SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Plantronics (PLT) today announced that Frost & Sullivan has recognized the company with the 2014 Market Share Leadership Award for its growth and innovation in the global contact center and office headset category. Frost & Sullivan specifically recognized Plantronics for its success in the unified communications (UC) headset space, displaying a strong commitment to technology innovation, and managing a well-developed distribution and voice partner network.
“Plantronics continues to impress us with its headset mastership every year with products that are highly innovative and relevant for today’s evolving workspaces,” said Mohamed Alaa Saayed, senior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “Being in the forefront of headset innovation, Plantronics has successfully established itself as one of the most respected brands in the traditional enterprise communications space and now in demanding unified communications environments.”
“At Plantronics, we dedicate our full attention to understanding and staying ahead of communication and collaboration challenges,” said Renee Niemi, senior vice president of products, Plantronics. “With that mission in mind, it’s extremely gratifying to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a visionary leader in the customer service and unified communications space, and we’re excited to play a part in its ongoing evolution.”
Frost & Sullivan predicts that unified communications will further grow the global contact center and office headset market. In 2013, revenue from UC-enabled headsets was $281.4 million, representing 26.5 percent of the total market revenue, and is expected to reach $1 billion in 2020. Since launching headsets that unified soft-phones, desk phones and mobile phones early on, Frost & Sullivan said, “[Plantronics] has grown leaps and bounds in the unified communications space” and, furthermore, “the availability of a wide range of UC headset options, coupled with increasing growth of UC functionality and the continuous integration with major UC platforms, have allowed Plantronics to stay at the forefront” in providing UC headsets.
In addition, Frost & Sullivan cites Plantronics’ innovation, ranging from the first-ever call-center headset to today’s newest headsets with advanced functionalities, which has established the company as a visionary leader in the headset market and the broader communications industry. With continued commitment to innovation and customer value, Plantronics products were deemed as “outstanding” in terms of depth, scale, and functionality.
Finally, Frost & Sullivan recognized Plantronics for a well-developed partner program that helps channel partners with training, certifications, sales, marketing and technical support. Notably, the Plantronics Connect partner program is revised periodically to assure excellence amid evolving market conditions and provide continuous meaningful incentives to channel partners to integrate Plantronics solutions into their enterprise communications sales strategies. Furthermore, the company has alliances with key strategic UC and voice vendors, including Avaya, Cisco and Microsoft. Through co-development, these alliances create unique differentiators and experiences for alliance partners’ customers. It is through these strategic alliances that Frost & Sullivan states, “It is no wonder that Plantronics headsets are found in 100 percent of the Fortune 100 companies.”
This is the second year in a row that Plantronics received a Frost & Sullivan award. Last year, Plantronics received Frost & Sullivan’s Visionary Innovation Award for accomplishments in the unified communication and collaboration category.
About Plantronics
Plantronics is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. We have pioneered new trends in audio technology, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication to Bluetooth® headsets to gaming solutions, we deliver uncompromising quality, an ideal experience, and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100™, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and various mission-critical applications for those on the frontline. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.
Plantronics is a registered trademark of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.