Verizon and Cognizant announced a partnership to accelerate the delivery of technology-based solutions to enterprise clients.
The two companies plan to provide enterprise clients with a set of solutions focused on digital transformation, integration and business process support, technical expertise, networking and other solutions.
"Many of our mutual clients are faced with a lot of technology choices when it comes to customer experience initiatives. Most of those choices are around point CRM or other products," Rob Calloway, vice president and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions leader at Cognizant, told eWEEK. "With this alliance, we’re taking a holistic approach to looking at people, processes and technology that are required for a successful transformation."
Calloway explained by bringing together their combined customer experience capabilities in one place, they can help make their client’s transformations easier and more successful.
The companies also plan to leverage their experience in helping clients build the digital infrastructure that integrates social, mobile, analytics, cloud and sensor technologies used to power the Internet of Things (IoT).
"We’re planning to develop solutions for a variety of use cases that integrate social, mobile, analytics, cloud and sensor technologies as well as leading technologies from companies like Salesforce," Calloway explained. "Enterprise-class omni-channel sales and marketing initiatives pose a unique set of challenges for clients because they typically involve integration of a number of different platforms and cross-functional teams. By leveraging our extensive expertise, we believe we can remove complexity and help clients more efficiently realize their business objectives."
Calloway noted Verizon is a strategic partner with Cognizant for intelligent networks, cloud and security solutions.
"Cognizant has extensive industry and functional expertise, which is very critical to defining and customizing connected solutions and CRM deployments in an enterprise environment," he said. "By working closer, we feel we can help our mutual clients shrink the time from concept to deployment."
As part of this alliance, joint customers will be able to experience large-scale technology demonstrations powered by a new test-bed lab at Verizon's Innovation Centers in San Francisco and Waltham, Mass. "This is primarily targeted at large enterprises that are looking to digitally transform the way they interact with their customers," Calloway explained. "We’re focused on the main industries we serve, which include retail, manufacturing and logistics, insurance, banking and financial services, and health care."
The lab and its technology will enable clients to visualize enterprise-scale projects versus simply viewing and testing point technology offerings.
"The use cases will allow clients to visualize, test and analyze the necessary steps in the transformation journey--from concept to deployment in order to reduce risk and shrink the time it takes," Calloway said. "In addition, the centers will also highlight innovative new capabilities offered by both companies as well as other mutual partners."
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