(Image: FourNet)
The East Kilbride headquarters and 41 staff of a long-established Scottish technology company are set to remain in place after the business was acquired by a Manchester firm with which it has worked for nearly a decade.
SVL Business Solutions, founded as Sinclair Voicenet in 1967, has been taken over by FourNet, a specialist in customer experience and AI transformation.
FourNet confirmed that the future of its office and employees is secure and that the company is actively recruiting for new roles in Scotland. David Kindness, chief executive of SVL, said the deal would give “more opportunities” for its employees and customers while providing the company with the “support of a larger business”.
SVL provides technology and services that help organisations enhance the customer and employee experience in contact centres. It has a long-running relationship with FourNet, with the companies supporting shared customers in mission-critical public safety services. Both businesses have relationships with many of the same technology partners, including global technology provider NICE.
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SVL works with organisations across enterprise, financial services, utilities and public safety, where reliability, regulatory compliance and service continuity are critical.
Over the past five years, its specialist expertise in interaction recording, analytics and workforce management has broadened into wider customer experience transformation and AI. SVL said customers would continue to work with the same people following the acquisition while gaining access to FourNet’s wider team and capabilities in customer experience, AI and cybersecurity.
Mr Kindness said: “SVL has a history stretching back to 1967, and the UK-wide business we have built from Glasgow reflects the expertise of our people and the trust our customers place in them.
“Choosing the right partner for the next stage was about protecting those strengths and giving our people and customers more opportunities. We know FourNet well, having worked together for many years, and we share the same commitment to specialist expertise and excellent service.
“Joining FourNet gives us the support of a larger business, access to additional capabilities and a strong platform for SVL’s continued growth.”
The acquisition takes FourNet’s UK team to more than 230 people, serving around 450 customers, with annual revenues of around £65 million.
It also strengthens the company’s presence in Scotland, where it already has mission-critical customers, and adds specialist skills and delivery capacity to its customer experience and AI business.
FourNet, backed by Palatine Private Equity, said the deal strengthens its position in financial services, an area of growth for the business, where both companies help customers improve service while meeting demanding security and regulatory requirements.
Richard Pennington, co-founder and chief executive of FourNet, said: “While its heritage is Scottish, SVL has built a respected UK-wide business with talented people, longstanding customer relationships and specialist expertise developed over almost six decades. Having worked alongside the team for nearly 10 years, we know the quality of its work and the care it takes with its customers.
“That is what attracted us to SVL. Its strengths in recording, analytics and workforce management complement our own, and its wider work in customer experience and AI makes this a natural next step for both businesses.
“Together, we can give customers more support as they introduce AI into everyday services, from identifying where it will help customers and staff to making sure it works securely and reliably.”