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How Local Measure Expanded Globally: Insights from Its Journey
How Local Measure Expanded Globally: Insights from Its Journey
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How Local Measure Expanded Globally: Insights from Its Journey

Market Strategies and Growth Playbook Behind Local Measure's Success.

‍Local Measure’s International Expansion Strategy:

Local Measure is a Sydney-based customer experience (CX) technology company that has evolved from a social media intelligence startup into a global provider of contact center solutions. Founded in 2014, the company initially focused on helping businesses (particularly in tourism and hospitality) monitor and respond to social media feedback from guests in real time. Over time, Local Measure shifted its strategy toward cloud-based contact center software, enabling it to serve clients in over 380 cities worldwide and derive the majority of its revenue from international markets . This article analyses Local Measure’s international expansion strategy, detailing its market entry approaches, geographic reach, key partnerships, financial performance, and recent company announcements related to global growth.

Market Entry Strategies

Local Measure’s global expansion has been underpinned by several clear strategies:

  • Focusing on Industry Verticals: In its early years, Local Measure narrowed its focus to the tourism and hospitality sector, where it achieved rapid adoption. By specialising in this niche, the company saw “150 percent revenue growth year-on-year in the hotel vertical” and won major travel industry innovation awards . This vertical focus helped build credibility and a client base that included airlines, hotel chains, and theme parks, which then gave Local Measure a springboard into new regions through those global clients

  • Establishing Local Presence: Despite being a cloud software business, Local Measure recognised the importance of having teams on the ground in key markets. Very early on, it opened offices or hired staff in multiple regions. By 2017, the company had offices in Sydney, Singapore, London, Miami, and was launching new offices in Los Angeles and Dubai to support expansion into the US and Middle East. Local Measure’s CEO Jonathan Barouch noted that 60% of revenue was coming from outside Australia in 2017, and projected this would rise to 90% by year’s end. “We understand the value in having people on the ground, even in a virtual world,”plained Anne Benoit, Global Marketing Director, emphasizing the company’s commitment to maintain presence across regions (). This local-office strategy helped the firm adapt to regional client needs and build relationships in each market.

  • Partnership-Driven Entry: Forming strategic alliances has been core to Local Measure’s entry into new markets. Early on, it became an ecosystem partner of Cisco, leveraging Cisco’s platform in venues and receiving the Cisco Partner Summit Geographical Region Award in 2018 for its innovative solutions in Asia-Pacific  This partnership gave Local Measure visibility and credibility in the APJ region. Later, the company aligned closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to pivot into the contact center as a service (CCaaS) space. In 2022, Local Measure signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with AWS that included co-investment in go-to-market campaigns across North America, Europe, and Australasia . By working hand-in-hand with large technology providers and channel partners, Local Measure has been able to enter new markets faster and serve larger enterprise customers than it could alone.

  • Cloud-Native Products & Marketplace Distribution: Local Measure’s shift to a cloud-native contact center platform (Engage for Amazon Connect) provided a highly scalable product that could be deployed for customers globally without heavy on-premise infrastructure. The solution, launched in 2021, extended AWS’s Amazon Connect with an out-of-the-box omnichannel agent desktop This cloud approach not only appealed to multinational clients but also allowed Local Measure to distribute its product via the AWS Marketplace, reaching customers worldwide. In fact, Local Measure was recognized as AWS Marketplace Partner of the Year (Asia Pacific & Japan) for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) for its significant AWS Marketplace transactions  By leveraging AWS’s global cloud marketplace and infrastructure, the company effectively piggybacked on AWS’s international footprint as a market entry vehicle.

Regions of Expansion

Through the above strategies, Local Measure has established a truly international presence. Key regions and milestones in its geographic expansion include:

  • Asia-Pacific: Australia is Local Measure’s home base, and it quickly expanded regionally. An office in Singapore was set up to serve Southeast Asian markets. In the early years, the company’s hospitality solutions were adopted by clients like AccorHotels and Club Med across APAC . Local Measure’s strong performance in Asia-Pacific was underscored by Cisco’s recognition of its work in the region . By 2024, the company also had employees in New Zealand and was actively servicing APJ customers via AWS’s infrastructure

  • North America: Local Measure targeted the lucrative North American market early. It established a U.S. presence with an office in Miami, later adding Los Angeles in 2017 to better serve a growing client base of hotels and tourism operators in the Americas. The company also expanded into Canada; by 2020 it was ramping up operations there, with team members based in Toronto and dedicated efforts to support Canadian enterprises migrating their contact centers to the cloud .Under the AWS collaboration, North America remained a key focus, and Local Measure continued to grow its U.S. customer base for the Engage platform throughout 2021–2023. By late 2024, the company had staff and customers across the United States and Canada, contributing significantly to its global growth.

  • Europe: Europe has been another important frontier. Local Measure opened a London office early on and reported having clients in major European cities . In recent years, the AWS-backed expansion plan explicitly targeted the UK, Ireland, France, and Germany, prompting Local Measure to increase its presence in those countries. The company now has employees or representatives in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands to support European customers. This footprint allows it to cater to EU clients in retail, finance, and other sectors, and handle regional requirements (like data residency) as needed. The inclusion of multilingual capabilities (such as real-time translation in its platform) further supports Local Measure’s effectiveness in diverse European markets.

  • Middle East: The Middle East was identified as a growth region during Local Measure’s hospitality-focused phase. The company opened an office in Dubai in 2017 to tap into the Middle Eastern tourism and aviation hubs. For instance, airline Qantas and other travel clients were among its users, which likely drove demand in places like the UAE. While the pivot to contact centers shifted primary focus to other regions, Dubai’s office gave Local Measure an early foothold in the Middle East. It has served as a base for pursuing opportunities with hotels and telecom companies in the Gulf. (Recent public updates have focused less on the Middle East, so this region may be a smaller piece of the company’s current expansion compared to APAC, North America, and Europe.)

Key Partnerships Fueling Expansion

Strategic partnerships have been at the heart of Local Measure’s international expansion, providing market access, credibility, and integration opportunities:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Perhaps the most pivotal partnership in recent years, Local Measure’s collaboration with AWS enabled its successful pivot into the CCaaS market. In late 2022, Local Measure signed a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS aimed at “rapid global expansion” of its cloud contact center platform This deal involved AWS and Local Measure jointly investing in go-to-market activities across multiple regions including North America and Europe, and establishing a global Amazon Connect Center of Excellence. Local Measure’s flagship product, Engage for Amazon Connect, is built on AWS and extends Amazon’s contact center solution with added AI-powered features. Being an AWS Advanced Technology Partner and featured on the AWS Marketplace has significantly raised Local Measure’s profile globally The technical alignment (both Local Measure and its major partners like Zendesk run on AWS infrastructure) has made it easier to enter new markets and deploy at scale In CEO Jonathan Barouch’s words, the deeper AWS collaboration “allows us to move even faster with AWS to help customers around the world” with cloud contact centers (
  • Zendesk: Zendesk, a US-based customer service software giant, became a key go-to-market partner for Local Measure in the contact center arena. In January 2025, Zendesk announced a partnership with Local Measure to power “Zendesk Voice” for large enterprises  Local Measure’s Engage platform was chosen to provide advanced voice capabilities (like intelligent call routing and AI agent assist) tightly integrated with Zendesk’s CRM and omnichannel suite. This partnership was a strategic win for Local Measure, effectively giving it access to Zendesk’s global customer base and sales channels. As Zendesk’s Chief Technology Officer noted, the relationship “enhances [Zendesk’s] existing relationship with Amazon Connect and lets us serve customers with complex voice requirements” by leveraging Local Measure’s tech . The collaboration was non-exclusive, but it positioned Local Measure as a preferred voice solution for Zendesk clients, further validating its product in the market. (This close alliance eventually culminated in Zendesk moving to acquire Local Measure outright – see latest developments below.)

  • TELUS International: In March 2024, Local Measure entered into a strategic partnership with TELUS International, a global customer experience and IT services company. TELUS International (part of Canada’s TELUS group) works with many enterprise and digital brands on customer support solutions. Through the partnership, TELUS added Local Measure’s Engage platform to its offerings (branded as part of TELUS’s Fuel iX suite) to deliver more intuitive, AI-fueled customer experiences on AWS Amazon Connect. This deal effectively made TELUS a reseller and integrator of Local Measure’s platform for its clients, expanding Local Measure’s reach into TELUS’s global customer network. TELUS executives highlighted that partnering with innovative firms like Local Measure “serve to propel our growth in emerging and fast-growing segments of the CX market” while giving their clients access to cutting-edge solutions. For Local Measure, this partnership not only opened doors in Canada (where TELUS is a market leader) but also validated its GenAI-driven approach to contact center software in the eyes of large BPO providers.

  • Early Partnerships (Cisco and Others): Before its cloud contact center pivot, Local Measure leveraged partnerships suited to its social intelligence product. Notably, it was an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partner of Cisco, integrating with Cisco’s Wi-Fi and collaboration tools to help venues capture guest insightsThis relationship led to high-profile projects (e.g., powering customer experience at the Sydney Opera House via Cisco infrastructure  and earned Local Measure accolades within Cisco’s ecosystem . Additionally, Local Measure integrated with social media platforms – for example, partnering with Snapchat to display user-generated content on venue signage via Cisco hardware – demonstrating creative alliance-building. These early partnerships were instrumental in establishing Local Measure’s credibility and customer base across different continents. While the company’s focus has shifted to AWS and CCaaS, the ability to partner effectively remains a cornerstone of its expansion strategy.

Local Measure’s journey offers a rich case study in international expansion for a tech scale-up. From its roots in Sydney, the company adopted a global mindset early – focusing on a specific niche to gain traction, then leveraging that success to broaden both its product and its geographic reach. By setting up local offices in key regions and tailoring its approach to industries and cultures, Local Measure built a presence on multiple continents within a few years. More importantly, it amplified its reach through strategic partnerships: collaborating with world-class technology companies and service providers to enter new markets and win enterprise clients. This partnership ecosystem (AWS, Cisco, Zendesk, Telus, etc.) effectively acted as a force-multiplier for its relatively small team. 

As of 2025, Local Measure stands as an example of how an Australian startup can transform into a global player in customer experience software. Its international expansion was not an afterthought but a core strategy from the outset – one executed through focused market entry tactics, regional hubs, alliance building, and continuous innovation. The lessons from Local Measure’s experience – such as the importance of partnerships, understanding local market needs, and riding the wave of larger tech ecosystems – offer valuable insights for any enterprise looking to go global in the tech industry.

Sources:

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Note on Accuracy and Errors

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this document, errors or updates may occur. Readers are encouraged to verify details from the original sources provided. If any discrepancies are identified, please refer to Local Measure's official publications.

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