VeriSign, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Seattle-based CallVision Inc., a leading provider of online analysis applications for $30 million in order to improve its own lineup of products for service providers.
The company said it intends to add CallVision’s features to the VeriSign Commerce Suite, which handles the complex task of billing for phone calls and, in the case of cell phones, for wireless downloads.
The acquisition will enable VeriSign to deliver converged electronic bill presentation, payment and customer self-care applications to mobile operators, Tier 1 carriers, broadband companies and consumer-brand MVNOs worldwide.
By adding these applications to the comprehensive VeriSign Commerce Suite, VeriSign can help communications providers further simplify the billing process, improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs and mitigate churn.
The $30 million purchase of CallVision, expected to close in the next few weeks. The acquisition of CallVision is a “strategic investment,” that furthers our goal of providing intelligent infrastructure services that enable rich and seamless communications, commerce and content services for carriers, online portals, media companies and consumer brands worldwide, said Vernon Irvin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, VeriSign Communications Services
A VeriSign spokesperson had no immediate additional comment.
CallVision clients such as T-Mobile, Bell Canada, TelstraClear and AAPT (Australia) use its applications to transform billing data into vital sources of business intelligence to increase satisfaction and retention. This is done by consolidating billing data from multiple systems, products, geographies, languages and currencies into a single electronic analysis and bill payment view and creating one view of multiple accounts. The company distributes and markets its services through direct sales and channel partners such as global system integrators and major BSS/OSS vendors.
CallVision, competitor eDocs Inc. and a plethora of other customer self-care specialists aim to help telephone and broadband operators keep customers from getting fed up with the complexities of their bills.
Making customers happy builds up their loyalty to the company, and keeps them from switching to competitors.
CallVision is the second company catering to online phone billing and customer self-service to be purchased recently. Business software and applications provider Siebel Systems Inc. bought eDocs in late 2004.
By developing highly regarded customer self-care and consolidated e-billing and analysis applications for Tier 1 and global carriers, CallVision has realized solid growth and established itself as a world-class provider of customer-centric solutions.
We are pleased to be joining VeriSign to help one of the industry’s most trusted brands deliver new services to a broader, diversified audience, said Derek Edwards, CEO of CallVision.
Since July 2005, VeriSign has purchased at least three companies, including intelligence specialist iDefense, which VeriSign said it bought for $40 million in cash, and Weblogs.com, a ping service considered vital to the blogging world.
Financial details of the Weblog.com deal were not disclosed.