Alcatel-Lucent to sell Genesys for $1.5 billion to PE group Permira: report
13 Oct 2011
Alcatel-Lucent, the Franco-American communications equipment maker, has arrived at a deal to sell its corporate call centre services business Genesys, for $1.5 billion to private equity group Permira, the Financial Times today reported.
Alcatel-Lucent, which acquired Genesys in 2000, is expected to announce the sale over the coming week, the FT said, citing people familiar with the situation.
Genesys makes software that is used in call centres and video conferencing and operates as a product division of Alcatel-Lucent's application software group.
It focuses on software to manage customer interactions over the phone, web and in e-mail. The Genesys software suite connects customers with the right resources – self-service or assisted-service, to fulfill customer requests, optimise customer care goals and efficiently use resources.
Its software directs more than 100 million customer interactions every day for 4,000 companies and government agencies in 80 countries and accounts for 75 per cent of Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise business.
Permira had been in exclusive talks with Alcatel-Lucent for several months, but this was relaxed to allow bids from other suitors.
