Conversagent, a developer of online customer service software products, has announced the launch of an Automated Service Agent for online broker Harrisdirect.
The new service has been branded “Ask Harrisdirect.” Harrisdirect is the first online brokerage to deploy a self-service customer service technology of this kind. The ASA provides information about trading, account management and other general investment questions.
The Conversagent Automated Service Agent System enhances self-service deployments from other vendors including RightNow, Siebel, PeopleSoft, and SupportSoft, among others. An ASA can be deployed as a managed service or installed on company premises.
“Ask Harrisdirect” goes beyond traditional FAQ searches by replicating the contact center agent, engaging the customer in two-way natural language text chat and delivering immediate responses to customer queries.
The Conversagent ASA System also provides Harrisdirect with secure web-based reporting and analytics. The ASA Management Console includes a Knowledge Management interface which allows non-technical customer service representatives the capability to add, edit and publish content within the “Ask Harrisdirect” application.
“Our research has shown that online customer self-service solutions that support natural language interactions can be more effective than traditional search and browse models. This capability is particularly important in industries like financial services, where relationship building is critical and the context for questions may be as important as the questions themselves,” stated Allen Bonde, president and founder of strategic advisory firm ABG, Inc.
“Large organizations are recognizing the customer loyalty and cost-savings benefits associated with the use of Automated Service Agents,” noted Steve Klein, CEO Conversagent.
Harrisdirect is a provider of direct investing and investment advisory services to informed investors with long-term financial goals as well as third-party brokerage services to institutional clients and is part of Harris, an integrated financial service organization that provides more than 1.5 million personal, business, corporate and institutional clients with banking, lending, investing, financial planning, trust administration, portfolio management, family office and wealth transfer services.
This reporter is also pleased to announce his availability for anyone looking to participate in significant wealth transfer.
David Sims is contributing editor and CRM Alert columnist for TMCnet.
To discover how contact centers can save money and increase productivity by making the switch to IP Telephony, be sure to attend TMC's IP Contact Center Summit May 24-26, 2005, in Dallas, Texas.
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