Content Guru

Content Guru Ltd
Industry Telecommunications
Founded 2005 (2005)
Founders Sean Taylor and Martin Taylor
Headquarters Bracknell, England, United Kingdom
Area served
 Worldwide
Products storm CONTACT
Services Cloud communications solutions, cloud contact centre solutions
Revenue £14 million (2017)[1]
Number of employees
 89 (2017)[1]
Parent Redwood Technologies Group
Website www.contentguru.com

Content Guru is a cloud communications provider, based in Bracknell, UK.[2]

It provides services in over 30 countries through the storm platform, both direct and with partners such as Vodafone and KPN,[3] which signed a five-year renewal in June 2017 to deliver storm services across the Benelux region.[4] In April 2016, Content Guru received a Queen's Award for Innovation for storm CONTACT, its multi-channel cloud contact centre solution.[5] CONTACT is used by organisations across multiple sectors to connect customers to information on the devices they choose,[6] with notable clients including the National Health Service,[7] Serco,[8] Sodexo[9] and TravisPerkins.[10]

In recognition for the solution it deployed for the National Health Service (NHS), Content Guru has won several awards, including Vertical Market Solution of the Year in the IT Europa Awards (2017),[11] Best Use of Cloud Services in the UK IT Industry Awards (2015[12] & 2016[13]), Best in Class - Digital Transformation in the UK Cloud Awards (2017)[14] and Best Public Sector Digital Project in the Computing Technology Leaders Award (2017).[15]

History

Content Guru was founded in 2005 by Sean and Martin Taylor, as the sister company to hardware manufacturer & software developer, Redwood Technologies.

In 2010, the company's storm platform was used by ComRes on behalf of ITV News to provide live audience polling for the first televised election leaders' debate in the build-up to the UK 2010 General Election.[16]

In 2013, Content Guru co-founded Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF)'s Business Philanthropy Club (BPC), which enables businesses in Berkshire to provide funding for grassroots organisations and projects in their local communities.[17] Content Guru has been a sponsor, along with parent company Redwood Technologies Group, lead organiser of the Pride of Bracknell Forest Awards since 2016.[18]

The company announced that it would be delivering services to the United States, the world's largest contact centre market[19] in March 2017. Later that year (August), Content Guru and Vodafone handled over 16,000 student enquiries for UCAS, the UK's higher education applications service.[20].

In 2015, 2016 and 2017 Content Guru was positioned as a challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service), Western Europe.[21]

In January 2018, a minority stake of Content Guru and its sister company, Redwood Technologies Group, was sold to Scottish Equity Partners in a £25 million cash deal.[22][23][24]

Content Guru announced a partnership with Rakuten Communications in February 2018, to deliver cloud contact centre services to Japan[25].

Controversy

The company came under fire for its role in the Manchester Arena bombing of May 2017, during which its storm telecommunications platform failed to operate. This resulted in those affected by the attack not being able to contact police or emergency services.[26][27]

Vodafone had subcontracted its services out to Content Guru for providing the National Mutual Aid Telephony system. However, when they tried to use it they found an "inability to amend the recorded message and technical difficulties with the server. This suggests there was an inadequate level of knowledge or expertise within Vodafone or its sub-contractor Content Guru."[28]

References

  1. 1 2 "Full accounts made up to 31 December 2017". Content Guru. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Stephen K Amos presents Bracknell-based cloud provider with top IT award".
  3. ↑ "KPN & Content Guru go Dutch with storm".
  4. ↑ "KPN and Content Guru Target Decade of storm Benelux".
  5. ↑ "Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2016 - Press book" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Content Guru takes storm platform global".
  7. ↑ "NHS 111 takes home top award at UK Cloud Awards 2017".
  8. ↑ "Serco-Content Guru Alliance to Offer Contact Center Platform in Public Sector".
  9. ↑ "KPN and Content Guru Target Decade of storm Benelux".
  10. ↑ "Travis Perkins Creates Virtual Contact Centre In The Cloud".
  11. ↑ "2017 Winners | IT Europa Awards". www.iteawards.com. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  12. ↑ "Watch Content Guru walk away with UK IT Industry Awards 2015 Cloud Provider of the Year | Computing". computing.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. ↑ "Watch Content Guru power to victory at the 2016 UK IT Awards | Computing". computing.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  14. ↑ "2017 Winners". 16th of May 2018: County Hall South Bank, London. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  15. ↑ "Digital Technology Leaders Awards 2018". events.computing.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  16. ↑ "Comres And ITV News Deliver First Results Of Leader Debates".
  17. ↑ "Berkshire Community Foundation Launches Business Philanthropy Club - Blandy & Blandy Solicitors". www.blandy.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  18. ↑ "Redwood Supports Annual Pride of Bracknell Forest Award | Comms Business". commsbusiness.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  19. ↑ "Content Guru to storm America on Three Fronts".
  20. ↑ "Content Guru and Vodafone Score Top Marks for Results Day Performance with UCAS".
  21. ↑ "Content Guru in Magic Quadrant for Contact Centre as a Service - Contact-Centres.com". Contact-Centres.com. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  22. ↑ "SEP invests in Redwood Technologies Group".
  23. ↑ "Berkshire-based Redwood Technologies Group gets £25m".
  24. ↑ "Scottish Equity Partners has completed a £25m investment in Redwood Technologies Group".
  25. ↑ "Rakuten Communications & Content Guru Announce Strategic Partnership".
  26. ↑ "Manchester Arena attack: National Mutual Aid Telephony system failed". Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  27. ↑ "Manchester terror attack: why did the Vodafone telephone line fail?". iNews. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  28. ↑ "Kerslake_Arena_Review_PROOFED.docx" (PDF). The Kerslake Report: An independent review into the preparedness for, and emergency response to, the Manchester Arena attack on 22nd May 2017: 140. 27 Mar 2018.
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