A BigTech battle seems to be heating up in the business process management (BPM) and CRM space. So, after completing our PEAK Matrix Assessment on Pega Services, our Enterprise Platform Services team conducted a Voice of the Market study on the company’s platform. They interviewed the 16 global IT service providers covered in the PEAK Matrix and 35+ of Pega’s enterprise clients to gauge their reactions to the Pega platform and Pega’s main competitors. The individuals we interviewed ranked Appian, Bizagi, IBM, Pega, and Salesforce “above, on, or below average” in multiple areas and drilled down on those areas to explain their rankings.
Here’s a summary of how Pega fared from that study.
Strong technology sophistication
Pega’s depth of products and its ability to enable rapid process automation leveraging low-code development and next-generation technology capabilities like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotic process automation (RPA) helped it receive the highest score among the providers. Enterprise clients rated its peers above average on their platform capabilities but cited dependencies on third-party capabilities to be a key gap.
Constrained talent availability
The enterprise clients perceive a high demand-supply gap for Lead System Architects (LSAs), Customer Decision Hub (CDH), and marketing specialists, and business architects for the Pega platform, so it received a below-average score for this parameter. In contrast, its peers have built a sizable talent pool, gaining them an above average score.
Complex licensing construct
Pega’s clients cited that its commercial flexibility could be better and that it’s often difficult to understand Pega’s licensing construct. On the other hand, they believe Pega’s peers are effectively bundling their offerings and provide flexible licensing and contracting options.
Good customer experience
According to customers, Pega’s collaboration with systems integrators (SI) in driving large engagements earned it an above average score, but they believe its proactivity in responding to client questions could be better. Its peers also received an above average score for their client-centric engagement.
What’s working well for Pega
- Strong product portfolio: Pega’s well-knit product offerings across BPM and key CRM areas and domain specific capabilities help position it as an important transformation partner of choice for enterprises in the BFSI, Telecom, HLS, and public sector industries. Enterprises in these sectors have consistently rated Pega higher than average for its technology capabilities
in the BPM domain. - Seamless integration and high customizability: Pega’s ability to easily integrate with all the major enterprise applications and its high level of customizability addressing complex use cases are viewed as its unique strengths. Service providers consider Pega a vendor-agnostic platform and cited multiple instances of adoption along with other key enterprise platforms to drive expansive digital transformation for their clients.
- High enterprise mindshare: Pega’s transformational proof points with quantitative business impact in the above-mentioned industries across areas such as case management and BPM, low-code platform, RPA, customer service, and customer decision hub have instilled confidence among enterprise clients looking for end-to-end support.
What do customers expect from Pega in 2021?
- Expanded partner ecosystem: Enterprises in emerging European markets, MEA, and Latin America cited that Pega needs to further its SI network investments across these regions to enhance delivery capabilities. They also believe Pega should enable visibility into its partners’ delivery capabilities by further structuring its partner program and upgrading its partner portal.
- Ensure talent availability: As Pega’s product portfolio rapidly expands beyond its core focus, enterprises have cited difficulties in hiring, retaining, and training resources on newer modules. So, they believe Pega should better structure its certification programs and make larger investments in well-curated learning and training initiatives for enterprises and service providers.
- Deliver out-of-the-box solutions: Enterprises perceive Pega to be a complex platform that increases time-to-market and implementation spend. They also believe Pega should further invest in enhancing mindshare and adoption of Pega Marketplace to facilitate the development of out-of-the-box solutions.
While Pega’s rapidly expanding product portfolio makes it one of the important vendors for digital process transformation initiatives, it needs to continuously evaluate its platform capabilities and make targeted investments to consistently drive higher value for its clients.
How has your experience been with Pega? Please write to us at [email protected] and [email protected].
