June 1999
HEADLINES
NEWS
Paybyweb.com Unveils E-Commerce Solution For Internet Businesses
Creative Payment Services, a provider of pre-authorized check and electronic payment
services to merchants in the direct marketing industry, has introduced Paybyweb.com for
online merchants. The service has been designed specifically to meet the needs of
merchants offering products or services on the Internet. It goes beyond standard credit
card processing and allows merchants to electronically accept "checks" from
their customers. The checks are electronically drafted from the customers' accounts and
paid to merchants within days, improving cash flow, increasing the potential customer base
and reducing fulfillment time. Paybyweb.com allows
merchants to choose from a range of service options, from the most complete site hosting
and shopping cart administration to stand-alone secured transaction processing. As a
result, the service can be of value even to small start-up businesses that have not yet
established their own credit card merchant accounts.
No. 534, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
NewChannel Introduces Targeted Engagement Technology
Silicon Valley start-up NewChannel, Inc. has introduced "targeted engagement
technology" for e-commerce. The Internet-based technology is designed to bring a live
company representative into a sales engagement which began on the Internet, and then
optimize the subsequent interactions for the benefit of both parties. New Channel, Inc.
determined the need for this technology by studying the challenge most businesses face in
finding a way to maintain one-on-one personal buyer/seller relationships while still
leveraging the full potential of electronic commerce. A variety of industries, such as
insurance, financial services, travel and public utilities have complex sales processes
which require real-time, personal consultation between the buyer and the seller.
NewChannel is making the technology available in the form of an Internet-based service
called Engagement Service Plan (ESP). ESP maybe used by a company's representatives
anywhere in the world, provided they have an Internet connection. The service uses
statistical and rule-directed scoring of a visitor's online behavior to determine if and
when the visitor should be brought in contact with a live TSR. Simultaneously, the
technology decides which group or individual in a company should handle the contact,
facilitates the engagement through predetermined communications channels (the Internet,
telephone or other methods) and provides information, directives and recommendations to
the agent handling the contact. ESP may be used on a standalone basis or in combination
with pre-existing sales force automation software by means of simple client software
running on the desktop of an agent.
No. 535, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
ShadowMan Entertainment Uses Technology Developed By AT&T For
E-Music Marketing
ShadowMan Entertainment, an Internet record label specializing in Internet marketing using
a proprietary e-mail delivery system and an entertainment database, has begun testing an
MP4 "postcard." The postcard, which uses technology developed by AT&T, is a
multimedia file that compresses audio files to a 16:1 ratio compared to the 11:1 ratio
that MP3s offer. The increased compression rate creates audio files that are small enough
to be e-mailed. MP4/20s play a 20-second song sample. When the viewer's mouse is dragged
across the icon, a tool tip pops up, informing the viewer that he or she has the ability
to click on the picture and visit the artist's Web site. By clicking on the maximize
button, viewers will see the postcard expand and switch to a second picture with dynamic
text. The dynamic text is read off a page on the Internet by the postcard. If the viewer
is not currently on the Internet, then a default text is automatically inserted.
No. 536, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
FaceTime Communications Delivers Internet Service Suite For Online
Customer Care
FaceTime Communications has introduced the FaceTime Message Exchange (FME) service, an
Internet service suite for online customer care. The system combines e-mail, instant
messaging and other types of Internet communication to help companies improve Internet
customer satisfaction, increase online sales and lower costs. Consumers engaged in online
shopping at a FaceTime-enabled Web site can now instantly receive live and/or e-mail-based
sales and customer service assistance by connecting to the company's call center. The FME
service suite routes, queues and reports on inbound e-mail and instant messaging
interactions, helping e-commerce sites prioritize customer requests, manage service levels
and respond quickly and accurately. A major benefit of the FME suite is the common
infrastructure for managing multiple forms of communication. This allows agents,
supervisors and managers to use a single familiar interface for any form of Internet
communication and to have a consolidated view of customer activity.
No. 537, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Heartland Payment Systems And CyberSource Debut E-Commerce Payment
Solution
Heartland Payment Systems (HPS) and CyberSource Corporation have partnered to provide Web
merchants with a "one-stop" e-commerce solution. The system offers quick and
easy merchant account setup combined with secure real-time processing of credit card
payments and other e-commerce transactions. The HPS and CyberSource partnership enables
service providers such as ISPs and CSPs to supply their merchants with a complete
e-commerce transaction processing package. HPS provides the merchant account application
system, called Merchant Provisioning System (MPS), which lets merchants apply online in a
simple six-step process. When combined with the CyberSource eCommerce Transaction
Services, MPS allows Web merchants to begin accepting VISA and MasterCard payments in as
little as 48 hours. In addition to offering merchants an e-commerce transaction processing
solution, ISPs and CSPs also benefit through HPS' Value Added Reseller (VAR) Program. This
program allows VARs to earn a signing bonus and ongoing residual payment for any merchant
that joins the HPS and CyberSource merchant program.
No. 538, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Eliance Launches Integrated Service For E-Commerce Order Tracking
And Fulfillment
Eliance Corporation, a provider of e-commerce services to support online sales, has
announced its eSourcing suite of services to integrate order tracking and product
notification capabilities with its Internet payment processing and consumer service
operation. Enabling Web merchants to integrate the delivery of physical products through
their online stores, the eSource is designed as a single, end-to-end solution for
outsourcing the fraud prevention, payment processing, order tracking, product fulfillment
and consumer support services required to enable the sale of goods through Web sites. The
system integrates with eight other components of Eliance's eSource solution, including
security, data collection, fraud prevention, merchant account, payment processing,
information management, marketing and customer support.
No. 539, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
ARO Call Center Puts Live Voices Behind E-Commerce Web Sites
ARO Call Center has formed "SiteAssistance.com," a new division targeting the
customer service needs of companies using e-commerce and selling on the Internet.
SiteAssistance.com was designed to address customer service needs for users who need some
human interaction to complete their orders, who may have concerns about credit card
security or who require assistance in navigating a company's Web site. ARO Call Center has
equipped its call service center with Internet telephony features through relationships
with key Internet/telephone switching companies, allowing a Web user to be instantly
called by a call center representative after clicking on a Web site button or icon. ARO
Call Center's telephone representatives can finish a customer's incomplete order, suggest
complementary products and services to those already ordered, complete final credit card
transactions by telephone, guide customers through the process of completing an order or
help them find a desired location on a Web site.
No. 540, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
ICT Group Announces E-Solutions Product
ICT Group, Inc., has announced the launch of ICT NET2TEL.com, an interactive live operator
support solution designed to improve both the sales productivity and customer satisfaction
levels of e-commerce transactions. Developed in conjunction with eFusion, Inc. and Aspect
Telecommunications, ICT NET2TEL.com offers proactive, simultaneous voice and data
interface to Web users. The product is compatible with both one- and two-line telephony
links. It offers real-time, accessible connection to qualified sales and support personnel
for a Web user who requires a live agent interface to complete an Internet transaction. A
white boarding feature focuses the customer's attention on specific data content on the
Web site, and the combination of voice, data and e-mail modes provides a choice of means
of interaction. From a merchant's perspective, ICT NET2TEL.com improves a Web site's
ability to retain a customer at the site, reducing defection to competitive offerings.
No. 541, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Click 1o2o1 Debuts Tool To Convert Web Site Hits Into Sales
Click Interconnect, Inc. and its sister company and development arm, Microdevices World
Wide, Inc., have announced the debut of Click 1o2o1, a new service that enables consumers
to click a button on a Web site for immediate assistance by phone. The companies cite
studies that show that as many as 63 percent of potential transactions are not completed
because consumers say they need additional information from Web sites. Click 1o2o1 offers
Web site owners the ability to provide live phone access to their online customers. By
offering free live phone connections to customers directly from their sites, Web site
owners can convert hits to sales and improve service. In its simplest form, Click 1o2o1
provides a conference call between a site visitor and an agent. Using a network of servers
and phone lines, the service connects the two parties instantaneously. From a Web site, a
consumer clicks on a button, enters his or her phone number and requests a specific talk
time. Click 1o2o1 then calls the Web site representative, calls the customer on another
line and connects the two parties. Time elapsed for the call to be connected is usually
within about 20 seconds from the initial "click."
No. 542, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo |
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