.
“Increasingly, organizations recognize the importance of the employee in the overall customer experience equation. With the addition of nGUVU’s gamification, Genesys is addressing the way progressive employees want to work,” said Alan Webber, program vice president of IDC. “As the industry shifts from a workforce optimization approach to focusing on employee experience and engagement, this strategic acquisition reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering the next generation of workforce tools powered by the cloud and AI.”
Image source Genesys