March 29, 2006

 

PFSweb, Inc. announced that it has begun supplementing call center services for its wholly owned subsidiary, eCOST.com with PFSweb’s existing call center facility in Plano, Texas. The increased capacity will enable the handling of an estimated 2,000 customer service calls per day and is expected to improve overall customer satisfaction.

                   

With its large, in-house telecommunications infrastructure, PFSweb will be able to expand capacity at the switching level as well as allow for extended customer service hours.

 

eCOST.com is set to utilize PFSweb’s IEX workforce management tool. The PFSweb IEX is a software package used to automate and refine the contact center scheduling processes. To provide for better resource management and business forecasting, the system also works in conjunction with the AVAYA switch in order to retrieve detailed call statistics.

 

Beyond the call center improvements, eCOST.com has also recently upgraded features in its proprietary search engine, providing customers with more relevant searches, better drill-down capabilities with a search as well as faster access to information pertinent to customers’ inquiries.

Mark Layton, CEO of PFSweb noted that his company’s world-class operating infrastructure and technology expertise provides an effective platform for eCOST.com to significantly improve customer service. Extending the customer service hours to seven days a week is an important step towards the goal of driving dramatic improvements in the eCOST.com customer experience. This brings eCOST.com into a higher realm of expectation, which customers are demanding from world-class service providers.

 

Layton went on to add that as a result, PFSweb is already seeing an increase in the weekend revenue levels. Also, the enhancement in the search functions is part of the company’s strategic goal to improve the features and capabilities of the eCOST.com web site and customer experience which PFSweb hopes to further advance with additional site improvements.

Adam Shaffer, CEO of eCOST.com contributed that he and his company are excited to leverage PFSweb’s investments in its scalable infrastructure in order to increase the web service capabilities and to better meet with needs of customers. eCOST.com’s access to PFSweb’s advanced technology and telecommunications facilities provides an opportunity to realize many of the strategic benefits targeted through this merger.

PFSweb completed its merger with eCOST.com on February 1, 2006. PFSweb operates state-of-the-art call centers in Plano, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, an international facility in Liege, Belgium as well as the eCOST.com facility in Torrance, California.

In the call center arena, customer satisfaction really is the name of the game. Customers are demanding not only exceptional service, but they want fast and easy resolution. By providing for web based self-service that are designed to truly meet the needs of customers, PFSweb is ensuring better return on investment as well as customer loyalty.

 

As the self-service portal is still in its infancy, calls into the call centers will continue, but this merger promises to make those calls more productive and improve revenues across the board. These factors certainly make for more content agents, happier management and more satisfied customers.

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Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.