NewVoiceMedia

NewVoiceMedia was a British technology company specializing in cloud-based contact center and inside sales software designed to help businesses deliver superior customer experiences and increase sales. Its flagship product, ContactWorld, integrated multiple communication channels directly into customer relationship management (CRM) systems, enabling real-time, omnichannel interactions and advanced analytics. Serving over 700 customers worldwide, including notable organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and JustGiving, NewVoiceMedia addressed the challenge of fragmented customer communications by providing a scalable, reliable cloud platform with 99.999% uptime[1][5].

Founded in 2000 by Ashley Unitt and Richard Pickering in Basingstoke, England, NewVoiceMedia emerged from the founders' vision to leverage cloud technology to transform customer service. The company gained early traction through successive funding rounds starting in 2010, which fueled product development and international expansion. Leadership under CEO Jonathan Gale from 2011 accelerated growth, culminating in raising over £99 million by 2014. A pivotal moment came in 2018 when Vonage, a leader in cloud communications, acquired NewVoiceMedia for $350 million, integrating its cloud contact center capabilities into Vonage’s broader business communications portfolio[1][2].

Core Differentiators

• Product Differentiators: NewVoiceMedia’s ContactWorld platform uniquely combined cloud contact center functionality with seamless CRM integration, particularly with Salesforce, enabling real-time, omnichannel customer engagement (voice, chat, SMS) and robust data analytics[1][2][5].
• Developer Experience: The platform offered a true cloud environment with high availability (99.999%), flexibility, and scalability, reducing the need for costly hardware and enabling rapid deployment and customization[5].
• Ease of Use and Pricing: By eliminating disruptive hardware changes and integrating directly with existing CRM systems, NewVoiceMedia simplified adoption and lowered total cost of ownership for enterprises[5].
• Community Ecosystem: The company maintained strong partnerships within the Salesforce ecosystem and other CRM platforms, enhancing its market reach and customer success[2].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

NewVoiceMedia capitalized on the growing trend of digital transformation in customer service, where businesses increasingly adopt cloud-based solutions to unify communications and leverage CRM data for personalized engagement. The timing was critical as enterprises sought scalable, omnichannel contact center solutions to meet rising customer expectations for seamless, data-driven interactions. By integrating with leading CRM platforms and offering cloud-native reliability, NewVoiceMedia influenced the broader ecosystem by accelerating the shift from traditional on-premises contact centers to agile, cloud-based customer engagement models[2][5].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Following its acquisition by Vonage in 2018, NewVoiceMedia’s technology has been instrumental in Vonage’s strategy to lead in business cloud communications, particularly in cloud contact center and unified communications markets. Looking ahead, the continued rise of AI-driven customer engagement, conversational analytics, and integration with broader digital transformation initiatives will shape the evolution of NewVoiceMedia’s legacy platform within Vonage’s portfolio. Its influence is likely to grow as enterprises demand more intelligent, flexible, and integrated communication solutions to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency[2].

In summary, NewVoiceMedia was a pioneering cloud contact center company that successfully addressed the complexities of modern customer engagement through innovative cloud technology and CRM integration, leaving a lasting impact on the cloud communications landscape.