June 2000

A Quartet Of New Products And Services

• Is It Live, Or ...SIMUL8 2000?

• DigitalData Solutions From ThinkDirectMarketing.com

• New Amdahl Venture For Hosted, Web-based Customer Support

• Education And Incentives From Motivation Online

I envied meteorologists, military strategists and anyone else with daily access to modeling programs, and I do not mean virtual makeover software or Barbie dress-up programs. I refer to simulations, "what-if?" scenario creations based on a mix of real data, events and statistical averages, best guesses or wishful thinking, where one defines what "real" means in terms of the scenario's purpose.

SIMUL8 Corporation has taken the power of simulation and applied it to call center planning and management (among other uses) in SIMUL8 2000 Version 6. The application is designed to allow users to virtually manage staff, implement new equipment, tweak a current customer support plan or adjust call routing procedures before any actual changes are made. SIMUL8 2000 can assist in managing a call center from hour to hour or week to week. Variables (such as available staff, number of phone lines or hours of operation) can be changed, and how those changes affect the call center's operation can be viewed to determine the best way to manage work and maintain target service levels. SIMUL8 2000 employs data-gathering and reporting features that help determine the optimum mix of resources required to meet an enterprise's goals. Users can monitor a variety of events, such as call abandon rates, queue volumes, customer wait times and staff or equipment utilization. Results can be visually presented to associates by showing the simulation in action and providing them with the result using SIMUL8 2000's reporting features. The application uses Call Center Wizards to help users build call center simulations. Alternatively, users may drag and drop "smart simulation objects" onto the screen. Users can define staffing resources, inbound and outbound call routing and multitiered call structures, and monitor any other element deemed important to operations. Once set up, the user clicks RUN to watch the simulation and gather operational information.

SIMUL8 2000 is not limited to the call center. It can be used wherever the flow of people, information or equipment occurs in a business. SIMUL8 2000 supports other applications, including Visio, enabling users to import and export Visio diagrams and flowcharts; EAI FactoryCAD, which allows the import and export of factory details; and Microsoft Excel and VBA. The application is compatible with anyWindows DDE/OLE Automation supporting language, which enables it to work with most business enterprise software tools. The company offers additional, optional call center products that run on top of SIMUL8 2000.
No. 520, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo 

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ThinkDirectMarketing.com, Inc., a provider of online marketing database products and services, recently unveiled DigitalData Solutions, the latest release of its ThinkDirectMarketing SDK (software developer's kit). The new product, a set of controls meant to enable a third-party software application to query the TDM database, is intended to allow integrators, VARs and manufacturers to provide their customers with the ability to gather and verify customer information in real-time. DigitalData Solutions is designed to integrate easily into any application that requires fast and accurate customer contact information. The SDK appends a complete address profile to just one or more pieces of information. Typically, a seven- or ten-digit telephone number is used to query the online database. The business or residential information that is attached to the phone number is delivered rapidly for integration into the application's data-entry screen. The returned data currently includes name, mailing address, city and state, ZIP+4, phone number and accurate longitude and latitude coordinates that can be used for mapping. When used in IVR solutions, DigitalData Solutions is designed to allow access to an enhanced set of capabilities. Some examples are: requests for literature do not require operator assistance, since the caller's phone number can be entered by caller ID or the keypad and return a mailing address for direct mail use; using the latitude and longitude coordinate data, service calls can be routed automatically using integrated mapping solutions; customers' purchasing profiles can be tracked for optimizing geographic trading areas; and identifying key customer segments that can be targeted for special future offers. ThinkDirectMarketing's North American database contains more than 110 million consumer and business listings that are updated monthly.

To set up the control in an ActiveX or Java application, a developer activates an install wizard to define the search parameters. In non-Java- or non-ActiveX-compliant operating systems, manual coding of parameters is needed to set up the query. While searches are executed one at a time, multiple simultaneous instances of the search can be established to allow non-sequential queries to take place, which permits peak traffic loads to be handled easily. The DigitalData controls are available for connection and integration with Microsoft NT servers, Java-compatible Unix and Unix variations, and non-Java and ActiveX-compatible operating systems (Unix, AIX and others).
No. 521, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo 

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Amdahl Corporation expanded its presence in the hosted customer support arena when it launched a new Internet venture aimed at companies doing business over the Internet. The mission of its latest venture, trustedanswer.com, is unmistakably clear: to become the premier provider of hosted customer service and support, with a Web-based self-service solution as the keystone of its offerings. trustedanswer.com intends to offer a range of support options, including graphically enhanced Web-based self-service, query, advanced chat and phone support. Also, trustedanswer.com advises clients to help them determine which support and service options are the best fit for their business objectives. Potential clients can log onto the trustedanswer.com Web site to perform an "e-Checkup" that assists in determining whether a support solution such as trustedanswer would benefit their needs. The venture expects to deliver an operation support solution and help companies transition to knowledge base technology to improve their customer support effectiveness and reduce operating costs. The initial target markets for trustedanswer.com are traditional brick-and-mortar companies that are launching or expanding their e-commerce initiatives, emerging e-commerce companies that deliver services or products on the Web and companies offering technically complex products or services (such as software or network equipment companies) that need a technical support solution for providing more effective Web-based self-service. All options are transparent to end users, who are unaware that they are interacting with trustedanswer.com rather than the client or e-business site. Additionally, a component of trustedanswer.com, the ServiceTrax system, supplies a direct link to clients that provides almost instantaneous feedback meant to assist clients to better understand what drives their users. The company manages the complete customer service business process for clients, and said that it possesses the necessary elements and support infrastructure to provide clients with a solution in only eight weeks. The company cited the fact that the average cost of resolving a support incident by telephone is $25, while the cost is $1 to $2 via the Web. This fact underscores trustedanswer.com's commitment to making Web-based self-service the preferred method of obtaining support by clients and customers, believing that the Internet offers the best support experience while reducing the overall cost of that support.
No. 522, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo 

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It has always been difficult finding ways to retain good employees, especially in call centers, and even more so these days when every month seems to bring a new low in unemployment figures. To help combat attrition, Motivation Online has rolled out its online Employee Relationship Management (ERM) system, which lets management create, implement and administer online performance improvement programs.

After a program administrator designs a productivity program, employees are automatically awarded points for performance-based achievements. Motivation Online's program keeps track of the points and notifies employees of the point awards and the behaviors that earned them.

To use the system, agents log onto the password-protected Daily Briefing Page. There, agents can check company news; go to the link for self-improvement, where they will find information such as how to better handle customers, etc.; or go to the link where they can check their accounts, spend their earned points with Motivation Online partner companies, or complete online training for extra points. Through direct links with online retailers, employees can select and obtain their personally chosen rewards. (The earned points are converted to dollars and are available for use within 24 hours.)

Since it is a Web-based program, remote or at-home workers can also use the system, and kiosks can be set up for agents that are not Web-enabled.

Motivation Online provides a wide range of reporting tools that measure any desired metric about individual or company performance, allowing managers spend more time managing their employees and less time chasing data. Since it is a Web-based program, it can be modified to accommodate new themes, point structures, metrics and goals. The system also offers tools for fast and easy communication with employees to reinforce performance and productivity that yields improved results.
No. 523, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo 

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