Permira may acquire Genesys from Alcatel-Lucent for $1.5 bn in cash
20 Oct 2011
Franco-American communications equipment maker, Alcatel-Lucent today said that it had received a $1.5 billion in cash offer for its Genesys call centre software business from private equity group Permira.
The Paris-based company will, however, retain the profitable part of the Enterprise business, which it had also planned to sell earlier this year after French labour unions said its sale could trigger job losses.
Alcatel-Lucent, France's largest telecommunications equipment supplier, which acquired Genesys for the same amount in 2000, makes software that is used in call centres and video conferencing and operates as a product division of Alcatel-Lucent's application software group.
Daly City, California-based Genesys began as a computer telephony integration supplier in 1990. Over the years, it has expanded its portfolio to provide a comprehensive customer service software suite to route interactions across all channels – inbound and outbound, self and assisted service, voice and eservices
Genesys, which reported 2010 sales of approximately $500 million, focuses on software to manage customer interactions over the phone, web and in e-mail. The Genesys software suite connects customers with self-service or assisted-service resources.
Permira had been in exclusive talks with Alcatel-Lucent for several months, even though it allowed rival bids from other suitors.
