Concerto Software and Aspect Communications today announced that upon closing of their intended merger as announced on 5 July 2005, the combined company will be named Aspect Software.
With this merger, Aspect - known for its quality products, stability and innovation allowing customer service organisations to maximise their contact centre operations - is joining forces with Concerto, the long-time leader in enabling collections, customer service and sales contact centre processes and recognised for its flexibility and collaborative approach. Given the broad market awareness of the Aspect brand, the name Aspect Software was selected to lead the new company`s growth in markets around the world.
In addition, the companies have passed several milestones along the path to approval of the transaction. As announced this week, the most recent milestone reached was the termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) anti-trust merger review waiting period. The HSR Act prohibits the closing of certain mergers and acquisitions prior to the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting periods. Aspect is finalising its proxy statement for distribution to shareholders, and the companies anticipate the deal will close in September.
"We are pleased with the progress we are making toward becoming one company and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the soon-to-be Aspect Software," said Jim Foy, President and CEO of Concerto Software. "We are assembling an outstanding team and believe the new company will be regarded as proven, focused and well-poised to both support current customers and meet the industry`s growing need for reduced complexity and increased contact centre capabilities."
The executive team of the new company, led by Foy, is expected to include individuals from both companies` management teams. Specifically, Gary Barnett, current CEO of Aspect, will be named Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice-President of Worldwide Support Services. Barnett is one of the founding engineers at Aspect and was instrumental in the development of the company`s first automatic call distributor (ACD). He is a long-time customer advocate, dedicated to ensuring that technology supports each of Aspect`s customer`s contact centre strategies and operational goals.
"Concerto and Aspect coming together truly supports our shared vision of applying technology to help companies transform the way they interact with their customers," said Barnett. "As Aspect Software, we will have great insight into how the contact centre has evolved over time, what organisations need today to be competitive, and how to build optimal systems for shaping the future of customer-company interactions."
For more information on the Concerto/Aspect merger and how these two companies are forming the world`s largest company solely focused on contact centre products and services, visit www.concerto.com/mergerinfo and www.aspect.com/leadership.
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Concerto Software, the founder of the contact centre industry, is 100%percent focused on providing proven, innovative products and services that enable key business processes including customer service, collections, and sales and telemarketing for in-house and outsourced contact centres. Each day, companies around the globe conduct more than 50 million customer interactions using Concerto`s flexible, reliable solutions for automatic call distribution (ACD), predictive dialling, workforce management, analytics, IVR and multi-channel contact.
Headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, Concerto has operations across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
For more information, visit www.concerto.com.
Aspect Communications
Aspect Communications Corporation is a leading provider of contact centre solutions and services that enable businesses to manage and optimise customer communications. Aspect`s global customer base includes more than two-thirds of the Fortune 50 and leading corporations in a range of industries, including transportation, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, retail and outsourcing, as well as large government agencies. The company`s leadership is based on two decades of expertise. Aspect is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in countries around the world.
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