BURLINGTON, Mass., - December 27, 2016 - Nuance Communications, Inc. today announced that it has been included as a representative vendor in Gartner Research's recent 'Market Guide for Virtual Customer Assistants.'*

According to Gartner, 'VCA vendors are raising awareness of, as well as the technical competence for, using VCAs as a practical tool with which to engage customers. Many vendors are transiting their VCAs from responding to questions for which answers can be found in structured content libraries, to state of the art technologies that analyze the characteristics of the individual, use machine-learning techniques, provide contextual and personalized responses, and even trigger actions on the customer's behalf.'

'We are proud to be acknowledged by Gartner as a representative vendor in the rapidly growing Virtual Assistant market,' said Robert Weideman, executive vice president and general manager, Enterprise Division, Nuance. 'Nina was introduced by Nuance more than 4 years ago as the first virtual assistant for customer service to span speech and text capabilities across web and mobile channels. Since that time, Nina has evolved to deliver AI-powered self-service as well as human-assisted service that leverages common tools to operate like a central cognitive brain and can be deployed across all of the channels consumers use including messaging applications, mobile applications, phone systems, Web, chat applications and social media.'

Nina leverages Nuance's unparalleled technology leadership and expertise in voice, NLU, conversational dialogue and advanced resolution techniques to deliver a compelling, multi-channel, automated customer service experience for the consumer and the enterprise. In August 2016, Nuance also announced the acquisition of its omni-channel customer engagement solutions partner, TouchCommerce. Harnessing both Nuance and TouchCommerce technologies provides an innovative blend of automated and live chat assistance, seamlessly intertwined within a single web or mobile web interface, and equipped with extensive customer targeting and analytics.

Already used by large organizations around the globe, Nina consistently delivers both a superior customer experience and tangible business results. According to Gartner, 'A great VCA offers more than just information. It should enrich the customer experience, assist the customer throughout the online interaction and allow for processing transactions on behalf of the customer. Organizations report - after implementing a VCA - a reduction of up to 70% in call, chat and/or email inquiries. They also report increased customer satisfaction and a 33% saving per voice engagement.'

Nuance Nina has been adopted globally by large organizations such as Australian Taxation Office, Coca-Cola, Domino's, Garanti Bank, ING Netherlands, IP Australia,Jetstar, Swedbank, Tangerine Bank, USAA, and Windstream.

For more information about Nuance's Nina, please visit: www.nuance.com/go/Nina

*Gartner, Inc. 'Market Guide for Virtual Customer Assistants ' by Brian Manusama, November 23, 2016.

(Tweet this news): .@NuanceENT Listed by @Gartner.inc as a Representative Vendor in Market Guide for Virtual Customer Assistants http://bit.ly/2hWgBWF

About the Gartner Market Guide

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Nuance Communications, Inc

Nuance Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.

Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Nuance Communications Contact:
Karen Link - Communications Manager781-565-4797karen.link@nuance.com

Nuance Communications Inc. published this content on 27 December 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
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