Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Consolidation	Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Mattersight and all of its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those amounts.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation On April 1, 2017, the company adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. ASU 2016-15 addresses the presentation and classification of cash flows related to specific transactions. Upon adoption, the company updated the statement of cash flow for all periods presented. Certain amounts on the statement of cash flows for December 31, 2016 were reclassified in compliance with this ASU. On January 1, 2017, the company adopted ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash, which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change in the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Certain amounts on the statement of cash flows for December 31, 2016 and 2015 were reclassified in compliance with this ASU. On January 1, 2017, the company adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Topic 718). This update is intended to simplify the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax impacts, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and presentation on the statement of cash flows. Under ASU 2016-09, the company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur rather than on an estimated basis. The standard was adopted using a modified retrospective approach which had an immaterial impact on the accumulated deficit balance on January 1, 2017. On January 1, 2017, the company adopted ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740). This update simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes and requires that deferred income tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. Upon adoption, all deferred tax assets and liabilities were classified as long term. On January 1, 2017, to better align expenses, the company changed the caption on the Consolidated Statements of Operations from Research and development to Product development. The company believes the revised presentation provides a clearer understanding of the business expenses in this caption. There was no change to the expense classification and the current period is comparable to the prior period.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Subscription Revenue Subscription revenue consists of revenue derived from Mattersight’s Behavioral Analytics service offerings, including predictive behavioral routing, performance management, quality assurance, predictive analytics, and marketing managed services revenue derived from the performance of services on a continual basis. Subscription revenue is based on a number of factors, such as the number of users to whom the Company provides one or more of its Behavioral Analytics offerings, the type and number of Behavioral Analytics offerings deployed to the client, and in some cases, the number of hours of calls analyzed during the relevant month of the subscription period. Subscription periods generally range from one to three years after the go-live date or, in cases where the Company contracts with a client for a short-term pilot of a Behavioral Analytics offering prior to committing to a longer subscription period, if any, the subscription or pilot periods generally range from three to twelve months after the go-live date. This revenue is recognized over the applicable subscription period, as the service is performed for the client. Other Revenue Other revenue consists of deployment revenue, professional services revenue, and reimbursed expenses revenue. Deployment revenue consists of planning, deployment, and training fees derived from Behavioral Analytics contracts. These fees, which are considered to be installation fees related to Behavioral Analytics subscription contracts, are deferred until the installation is complete and are then recognized over the applicable subscription or pilot period. Installation costs incurred are deferred up to an amount not to exceed the amount of deferred installation revenue and additional amounts that are recoverable based on the contractual arrangement. These costs are included in prepaid expenses and other long-term assets. Such costs are amortized over the subscription period. Costs in excess of the foregoing revenue amount are expensed in the period incurred. Professional services revenue primarily consists of fees charged to the Company’s clients to provide post-deployment follow-on consulting services, which include custom data analysis, the implementation of enhancements, and training, as well as fees generated from the Company’s operational consulting services. Professional services are performed for the Company’s clients on a fixed-fee or time-and-materials basis. Revenue is recognized as the services are performed, with performance generally assessed on the ratio of actual hours incurred to-date compared with the total estimated hours over the entire term of the contract. Reimbursed expenses revenue includes billable costs related to travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred while performing services for the Company’s clients. An equivalent amount of reimbursable expenses is included in total cost of other revenue.
Total Cost of Revenue, Exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization	Total Cost of Revenue, Exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization Total cost of revenue primarily consists of labor costs, including salaries, fringe benefits, and incentive compensation, royalties, and other client-related third-party outside services. Total cost of revenue excludes depreciation and amortization. If the Company’s estimates indicate that a contract loss will occur, then a loss provision is recorded in the period in which the loss first becomes probable and can be reasonably estimated.
Product Development	Product Development Product development expenses consist primarily of salaries, incentive compensation, commissions, and employee benefits for product development personnel. The personnel costs included in this item are net of any labor costs directly related to the generation of revenue, which are represented in total cost of revenue.
Sales and Marketing	Sales and Marketing Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries, incentive compensation, commissions, and employee benefits for business development, account management, and marketing.
General And Administrative	General and Administrative General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, incentive compensation, and employee benefits for administrative personnel, as well as facilities costs, a provision for uncollectible amounts, and costs for the Company’s corporate technology infrastructure and applications.
Loss Per Common Share	Loss Per Common Share The per common share basic net loss available to holders of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (Common Stock), has been computed by dividing the net loss available to holders of Common Stock for each period presented by the weighted average shares outstanding. The per common share diluted loss available to holders of Common Stock has been computed by dividing the net loss available to holders of Common Stock by the weighted average shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of Common Stock equivalents, which is primarily related to our 7% Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (Series B Stock), using the treasury stock method. In periods in which there was a loss, the dilutive effect of Common Stock equivalents is not included in the diluted loss per share calculation as it was antidilutive.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements Fair value is an exit price and establishes a three-tier valuation hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. The first tier, Level 1, uses quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 uses inputs, other than quoted market prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets, which are observable either directly or indirectly. Level 3 uses unobservable inputs in which there are little or no market data, and requires the entity to develop its own assumptions. A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments readily convertible into known amounts of cash (with original purchased maturities of three months or less) to be cash equivalents.
Concentration of Credit Risk	Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents, which includes foreign bank accounts, and receivables. Cash and cash equivalents consist of money market funds and deposits with high credit quality financial institutions. At times, such deposits may be in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit. Accounts in the United States are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000. At December 31, 2017, the Company had non-interest-bearing cash and interest-bearing money market balances in excess of federally insured limits by $11.2 million. The Company’s receivables are derived from billings to clients located primarily in the United States and are denominated in U.S. dollars.
Equipment and Leasehold Improvements	Equipment and Leasehold Improvements Computers, software, furniture, and equipment are carried at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the useful life or the lease term. The useful life for computers and software is between one and three years. For enterprise software applications where a longer useful life is deemed appropriate, five years is used. For furniture and equipment, a useful life of five years is used. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets sold or disposed of are eliminated from the respective accounts and the resulting gain or loss is included in the statements of operations. The carrying value of equipment and leasehold improvements is only reviewed if a triggering event occurs to assess recoverability based on future undiscounted cash flows. An impairment loss, if any, would be measured as the excess of the carrying value over the fair value. The Company accounts for software developed for internal use in accordance with the guidance provided under ASC Topic 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other, which addresses accounting for the costs of computer software developed or obtained for internal use. As such, costs incurred that relate to the planning and post-implementation phases of development are expensed. Costs incurred during the application development stage are capitalized and amortized over the asset’s estimated useful life, which is generally three to five years. The Company leases certain equipment using both capital leases and operating leases. Assets leased under capital leases are recorded at the lesser of the amount financed and present value of future lease payments and depreciated on a straight line basis. All capital leases are for terms of twenty-four, thirty, or thirty-six months.
Goodwill	Goodwill Goodwill is tested annually for impairment or more frequently if an event or circumstance indicates that an impairment loss may have been incurred. In performing the annual impairment test, a qualitative assessment is performed to determine whether the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, then an impairment loss equal to the difference will be recorded. The Company currently operates in a single business segment or reporting unit. In 2017, after completing its annual qualitative review, the company concluded that it was not more likely than not that the carrying value of our reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Accordingly, the company concluded that further quantitative analysis and testing was not required, and no goodwill impairment charge was required.
Intangible Assets	Intangible Assets Intangible assets subject to amortization are assessed for impairment at least annually or when indicated by a change in economic or operational circumstances. The impairment assessment of these assets requires management to first compare the book value of the amortizing asset to undiscounted cash flows only if there are indicators of a change in circumstances. If the book value exceeds the undiscounted cash flows, management is then required to estimate the fair value of the assets and record an impairment loss for the excess of the carrying value over the fair value and annually challenge the useful lives.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company uses an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting of income taxes. Deferred income taxes are provided when tax laws and financial accounting standards differ with respect to the amount of income for the year, the basis of assets and liabilities and for tax loss carryforwards. The Company has recorded income tax valuation allowances on its net deferred tax assets to account for the unpredictability surrounding the timing of realization of its U.S. and non-U.S. net deferred tax assets due to continuing operating losses. The valuation allowances may be reversed at a point in time when management determines realization of these tax assets has become more likely than not, based on a return to or achieving predictable levels of profitability. The Company may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position should be measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Significant judgment is used to determine the likelihood of the benefit.
Unearned Revenue	Unearned Revenue Unearned revenue consists of billings or payments received in advance of revenue recognition for Behavioral Analytics contracts. Unearned revenue is recognized as revenue when the applicable recognition criteria are met.
Stockholders' Equity	Stockholders’ Equity Stockholders’ equity includes Common Stock issued, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit, treasury stock, and accumulated other comprehensive loss. The 1.6 million shares of Series B Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 are not classified as permanent equity or a liability in the accompanying balance sheets. These shares of Series B Stock are conditionally redeemable and do not meet the definition of a mandatorily redeemable financial instrument. The holders of Series B Stock have the ability to initiate a redemption upon the occurrence of certain events that are considered outside the Company’s control.
Foreign Currency Translation	Foreign Currency Translation The functional currencies for the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are their local currencies. All assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries are translated to U.S. dollars at end of period exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded as a component of stockholders’ equity and comprehensive loss. Income and expense items are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the period.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the vesting period. Determining fair value of stock-based awards at the grant date requires certain assumptions. The Company uses historical information as the primary basis for the selection of expected life, expected volatility, and expected dividend yield assumptions. The risk-free interest rate is selected based on the yields from U.S. Treasury Strips with a remaining term equal to the expected term of the options being valued.
Stock Warrants	Stock Warrants In accordance with ASC 480-10, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, the Company classified certain warrants to purchase Common Stock as liabilities that do not meet the requirements for classification as equity. Such liabilities are initially recorded at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recorded as a component of gain or loss on warrant liability on the consolidated statements of operations in each reporting period. Fair value of the warrants was measured using a Black-Scholes model. See Note Eighteen—Fair Value Measurements.
Segments	Segments The Company operates in a single business segment, focused primarily on Behavioral Analytics.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In July 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2017-11—Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features, (Part II) Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception to address narrow issues identified as a result of the complexity associated with applying generally accepted accounting principles for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. Part I of the update changes the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments (or embedded features) with down round features. Part II of the update re-characterizes the indefinite deferral of certain provisions of Topic 480 that now are presented as pending content in the codification, to a scope exception. Part II does not have an accounting effect. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting, which provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718. This ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those annual periods. The company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, simplifying the test for goodwill impairment. This ASU simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Step 2 measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. Under this update, goodwill impairment will be measured as the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is needed. This ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The company is evaluating the standard and does not expect a change in value of goodwill when the standard is adopted. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This update broadens the information that an entity must consider in developing its expected credit loss estimate for assets measured either collectively or individually. The update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update is intended to improve financial reporting of leasing transactions. The ASU will require organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. This update is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. Certain operating leases the company is party to are expected to be recognized as assets and liabilities as a result of adopting this standard. In May 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-09: Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This update sets forth a new five-step revenue recognition model that replaces the prior revenue recognition guidance in its entirety and is intended to eliminate numerous industry-specific pieces of revenue recognition guidance that have historically existed. The underlying principle of the new standard is that an organization will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects in exchange for the goods or services. ASU 2014-09 provides alternative methods of initial adoption and is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those annual periods. The company is continuing to assess the impact of adopting ASU 2014-09. The company has completed its assessment of material contracts and management does not expect a significant change in revenue recognition or operating cash flows when ASU 2014-09 is adopted. The accounting for the incremental costs of obtaining and fulfilling a contract is not expected to change, as the company already defers these costs and amortizes them over the anticipated period of benefit. Additional processes and internal controls have been implemented to enable and maintain compliance with ASU 2014-09’s disclosure requirements. Some significant effects on the balance sheet are expected as a result of the guidance regarding contract balances. The company has elected to adopt the modified retrospective transition method. The company expects the cumulative adjustment to beginning retained earnings as a result of adoption of ASU 2014-09 to be immaterial.

Mattersight Corp 10-K