K2 Digital, Inc.'s K2 HELP is
designed to enable consumer and industrial product manufacturers to deploy
an eCRM desktop help application that can be delivered on a CD with their
product. K2's intent is to reduce costs associated with customer support and
better meet the higher service expectations of customers in the Internet
economy. Aaron Gavios, K2's vice president of business development, noted
that "for example, shifting 5,000 inbound calls per week into online
interactions can save over $2 million per year." He said that a major
problem encountered when creating an online customer support tool is
"the necessity to identify, integrate and maintain different software
and networking components." This barrier can discourage or prevent the
effective design and implementation of an eCRM application. In response, K2
HELP provides capabilities to deliver a complete customer-facing tool: help
(using natural-language questions and tutorials), demonstrations, training
and documentation. The product includes an integrated browser and search
engine that allows users to navigate through local and Internet-based
information, can self-install from a CD and update content automatically
over the Internet. K2 HELP is designed to be private-labeled and customized
to look like the product it supports, be it a camcorder, washing machine,
medical device, etc. K2 offers an optional technology integration of HELP
with Viewpoint Corp.'s Viewpoint Experience Technology. With it, HELP can
provide 360-degree product views and point-and-click interactions. Users can
turn products over, open doors and covers, push buttons to examine product
features and get training on operation. Options also include capabilities
for e-mail and live chat with a customer service representative and an
e-commerce module for selling product accessories, streaming audio and
video, etc. The product can be translated into multiple languages (13 at
press time). In addition to licensing the application, K2 Digital provides
consulting and implementation services for K2 HELP and a full range of
digital professional services.
Assistware:
"Moment Of Need" Support
Baydon Solutions, Inc. offers
what it terms predicament-based knowledge support, providing knowledge to
employees engaged in customer interactions when they need it, rather than if
they might need it. Baydon cites just-in-time performance as an emerging
trend that de-emphasizes training per se so that employees spend more time
performing their tasks. Aimed at reducing dependence on classroom or online
training where the instruction is generic and may involve training in
features or functions not normally used by employees, Baydon's
predicament-based approach allows users to define their own training.
Assistware is a software toolkit used to develop and deploy electronic
performance support systems for single or multiple applications. It provides
a central information repository for creation and maintenance/management of
support and training materials, an intuitive developer toolkit for
assembling and linking training materials into an intuitive project
structure and a multi-user developer environment with revision controls for
team-based materials development. It also allows for project sharing and
linking for reducing duplication in generic support materials. The solution
provides for multiplatform generation, does not require source code access
or technical resources for project development and is customizable.
Assistware is comprised of four components: Assistware Developer, the
main project development work area; Assistware Camera, a technology that
captures screen information to which context-sensitive support is attached;
Assistware Viewer, which displays training and support content to the end
user of the desktop at the moment of need; and the Entry Point Manager, the
link between the host application and associated training/support content.
End users receive help with their specific needs when they position the
Assistware Bubble on the application area requiring support. Assistware
information can be linked to screens, messages, buttons, etc., within end
user applications. The product tracks the use of information in its
database, which can be assessed by other programs to determine what support
materials are being used, frequency of use and by whom. Assistware's output
is in HTML, with converters to other formats available from Baydon.
Assistware can be deployed on your existing Web infrastructure or
proprietary networks.
Solidus eCare
From Ericsson
With the launch of Solidus eCare, Ericsson
Enterprise has focused on creating a customer contact center suite that
integrates call center features with the speed of the Web to provide faster
and more efficient customer service. Ericsson geared its technology to
construct a fully integrated, multimedia interaction center and provide
businesses the capability of transitioning into the e-mail/Internet contact
center arena to offer more communication channels. Customers can contact
companies or organizations through any medium (voice, Web chat, e-mail, fax,
etc.) and be consistently offered the same level of service. In response to
the oft-cited customer dissatisfaction and abandonment statistics that
result from inadequate automated customer response configurations, Ericsson
set out to enable Solidus eCare to replicate the in-store experience to
provide better customer service. Its Virtual Agent and Auto-response e-mail
capabilities use an interactive knowledge base to provide answers to the
most commonly asked customer questions. Solidus eCare also provides
customers with the option of speaking in real-time with a customer service
representative by a simple button click (on a Web page) that enables live
conversation with text-chat or voice over IP. Customers can also explore a
site or search for information using interactive voice response (IVR) or the
Web. At any point during the search, customers can initiate direct
conversation with a customer service representative. Solidus eCare tracks
where the customer is or the area of interest he or she has been searching
for, and this information is provided to the customer service agent
instantaneously.
A key feature is an advanced routing engine designed to provide a range of
applications, including Internet support, online chat, automatic Web
callback, Web collaboration, e-mail and auto e-mail responses. Solidus eCare
uses skills and profile-based routing to forward incoming contacts to the
agent best qualified for a specific query. Voice capabilities of the
solution include interactive voice response and speech recognition. Other
features include agent scripting, agent recording and outbound campaign
dialing and mobile communications technologies to free agents from their
desks. The solution also offers a flexible client-server architecture so
service providers can deliver eCare to their clients in an application
service provider (ASP) environment. Solidus eCare operates on the Open
Application Server platform: a multimedia services platform that extends
call control capabilities and enables advanced telephony functionality.
The Brand
Connection: Good Listeners Make Better Marketers
Recipio's motto, "Listen. Learn.
Lead," effectively sums up its raison d''tre and is the philosophy
behind the company's e-business platform, the Brand Connection. Rather than
blind or permission-based marketing via the Web, Recipio believes that
Web-based, two-way interactive media can forge higher-quality relationships
with customers. Brand Connection consists of software and proprietary
service methodologies that allow businesses to engage customers in
"conversations" in an informal, personal way and deliver real-time
analysis of customer ideas, opinions and preferences. In a sense, it
empowers customers to become part of the product team. Using adaptive
sampling and patented algorithms, Brand Connection filters this unstructured
information, generates consensus information that is indicative of the
attitudinal direction of the group and provides the most relevant data for
analysis and action. The platform allows corporations to understand
customers' responses across multiple products and campaigns with
statistically significant, real-time results. It simplifies creation of a
marketing tool that incorporates e-commerce, customer service, marketing and
marketing research. An obvious benefit is the potential for reducing
marketing research costs and time by embedding this technology into existing
marketing and branding Web sites. This should also reduce the time required
to launch new products or campaigns in the market.
Allied with the Brand Connection are two additional products, Recipio's
Interaction Session applications (what the company terms "directed
conversations" on specific issues) and its Desktop Reporting System.
Currently, Recipio offers 12 standard Interaction Session applications,
covering topics such as brand equity, customer satisfaction, advertising
development, Web site optimization, promotion development and retail
experience. Clients have the ability to customize part or all of a session
to suit their needs. The Desktop Reporting System provides access to online,
real-time reports: Executive Dashboard (key ideas and issues emerging from a
specific interaction session application); standard Participation reports
(metrics on a particular engagement); and customizable Segmentation reports
that allow managers and decision makers to segment information on any
demographic or reported behavioral range using drop-down menus.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
TMCnet LOGIN
WEBINARS
