Nuance acquires Australian customer service specialist

iTa goes global.

Voice recognition vendor Nuance Communications has acquired Information Technologies Australia (iTa), an automated customer services provider for contact centres.

The deal combines Nuance's speech recognition technology and  professional services with iTa's contact centre solutions.  

Customers also gain access to mobile services and voice biometrics. 

Peter Chidiac, managing director at Nuance Australia and New Zealand, told CRN that Nuance's customers asked for a broader range of products and services.

"We've been focusing on speech technologies, text to speech and verification. Customers want us to do more around their in-bound and out-bound contact centre automation.

"iTA was clearly ahead of anyone else," he said.

Nuance will rebrand iTa and all its products under the global Nuance Enterprise Services business.

iTa's 35 staff - including the executive team - will join Nuance.

Nuance has an existing presence in Sydney and Melbourne.

The deal gives iTa the "potential for some global" sales, said Chidiac. "But, everything from an operational and functional perspective will be managed out of Australia," he said.

iTa chief executive Nick Buckle will head up the new iTa Solutions Business at Nuance.

"I'll obviously be working closely with the Nuance sales team about building out a solution strategy," Buckle told CRN.

"One of the key things is there is a real synergy between Nuance and iTa," said Buckle, pointing to their long standing partnership. 

The companies deployed Centrelink's voice biometrics system together, he said. 

Chidiac declined to provide the financial details of the deal.