TEANECK, N.J., Oct. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) today announced it is ranked second among HFS Research’s Top 10 Cognitive Assistant Service Providers in a new report. HFS is a leading independent global analyst firm for the business and IT services industry.

For the inaugural rankings, HFS analyzed capabilities of 19 service providers in the emerging market for “cognitive assistants,” automated solutions that replace or augment human customer-facing transactions. The report cites Cognizant’s leadership and portfolio of client use cases from its Conversational AI practice.  It also cites Cognizant’s investments and acquisitions that have expanded its social sciences and behavioral design expertise to effectively realize its vision for cognitive assistants.

HFS evaluated the service providers on ability to execute, innovation capability and voice of the customer – based on phone interviews with clients, a web survey of 300 enterprise clients from the Global 2000, provider briefings and publicly available information.  The Top 10 offer what HFS calls the “triple-A trifecta” of automation, analytics and artificial intelligence. In addition, the Top 10 stand out for their ability to develop solutions that solve business problems using data, neuro-linguistic programming and perceptive capabilities that go beyond typical chatbots or interactive voice response systems.

“Most people are generally more familiar with consumer-focused conversational assistants like Alexa or Siri, but at the business end of the spectrum, enterprise-level cognitive assistants are developing abilities to self-learn, self-remediate and execute on business processes,” said Melissa O’Brien, Research Vice President, Customer Engagement, Retail and Travel Strategies, HFS Research.  “These AI-based solutions are poised to significantly impact business operations, leading to more agile, predictive and customer-centric organizations. Cognizant stands out with one of the most well-developed use case portfolios, especially in the area of customer care. They are executing on a vision for cognitive assistants that transforms industries by coupling their technology expertise with social science and experience design.”

“Conversational AI, including enterprise cognitive assistants, is a critical launching pad into richer customer experiences and employee engagement for many organizations. We are helping clients incorporate these automated capabilities into websites, apps and smart devices by applying a human-centered view to the user’s journey and leveraging analytics to understand both motives for contact and expected outcomes,” said Matt Smith, Head of Conversational AI, Cognizant. “Thoughtfully done, and keeping human needs at its center, conversational AI can improve satisfaction, reduce costs and build loyalty.  We are pleased HFS has recognized both our capabilities and the outcomes we are delivering to clients by fusing technology expertise with human-centric design.”

Read a summary of the HFS Top 10 Cognitive Assistant Service Providers report here.

About HFS Research

HFS Research is The Services Research Company™—the leading analyst authority and global community for business operations and IT services. The firm helps enterprises validate their global operating models with world-class research and peer networking. HFS Research coined the term The As-a-Service Economy to illustrate the challenges and opportunities facing enterprises needing to re-architect their operations to thrive in an age of digital disruption, while grappling with an increasingly complex global business environment. HFS created the Eight Ideals of Being As-a-Service as a guiding framework to help service buyers and providers address these challenges and seize the initiative.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq-100: CTSH) is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 195 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com or follow us @Cognizant

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hfs-research-names-cognizant-a-leading-provider-of-cognitive-assistant-services-300731319.html

SOURCE Cognizant