Introduction
This report combines all four briefs from the contact center and technologies theme for Q1 2006. The theme looks at the core drivers within the developed contact center industry. It identifies the markets that are the fastest growing, that are mature yet still perceived as high spenders, and the markets that are increasingly utilizing contact center technology.

Scope
The unique business challenges faced by financial services firms have been a major contributing factor in their adoption of high-end technologies.
The communications industry has changed considerably and is no longer a mix of phone and cable companies.
When deconstructed, the EMEA region is made up of a large saturated contact center market in Western European.
The public sector is the fastest growing vertical market globally, from a technology spend perspective and from an agent position standpoint.
Highlights
The lion's share of contact center spending has traditionally come from to the financial services industry, followed closely by the outsourcing sector: in 2004, financial services represented just over 1/5 of all contact center technology spend.

Western European countries are often characterized as early adopters of contact center technologies. This has led commentators to view this region as saturated and with very little room to manoeuvre, particularly for basic solutions such as a DTMF IVR and ACDs.

In the Western world, there is a danger that governments use too much 'spin' in communicating with their constituents. The use of various technologies can aid governments in encouraging a two-way flow of information, and contact centers can be used as a tool to improve and strengthen an open dialogue.

Reasons to Purchase
Understand that marrying offers with financial services concerns can help vendors capitalize on this market.
Understand how the communications market is changing face and what solutions it is attracted to adopt into its contact centers.
$1.7 billion will be spent on contact center technologies in 2009 in Western Europe - but where?

Introduction
As education institutions exhibit more restraint with regard to IT spending, it is important for technology vendors to understand where growth opportunities exist in the US market.

Reasons to Purchase
Understand the opportunity size for technology spending in the US education market.
Identify potential areas for spending growth amongst education institutions.
Segment the education market by spending opportunities.