In last month's column ("Don't You Already Have This Information?") I described the frustration I experienced with the fact that the company I have both a credit card and mortgage with keeps the two databases separate, thus causing me to waste my time and theirs repeating information they already had, but could not access. It was a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing. I appealed to several leading solutions providers to offer their suggestions for products that would make the sharing of information about customers between departments easier and quicker for both the financial institution and me. Following are their responses and descriptions of their products that can help companies get a leg up on providing outstanding customer service.

• Melita International
• Mosaix Inc.
• Siemens Business Communication Systems, Inc.
• POINT Information Systems Ltd
• The Vantive Corporation
• IMA (Information Management Associates, Inc.
• Chordiant Software, Inc.

Melita International
There's no doubt that customer relationships are built on good customer communication. According to The Gartner Group, "1998 will be a pivotal year for the transformation of call centers to customer contact centers. Enterprises must begin the architectural planning now." Mr. Tehrani's challenge to the large financial institutions, and service companies in general, is to instill what Melita International calls Customer Care as an integral part of an enterprise business model. The bad news is Mr. Tehrani's experience is not unusual or unique. The good news is that the technology already exists to solve the problem if those businesses are willing to step up to the challenge.

Melita's MAGELLAN Platform was conceived to solve the problem of accessing disparate information sources within the enterprise and presenting all relevant information to the customer service representative on a single call. Using a technology called Single System View (based on U. S. Patent No. 5,675,637), MAGELLAN manages the retrieval of important information about a customer from multiple databases and legacy host applications. MAGELLAN will then present that information simultaneously at the agent's desktop in a single, coherent view. This empowers the agent with complete knowledge of the customer and eliminates unnecessary questions - and the frustration that Mr. Tehrani experienced.

Although MAGELLAN was designed to easily integrate into any business environment, it is the flagship of Melita's desktop products also sold in conjunction with PhoneFrame Explorer intelligent call center management solution. PhoneFrame Explorer allows call center managers to create customer contact strategies, oversee all activities and track the productivity of enterprise resources. PhoneFrame Explorer automatically generates outbound contacts and routes inbound calls to the appropriate call center agent regardless of geographic location, including customer contacts made over the Internet using WebContact. With WebContact, PhoneFrame Explorer captures customer inquiries from a Web page, determines the skills necessary to respond and automatically generates a call back to the customer immediately or at the time the customer requested. Of course MAGELLAN provides the agent with all the information about the customer to ensure the business provides the best customer care.

Contact: John Lamb
770-239-4524
[email protected]
www.melita.com

Mosaix Inc.
Mosaix's ViewStar 5.0 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software gives a company a universal view of you, the customer, by integrating disparate information sources through enterprisewide process automation combining workflow with both the Internet and telephony. As soon as you call into the system, send a Web hit, or fax a letter, ViewStar can begin gathering all the information the company has about you - including letters you've written, different accounts you hold, and bills you've paid, whether they reside in accounts receivable or in the call center.

Because the system is enterprisewide, all that information is available to any agent you deal with. You don't have to keep keying in your account number, and you don't have to call three 800 numbers to find out an account balance.

ViewStar 5.0 is built on the most powerful workflow business process automation platform in the industry, and has been enhanced with the unmatched ability to use different channels of customer communication. It can take calls, Internet hits and e-mail into the workflow as easily as traditional document and fax input. This allows unprecedented access, consistency and the level of service the customer needs - including Web self-service. ViewStar 5.0 also allows the company to automatically respond to you using whatever method you prefer - e-mail, phone calls, letters, packages delivered to your office instead of your house, etc.

ViewStar 5.0 integrates information from disparate applications (front office, back office), systems (legacy, IVR, switches) and databases through one end-to-end process driven by business rules. The logic you define in the workflow tells the system which databases to tap for full customer information at the agent's desktop. That way, the customer only needs to talk to one person who has all the information he or she needs to deal with any case you present.

Mosaix has been solving process automation and data transmission problems for over ten years.

Platform technologies and development tools: IIS, MTS, COM-DCOM, ActiveX (Visual Basic, C++, Jscript).

Databases: SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle.

OS Compatibility: Microsoft NT 4.0, Windows 95.

Contact: Beth Loughney
510-749-6300
[email protected]
www.mosaix.com

Siemens Business Communication Systems, Inc.
Siemens offers a broad range of solutions that help companies "know" their customers.

RsumRouting is a skills-based (virtual group) routing solution that links callers to the best available agent in the call center. RsumRouting allows companies to create an individual database profile of each of their call center agents. RsumRouting then can use any of a variety of "caller ID" sources such as an 800 number, ANI/DNIS or IVR to match the caller to the best available agent.

In addition, Siemens' partnership with Siebel further aids in allowing companies to know their customers. By identifying a caller with the use of the Siebel Enterprise Relationship Management System, all of the available databases across the company's worldwide enterprise network are immediately searched for information pertaining to this customer. Within seconds, this information is routed with the incoming call to the desk of the call center agent whose skills best match the needs of the caller.

These tools help agents to become better informed about the caller at the start of the phone call so that the caller's needs can be addressed immediately and most efficiently. They also help the caller get served more quickly with fewer hoops to climb through, enabling continuity of service with the customer, regardless of which office they call, what time of day they call, etc. Siemens' call center solutions increase call center profitability by helping to build customer loyalty.

A major utility based in Poughkeepsie, New York is using Siemens call center solutions to improve call handling and agent efficiency. With Siemens' IVR system, customers can now reach a live agent without having to repeat all their account information.

RsumRouting is based on a distributed Windows NT operating system and a client/server architecture. The technology is based on a server-to-server computer/telephone link between the applications server PC(s) and the Siemens Hicom Communications System. The product requires a Windows NT-based server and Windows NT or Windows 95 at the agent or supervisor's workstation for the optional Desktop features

Contact: Ed Rebello
408-492-2000
[email protected]
www.siemenscom.com

POINT Information Systems Ltd.
Mr. Tehrani's experience is not that uncommon. More than likely, the institution that mortgaged his house and issued his credit card consists of a variety of disparate departments and individuals responsible for a wide range of customer interaction processes. The databases required to support those functions run on multiple, back-end processors with little capacity for automatically sharing current account data with one another.

Founded in 1989, POINT Information Systems designed its TeamPOINT Enterprise Relationship Management solution from the ground up with exactly these kinds of organizations in mind. With TeamPOINT, companies can transform their call centers into customer interaction centers that give each customer-facing employee - regardless of where in the world they are located - access to the same, common repository of customer information. POINT's Open Interact architecture serves as the technical foundation of the enterprise relationship management framework - providing customer-facing employees with one common interface, coordinated customer information and specialized tools to optimize customer relationship management.

POINT's Interact Assistant Technology provides intelligent software agents that perform a multitude of tasks, from checking previous contact information and credit history, to performing analysis on customer history and recommending a specific package for the customer. TeamPOINT includes SalesPOINT, MarketPOINT, CarePOINT for customer service, MobilePOINT for remote and disconnected users, and WebPOINT for Web-enabled call centers.

Companies such as Brann, CBA, Liberty Mutual, Hewlett Packard, Mutiara, New T&T, Mobile One, Compaq, Singapore Telecom and ESAT Telecom utilize TeamPOINT's unique Open Interact architecture to support the IT infrastructure so that data from multiple back-end systems and databases can be pulled to an individual agent's desktop for immediate reference. POINT's Open Interact architecture lets companies combine TeamPOINT with multivendor CIS applications, CTI, back-office ERP applications and a broad range of database, legacy and other third party systems.

Contact: Erik Haagensen
800-311-0215
[email protected]
www.pointinfo.com

The Vantive Corporation
Successful companies understand that loyal customers drive revenue and profits. Considering that the average call center handles more than 70 percent of all customer interactions, call center agents are a key element in creating and maintaining customer loyalty, profitability and brand equity in an organization.

Vantive Support is a software solution that empowers a company to dramatically improve customer retention, build customer loyalty and increase revenue per customer. It is a complete call center solution that automates call tracking, entitlement processing, workflow, problem resolution, revenue generation, performance measurement and service management. Vantive Support turns a call center into a customer loyalty center by automating the entire call center process and empowering agents to provide world-class customer service. Vantive Support tracks all the information needed to diagnose customer problems.

Vantive Support ensures call center agents provide world-class customer service by providing everything they need to maintain high levels of productivity. Vantive Support also helps companies stay accountable to customers by tracking each case and maintaining a complete audit trail. If a customer issue is escalated, Vantive maintains continuity by automatically routing the case and all associated information to the new call center agent who can start exactly where the last agent left off. Call center agents also develop an in-depth knowledge of how customers use products and services through repeat interactions. Customers often provide agents valuable information about competitive products and services.

Vantive Support has been resolving customer issues since 1990.

Vantive Support Operating Environment:

Servers: Unix and Windows NT

Clients: Unix and Windows and Web browsers

Databases: Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase and Informix

Contact: Jim Bell
800-VANTIVE or (408) 982-5700
[email protected]
www.vantive.com

IMA (Information Management Associates, Inc.)
Rich: The scenarios you describe in your column are unfortunately not uncommon in virtually any industry you can imagine. At the highest level, what is needed is a technology solution - the ability to "wrap around" and span across diverse databases, billing operations, and other systems, and deliver this data quickly to the customer service representative - to a business problem - the inability to access the data needed RIGHT NOW to resolve a customer request. Actually, a big reason why IMA's EDGE is so popular in these large-scale, complex environments is its ability to tie these disparate data sources together, provide the information to the agent via a quick, effective, easy-to-use interface, and make that 2-3 minute conversation - the "moment of truth" as Al Subbloie likes to say - a positive experience for the customer

EDGE integrates customer information from enterprisewide databases and legacy systems, empowering agents with real-time access to critical customer information, regardless of where that information resides in the system. EDGE can support extreme call volumes, sophisticated integration requirements and the need for customizable yet easy-to-use end user applications. EDGE provides skills-based routing, inbound and outbound application support, scripting, campaign management, lead tracking and automated literature fulfillment. The robust integration capabilities available in EDGE include the industry's widest support of multiple desktop links, relational databases, PBXs and ACDs, IVRs, predictive dialers, CTI middleware and legacy system gateways.

Because of EDGE's fully-open, extensible architecture, the product is able to be deployed quickly as a front end to diverse systems, allowing an organization to tie together disparate data sources, billing systems, fulfillment and other customer information, along with integration to other back-office, ERP applications. EDGE also integrates with enterprise workflow and document management applications, enabling multichannel customer interaction through voice, data, fax, document, e-mail and the Web.

Compatibility: EDGE supports MS Windows NT, a variety of UNIX systems and IBM AS/400 platforms. EDGE supports Oracle, Sybase, Informix and MS SQL Server databases, and can "wrap around" existing databases with no modifications to the data structures - a key feature when integrating with existing systems. EDGE has an imbedded CTI layer, and can also integrate with popular CTI packages such as Genesys, Nabnassett, GeoTel, CallPath, CallVisor, etc. The product integrates through ODBC, Active X and other desktop standards, and through MQSeries, 3270 gateways, and other legacy system links.

Contact: Bob Ventresca
203-925-6878
[email protected]
www.imaedge.com

Chordiant Software, Inc.
From the customer viewpoint, the perfect solution includes three simple elements:

A single agent desktop program that serves any request, inquiry or fulfillment need;

Business processes that can be applied across departments and business units; and

The ability to personalize each transaction based on customer needs and value.

Chordiant Customer Communications Solution (CCS) integrates all customer interactions through a single point of contact. Chordiant CCS manages customer interaction from end to end by linking all information sources and delivers that information directly to the agent. From the initial call, through behind-the-scene fulfillment of the request, it applies consistent business processes and service metrics to each interaction.

Chordiant introduced CCS last spring and it has already been chosen for enterprise call centers in financial services, telecommunications and integrated travel. Users include MCI Systemhouse, Canadian Tire Acceptance, Thomas Cook Global Services and KLM. Chordiant can leverage information inaccessible to most call center software, such as legacy applications on DB2 or CICS databases. In addition, by working directly with back-office transaction processing and billing systems, Chordiant can leverage business processes across functions and departments. So, the mortgage department can see what the credit card people are doing.

At Thomas Cook Global Services Chordiant is used to manage all financial and travel services requests through a single call center serving 139 countries and 30 different languages. At the agent desktop, Chordiant delivers a different set of visuals and business processes in real-time, depending on who the caller is, their language, cultural and business needs. This unique process-driven approach allows Thomas Cook to personalize every customer interaction. Chordiant CCS, which runs on any Windows or Java platform, customizes the agent desktop as the call comes in, eliminating the need to navigate hundreds of pull-down menus.

Canadian Tire Acceptance handles more than 200 different types of requests, such as credit card applications, customer inquiries and literature requests. The information collected by call center operators helps to guide dialogue and save money in the fulfillment process by mailing out only the materials immediately relevant to the customer's needs. In addition, incorporating the customer's interest in that product into his or her profile, will determine whether they will be offered future promotions for that product.

Contact: David Radoff
408-517-6100
[email protected]
www.chordiant.com

I look forward to the day when companies implement these and other similar solutions on a widespread basis to end the customer service nightmares we have all been through.

Sincerely yours,

Rich Tehrani
Group Publisher
rtehrani@tmcnet.com