Computing conglomerate Microsoft acquired a stake in India-based customer service software platform 24/7 on Tuesday, investing an undisclosed amount. Indian news source Rediff put the stake size as less than 26%, citing industry sources.
The investment was made as part of a strategic agreement signed that will see Microsoft merge the staff, clients and technology from the interactive self-service side of its business into 24/7, while 24/7 uses Microsoft’s Tellme speech and language recognition technology in its own service.
The two firms will also embark on a joint research and development partnership to build a more proactive customer service software interface which combines virtually invisible Natural User Interfaces (NUI) with cloud-scale data analytics.
The finished product, the Predictive Experience platform, is expected to be able to manage more than 2.5 billion online and speech-based transactions annually, and 24/7 estimates it will make up to $250m each year from the service.
Zig Serafin, general manager of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, said: "Microsoft is an industry leader in NUI and established natural, intuitive consumer experiences on mobile and entertainment devices. From speech to touch to gestures, consumers expect and demand more natural and intuitive ways to interact with technology. This same demand will change how consumers interact with businesses, and it creates an inflection point for how people will expect businesses to provide customer service."