An Indianapolis-based software firm plans to create 200 jobs at its cloud computing operation in Durham in the next five years, officials said Thursday.
Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) provides software and services designed to improve the customer experience, from call centers to unified communications to business process automation. Last year, the company bought Durham-based OrgSpan and used it to create its Interactive PureCloud unit.
OrgSpan products generated social profiles using various criteria to better match customers with call center agents, as well as solutions designed to improve employee collaboration.
“A few years ago, we decided to bet the company on the creation of a sophisticated set of cloud services for collaboration, communications and customer engagement,” Interactive Intelligence founder and Chief Executive Donald Brown said in a statement. “We had the option of locating this effort anywhere in the world. We chose the RTP area because of the wealth of technical talent, the concentration of great universities and the business-friendly environment. That choice has paid off well as we’ve brought to market the most advanced cloud-based business services ever created in the form of PureCloud.”
PureCloud already employs 106 in Durham, and Interactive Intelligence plans to invest $1.25 million in the expansion, officials said. The average annual salary of the new jobs will be $70,000, plus benefits, officials said.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce approved a $1.6 million Jobs Development Investment Grant award to Interactive Intelligence. The grant will rebate some of the state withholding taxes from the new employees to the company annually through 2027 if it meets specified hiring and investment targets.
PureCloud’s expansion is projected to generate $6.4 million in state taxes over the next 12 years and add $406 million to the state GDP, officials said.
