Talisma Corporation (News - Alert), a vendor of what the Talismen call Customer Interaction Management software, has announced that Soft Surroundings, a catalog and online retailer of apparel, bedding, and beauty products, has selected Talisma Proactive Chat.

 

Already a user of Talisma CIM products, Soft Surroundings needed to improve sales closure rates by engaging customers during the shopping process, and by helping frustrated customers before they leave the Web site or contact Soft Surroundings via other, more costly, communication channels like the telephone.

 

The deployment of Talisma Proactive Chat comes at the right time, as data from the Talisma-sponsored report titled "Proactive Customer Service  Strategies to Satisfy Customers and Drive Sales" reveals what Talisma officials call "the serious need for proactive customer service."

 

According to the report, "nearly half of online consumers surveyed who abandoned a Web site said they would have been more likely to complete their purchase if the retailer had offered them some form of Web based help."

 

Jim Manno, Contact Center Operations Manager of Soft Surroundings, said the "comprehensiveness of this product" swung the decision for Talisma.

 

By using Talisma Proactive Chat, Soft Surroundings hopes to be able to engage high value customers or prospects at their moment of need, execute up-sell / cross-sell campaigns and reducing Web site and shopping cart abandonment.

 

Last week Talisma announced that Royal Bank of Canada selected Talisma to provide customer support to its online clients. With the selection of Talisma, RBC will be able to customize the use of Talisma Chat, E-Mail, and Knowledgebase to provide customer support.

 

"Canadians are using online services for financial needs more often: doing research, completing applications or transactions," said James McGuire, vice-president, RBC Online Strategy and Client Experience. "Talisma's product will enable real-time support for our customers, including chatting online with an RBC representative and allowing an RBC representative to co-browse onscreen information in order to provide help."

 

Talisma's comprehensive product and services capabilities were crucial to meeting the bank's stringent selection criteria and security requirements.  The Talisma CIM Suite presents a complete history of interactions across all communication channels so agents are presented with a 360 degree view of the customer relationship.

 

A couple months ago MoneyControl, an Indian industry journal, reported that Talisma has released CRM 7.2, saying Talisma CRM 7.2 "includes over 20 new features and enhancements, including the addition of Talisma WebAxs, SMS text messaging and emergency notification."

 

The product is certified for Microsoft (News - Alert) Vista, and Microsoft Office 2007, MoneyControl says.