CRM - April 2008 - (Page C6)

6 April 2008 Sponsored Content lead to increased profitability. Whether the customer care environment is an externalfacing center, or an internal support group such as sales support, helpdesk, or administrative services, business decision makers increasingly look to quality of customer care as a competitive differentiator, and a key contributor to improve customer satisfaction. And while CCF 2008 is a great fit for any service and support center, it is particularly valuable for those business managers who need to integrate inherited business systems, or who want to add new technologies that provide customers with more choices in communication channels. AGGREGATION, AUTOMATION, AND ACCELERATION IN CCF 2008 developers can easily customize portal channels with customer-specific content. An Interaction Server allows CCF 2008 to smoothly integrate voice, e-mail, chat, and other types of communications. Regardless of the channel, the CCF integration architecture remains the same. Enterprise Single Sign-On provides convenient ways to map a Windows User ID to non-Windows user credentials, making customer information accessible across all channels, and significantly reduces the time to access relevant systems. This ensures that agents don’t have to trouble the customer by asking for their account number repeatedly. Another feature in CCF 2008 is a set of Developer Tools that automate tasks and processes for integrating applications and separating business logic and application controls. WHAT’S NEXT language inquiries”) using a text-chat interface. It can work simultaneously over multiple communication channels, including the Web or any interface that supports two-way messaging, such as instant messaging or SMS. ASA can seamlessly escalate a customer to a live customer service representative, passing along the details of the customer’s inquiry. It also includes sophisticated reporting and analytics tools to help customers evaluate and refine the system. ELIMINATING THE CRACKS Good customer care requires three things. First, aggregation means that all the information needed to solve a customer’s problem is collected in one place. Second, automation ensures that tasks and processes happen automatically, saving agent’s time and hassle. And third, acceleration refers to speedy training and fast resolution time, as well as rapid realization of business results. The many components of CCF 2008 come together to create a solution that will fit your current business needs and grow with it over time. Customer Care Framework is a Windows-based application used by customer care agents. When a customer contacts the company, whether by phone, web chat, e-mail, or another method, the interaction gets routed to an agent. The agent is able to access the customer’s information through the Integrated Agent Desktop, see customer info alongside workflow and session management, and easily find the correct information from numerous and disparate enterprise systems to answer customer queries. As discussed above, the Customer SelfService Portal will help companies create direct-to-customer, self-service channels of communication. Content managers and With this combination of time-tested tools and an eye to the future, CCF 2008 is the best way to improve the timeliness and quality of customer interactions and maintain focus on customer needs, while lowering the cost of providing world-class customer care. The powerful technology of CCF 2008 can handle the needs of organizations of any size, and diverse channels such as voice, chat, and self-service portals can be integrated into one solid solution. Because it works with almost all existing applications, it’s an easy transition. Training is quick and can be tailor-fit to your company’s needs, making employees more productive. Excellent customer care is a hallmark of successful companies, and more and more successful companies are choosing Microsoft Customer Care Framework 2008. Its power and flexibility make it easy to eliminate the usual cracks in customer service, with a smooth, seamless system that improves your bottom line. Here is a glimpse at the next generation of customer care technologies that are part of the Microsoft commitment to innovation. These technologies are available in conjunction with Customer Care Framework to enhance Microsoft’s Customer Care offerings. TellMe, a new Microsoft subsidiary, is an industry leader in voice portals. Companies can use their TellMe Studio VoiceXML tool to build Internet-powered, voice-enabled applications. TellMe’s robust technology is used by Verizon to provide 411 service, and by E*TRADE, Merrill Lynch and American Airlines for customer support. Automated Service Agent (ASA) is a new customer service technology from Microsoft that can easily be integrated with Microsoft CCF. Using a conversational, self-service interface that puts customers at ease, it allows customers to type questions in their own words (referred to as “natural Susan Schutte, Sr. Product Mgr, Microsoft Harry Teng, Technical Product Mgr, Microsoft Learn how Microsoft Customer Care Framework 2008 can help your company redefine customer experience. Visit www.microsoft.com/ccf for more information. http://www.microsoft.com http://www.microsoft.com/ccf

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - April 2008

CRM - April 2008 Contents Front Office Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point A Tenancy of One’s Own The Rebirth of Taxes destinationCRM Dashboard Labor Disputes Reach The Contract Center The Plight of the Wirelines Required Reading The 2008 Service Awards The 2008 Service Leader Awards Customer Self-Service Microsoft Genesys Oracle eGain Astute Solutions The 2008 Rising Stars The 2008 Service Elite Awar Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - April 2008

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