Is Your Customer Service Operation Facing These Challenges?

• Requests fall through the cracks and customers experience delays
• Agents spend more time on each issue than necessary
• Customer satisfaction levels are not achieved
• Agents have limited access to shared data and/or problem resolution resources
• Changes to current service desk processes involve long implementation cycles and consultants

Consider web-based customer service automation. Read about how you can deliver the best customer experience with a multi-channel problem management strategy that’s driven by web-based customer service automation.

Download our complimentary white paper, “All Customer Service Automation Solutions Are Not Created Equal”.

June 1, 2004

Top Headlines Featured Link Analyst/Bytes & Statistics In Other News Required Reading supportindustry.com News About Us

Envision Unveils Multi-Language Versions of Click2Coach
Envision Telephony, Inc., a provider of contact center software solutions, announced it will release Click2Coach 8.1 in both German and Spanish languages. Among its first customers for the German version is Citicorp Dienstleistungs GmbH. Citicorp will use Click2Coach 8.1 to train its agents to provide better-quality customer service. Click2Coach 8.1 is now available directly through the company or its partners in Europe. The Envision Click2Coach solution includes Envision Quality Monitoring and Envision eLearning and is a complete set of training, quality monitoring and evaluation tools to coach agents for success.

Mercom Partners with CallMiner to Integrate Speech Analytics to its Suite of Contact Center Products
Mercom Systems, Inc., a provider of multimedia recording and agent evaluation tools for contact centers, announced it has partnered with CallMiner, Inc., a provider of speech analytics tools designed for the contact center market, to integrate speech analytics to its suite of products. By integrating state-of-the-art speech recognition technologies, Mercom's customers can turn recorded calls into text, and then mine for key words and phrases, which have been specified by contact center managers. That data is then converted into statistics, and users can search results and view trends in charts and detailed reports. The product can monitor whether representatives are reading specific disclosures, and companies doing sales audits can use Mercom CallMiner to easily find calls that resulted in a sale.

ServiceWare To Provide Knowledge-Powered Support to EADS TELECOM Customer
ServiceWare Technologies Inc., a provider of knowledge-powered support solutions, announced that it has won a contract to provide its knowledge-powered customer service and support application, ServiceWare Enterprise, to EADS TELECOM’s Customer Support Center. EADS TELECOM is a provider of enterprise telephony solutions, including secure information systems and networks based on key technologies such as telephony over IP, contact centers, systems management, directories and Web communication portals. Because of its large customer and employee base, and the introduction of new products into their reseller channel, EADS TELECOM needed to find a solution that could help them ramp up more quickly and streamline their service and support initiatives. They selected ServiceWare Enterprise for use by their internal support center agents who, in turn, support their field support engineers, customers and resellers.

U.S. Census Bureau Selects RightNow
RightNow Technologies, an on demand CRM company, announced that the U.S. Census Bureau has selected RightNow Service to enhance communications with constituents and businesses across phone, email and web channels. RightNow was selected by the Bureau to fulfill its service requirements, primarily based on its ease of use and deployment. RightNow’s broad success with other federal agencies and the reduced ownership costs associated with RightNow’s hosted delivery model. The RightNow system went “live” at the Bureau only two weeks after running the initial pilot. Site visitors began using the online knowledge base as soon as it became available.

New SupportSoft VoiceAssist Software Delivers Help in Real Time, Even When Offline
SupportSoft, Inc., a provider of Real-Time Service Management software, has unveiled SupportSoft VoiceAssist, a new software solution designed to deliver faster, more cost effective and satisfactory service by automatically giving technical support representatives the ability to more quickly diagnose and resolve users' computing problems via the telephone, even when they are offline. With precise, detailed information about an individual's computing system and the technical problem the end-user may be experiencing, VoiceAssist can dynamically configure the information into a code specific to the situation. The end-user can then provide the code via the telephone to a support professional, and using the diagnostic data indicated, the service representative can more quickly and accurately troubleshoot problems and provide the caller with a resolution. The result is less telephone wait-time for the end-user and the ability for them to more quickly regain full use of their computer or related network connectivity.

Highways Agency Chooses Axios
The Highways Agency, which operates and maintains the strategic road network in England, is installing assyst by Axios Systems in its Business Information Systems division to monitor IT incidents and problems and track changes to the IT infrastructure which includes some 3,500 PCs. The organization’s responsibilities are about to increase substantially with 1,200 uniformed traffic officers, supported by 300 staff in regional control centers, due to patrol motorways by the end of 2005 to free up police for other tasks. The move is aimed at minimizing hold-ups and delays on the network.

You will hear Esteban Kolsky, CRM Research Director for Gartner, and Ian Jones, Head of Strategic Solutions for eGain, talk about emerging trends and strategic business drivers in eService, and what world-class contact centers are doing in this environment to ensure customer service excellence, with real-world examples.

Registration is free for all attendees but seating is limited! The first 50 registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book "E-business Customer Service" by Dr. Jon Anton and Dr. Michael Hoeck of Benchmark Portal/Purdue University.

Sign up now to register!

The report offers a unique opportunity to see how top companies such as Bank of America, Citigroup, Dell Computer, IBM, Lands' End and Medtronic drive sales, increase customer loyalty and expand customer relationships by enabling customer service representatives to cross-sell and up-sell.

Below are three short versions of high-level findings from the report's executive summary. More granular practices with specific examples are contained within the report itself.

• Best-in-class call centers employ an integrated approach to call center performance excellence.
  These centers continuously refine structure, process, selection, training and performance management elements that drive cross-selling effectiveness. Developing a high-performing service-to-sales operation requires a comprehensive approach to ensure that cross selling becomes a primary strategic objective for the service center. All elements of call center management must be considered and acted upon from the perspective of improving sales productivity through the customer service channel.

• Successful call centers re-engineer orientation and training systems to provide incumbent and incoming employees with the skills required to conduct sales in a service environment.
  Cultivating sales skills in the call center requires extensive and ongoing employee training and coaching – regardless of whether the trainees are new hires or incumbent service reps. Leading companies also develop cross-selling excellence through training their call center supervisors in sales techniques. Successful implementation of call center sales requires hiring and training sales coaches, creating sales training programs and bringing in employee training modules that are tailored to specific site needs. Models, methods, curriculum and time devoted to service vs. sales vary according to the structure of each call center. To bring their staffs up to speed in cross-selling capability, benchmarked companies use a range of activities.

• Savvy call center managers standardize the cross-selling process to enhance productivity and make the process scalable for large call centers.
  Process standardization allows management to scale up operations without introducing variables that would cloud or hinder performance. Additionally, standardization allows companies to continuously refine structure to reflect product mix and process design in a smooth evolution with a minimum of disruption or productivity loss. High-performing companies have introduced Six Sigma or other standardization excellence processes to weed out inefficiencies and establish uniform methodologies that drive overall productivity. This approach helps companies identify the productivity catalysts that spur sales effectiveness and aids executives in designing implementation roadmaps for realizing goals.

More...

IDC Forecasts Strong Growth for Software Subscription Revenues While Revenue from Perpetual Licenses Declines
Worldwide revenues associated with subscription software licenses are on an upward swing. According to a new IDC study, software subscription licensing will grow at a 16.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2003-2008, while perpetual licenses will experience a –0.3% CAGR. By the end of the forecast period, subscription license revenues for the worldwide software market will reach $43 billion.

According to Amy Konary, program manager at IDC, the increased interest in subscription licensing stems from industry consensus that traditional licensing models are no longer suitable. Subscription models help vendors increase the predictability of their software revenues, making it easier to demonstrate future health, and customers enjoy the low up-front cost of the subscription model and the ability to build an ongoing relationship with the software provider that they pay on an ongoing basis.

However, subscription licensing models can have drawbacks. Moving to subscription revenues can have a negative impact on vendor revenues and ultimately share price. It also requires vendors to sell customers on the value of their software on an ongoing basis. Customers like this aspect because they believe it results in better customer support.
More...

JupiterResearch Reports That Corporate Web Site Spending Is On The Rise, But Companies Face Governance Obstacles
JupiterResearch announced that, according to its recently released report, "Web Site Spending and Governance Trends," Web site operations budgets are on the rise, compared with 2003. Drawing on an extensive survey of executives responsible for their company's Web site operations, the report found that 24% of the companies surveyed are planning to spend $1million or more on site operations in 2004, compared with 20% who spent in that range in 2003. Forty-nine percent of companies JupiterResearch surveyed said they planned from two to four major development initiatives in 2004, such as new home pages, new navigation, new design, new search technology, content management or other major functionality.

While the spending increases will give greater flexibility to companies pursuing growth opportunities online, obstacles remain. In JupiterResearch's interviews with hundreds of Web executives over the past year, a picture has emerged of multiple stakeholders with conflicting objectives, pulling companies' Web sites in different directions. At most large companies, marketing, customer service and IT departments all play a role in Web decision-making. While marketing is concerned with brand building and growth, customer service focuses on satisfaction and call deflection. IT is generally motivated by cost reduction and technical objectives like infrastructure simplification. While attempting to use their Web sites to serve the interests of the numerous corporate constituents who control the purse strings, many Web businesses fail to maximize the value of the site to the business overall.

The report recommends that a single executive be charged with responsibility for maximizing the overall business value of a company's site, beyond supporting the goals of individual departments or business units that have a stake in the site.

The report also revealed that 49% of Web site operators indicate that improving Web site usability is a key challenge for 2004. In responding to the survey, more executives cited the usability challenge than any other operations challenge. JupiterResearch believes that site usability is equivalent to site effectiveness.
More...

Application Sharing Is Not Enough
Project teams exist to create great products, but the odds are stacked against success. A recent study of 40,000 projects found that 66% of projects completely fail or are late, over budget or missing critical features. The cost overruns average an alarming 43% according to the Standish Group International. One factor that can contribute to these failures is geographical distance among project team members. Project teams now rarely have the luxury of working together in a single location. And they often lack even the assurance of having a stable team for the life of the project. Thus, as companies outsource more design and manufacturing services, their teams must find ways to work together across geographical -- and often company -- boundaries. As a result, "project team collaboration" is a popular catch phrase for decision makers at many companies today.
Full Article...

Rewarding Your Top Performers
Many IT managers use a one-size fits all approach when rewarding their key employees. When a project completes, everyone on the team gets the same thing, be it a comp day or $100 gift certificate to Amazon. Giving the same thing to everyone is what's fair, right? But is it really fair to your best people? This article discusses what should you do to show those top performers that they're appreciated, and increase the chance that they'll be there for you when you need them again.
Full Article...

Diving into portals' distinguishing characteristics
Portals are no longer just jazzed-up intranets. Now that many applications are Web-enabled, portals are becoming the enterprise desktop and replacing the familiar browser. Dive below the surface, and you'll find a portal's distinguishing characteristics: Rich functions that enable swift information exchange for employees, partners, and consumers. According to Gartner, a wise portal deployment can help enterprises realize millions of dollars in productivity savings, because it often reduces days of employee workload to a few hours. Further, Meta Group reports that portals can return your investment in 18 months or less.

Yet for IT managers, reaching this nirvana is far from certain; there's a long list of information- and system-architecture issues to be resolved first. In the end, choosing a portal isn't about infrastructure -- it's about how a portal addresses and handles the tasks your business deems most crucial.
Full Article...

Speech Recognition For The Contact Center
In today’s competitive marketplace, contact centers everywhere are installing speech recognition systems to improve their responsiveness to customers. Should you deploy a speech solution in your contact center? The following questions may help you decide.

• Do callers wait in long queues to perform simple transactions such as address changes?
• Do your agents spend valuable time identifying callers, an-swering simple questions and routing calls when they should be providing greater value to customers?
• Do your customers call while driving, so they have to navigate through touch-tone menus with one hand, without looking at their matchbox-sized phones?
• Are you looking for new ways to differentiate your business from your competitors, retain your existing customers and acquire new ones?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, it’s time to deploy speech recognition technologies in your contact center.
Full Article...

Cuckoo For Customers
Joey Parsons is wearing a straightjacket, and he's surrounded by a crowd applauding his commitment. Not to a mental institution, but to providing the best service to his company's customers. Parsons, 24, has just won the Straightjacket Award, the most coveted employee distinction at Rackspace, a San Antonio-based Web-hosting company. His colleagues voted him March's winner of the award, which recognizes the employee who best lives up to the Rackspace motto of delivering "fanatical support," a dedication to customers that's so intense it borders on the loony. It's a far cry from the Rackspace that customer-care vice president David Bryce found when he arrived in 1999. Bryce was hired to convert Rackspace--born at the height of the tech boom out of the dorm rooms of three college students --into an organization motivated by service, not just by technology. So, how did they do it? Here are 4 ways Rackspace creates an obsessive service culture

• 1. Measure it. Customer service is reflected in the time it takes to resolve a problem, in the number of customers that renew or expand their business with your company, and in the number of referrals your company gets from existing customers. Rackspace receives 50% of its new business from customer referrals.

• 2. Pay for it. Rackspace employees' monthly bonuses depend on how well they serve customers. David Bryce, the company's vice president of customer service, is part of the senior executive team, and every job candidate in his division interviews with him, demonstrating the company's commitment to great service.

• 3. Motivate it. Public recognition of achievement--customer compliments posted on the wall, fanatic signs hanging above the desks of winners of the straightjacket award--gives individual Rackers a status boost among their peers, and something for everyone to aspire to.

• 4. Enforce it. If you're serious about service, then rudeness to a customer is inexcusable. At the same time, if employees are committed to providing great service, they deserve unconditional management support. This year, three employees left because they didn't "get" Rackspace's service ethic--and one customer was fired for being abusive to Rackspace employees.

Full Article...

Make the Rules or Your Rivals Will
by G. Richard Shell

A few savvy executives understand a vital but hidden truth about business in fiercely competitive markets: Making the rules of the game means the difference between winning and losing.

• Bill Gates has known this since he was nineteen, when he personally drafted his first licensing contract for a start-up company called Microsoft.
• Henry Ford learned it the hard way in the early days of the automobile industry when a powerful industry cartel tried to drive him out of business with a bogus patent.
• Sumner Redstone and Rupert Murdoch are both masters of this truth--and have led Viacom and News Corporation to sustained competitive success as a result. They are as comfortable in a courtroom as they are in a boardroom.

G. Richard Shell brings the strategic insights of leaders like Gates, Ford, Redstone, and Murdoch into bold relief. Using stories drawn from both today's headlines and business history’s rich treasure trove, he shows exactly how to make the rules in your market and how to defend your interests when rivals beat you to it.

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New White Paper: 2004 Trends and Directions in Web-Based Support
More and more customer service organizations are looking to e-support and e-service technologies to enable them to deliver a quality customer experience. These technologies allow organizations to improve processes and support delivery while, in many cases, driving down costs. These offerings reduce the burden on overworked help desks and contact centers in a variety of ways: automating and streamlining the resolution of common problems, allowing businesses to push service and support to less-expensive and expedient channels, and enabling employees and customers to serve themselves.
Read the Full White Paper.

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