Dive Brief:

• Verizon and Cognizant say they will work together to provide offerings focused on customer experience and the Internet of Things, CIO reports.
• Experts say the pairing is likely one of many IT services customers can expect in the near future.
• The companies plan to provide demonstrations at Verizon's Innovation Centers.

Dive Insight:

Experts say the concept of advancing customer experience management with digital technologies is overdue.

“Despite all the claims around customer-centricity, customers are not getting the value they should ideally derive,” said Yugal Joshi, leader of Everest Group’s digital, cloud and application services research practices. “The customer experience leaves a lot to be desired. Mostly the customer experience initiatives are piecemeal.”

Charles Sutherland, chief research officer at outsourcing analyst firm HfS Research, said Verizon brings expertise in IoT connectivity and management while Cognizant knows how to create opportunities in consulting, deployment and integration.

Partnerships between network providers and systems integrators appear to be on the rise. Earlier this year, IBM teamed with AT&T, and HCL Technologies and Tele2 announced a partnership in March.

“Digital transformation is the new trend and you will see more and more providers trying to find an angle to compete,” said Katharine Rudd, managing director with IT outsourcing consultancy Alsbridge. “There will be more partnering and acquiring to try to differentiate in a very flooded market.”