| THE FOUR TOOLS FOR E-CUSTOMER CONTACT
by Gary Blasiar
March, 2001
One main objective of any business’s customer service department is to satisfy and build relationships within its
customer base. Customers are demanding that they be served the way they want to be served until they get stuck, at
which point they want immediate assistance with a live person. The Internet gives customers a new avenue to conduct
their business and consequently, a new way to serve them. The traditional call center is now a customer care contact
center and deploys a variety of communication platforms to convert every online communication into a successful
opportunity to serve a customer. Outlined below are a few of the basic Internet-based tools your company can use to
enhance customer care. These tools can be purchased individually through third party providers or can be bundled in
e-suite customer relationship management solution packages.
Tools
The following includes a brief description of each tool, how it is used to complement customer interaction and strategy
to get the most out of your investment.
• Web chat. Web chat is the live text dialogue that will enable your Internet site to interact with visitors.
Customers needing assistance simply click on the “Live Help” icon that prompts a window to pop up. This
essentially initiates a session and an operator is selected. The customer begins typing messages and receives a
response from the agent in real time. Since an estimated 65 percent of customers who begin to order products over the
Net don’t finish their transactions, place the “Live Help” button at the top of the shopping cart page
of your Web site. Train your customer service representatives to be sales reps, as they can help customers through the
purchasing process.
• E-mail. E-mail provides a communications platform in which a customer can order a product, ask questions and
request service at any time of day. E-mail is a common communication mechanism within most Web site “Contact
Us” pages. Customer care centers use e-mail to respond to order status inquiries, order confirmation, pre sales
questions, complaint/resolution issues, upselling and various promotional offerings. If your customer service center
does not have e-mail communications it should be initiated immediately. If your company is one of the many companies
investing thousands of dollars in market research, try attaching a customer questionnaire to your e-mails. Even if you
offer a discount to your customers for filling out and returning the form, the savings in postage and data entry make
this a cost-effective method of gathering important customer data.
• Web callback. Web callback allows customers to initiate assistance by requesting a callback from an agent in
either real time or a scheduled time frame. Visitors on a Web site merely click on a “Call Me” icon and enter
their number. An automatic switch will put a member of your customer care group straight through to the inquirer. If
the visitor asks for a delay before being contacted, the button will ensure that the visitor is called at that specific
time. The customer-care representative can then assist the customer with any question or transaction. Use this tool for
more complex customer service applications, as it offers “page-pushing” features of live chat; however
limited, but with a live voice. In addition, cameras can be used at the service center so an agent can display your
product and be able to give visible usage/repair/maintenance instructions.
• Voice over Internet protocol (VOIP). VOIP is the practice of sending voice or video or both over the public
Internet or intranets. VOIP is like using the telephone, but the signals are converted into digital data that are
routed over the Web rather than the conventional telephone line. VOIP communications are broken down into discrete
chunks of data that are transmitted digitally over the Internet. One of the most significant advantages of VOIP is that
it avoids the tolls, taxes and other fees that phone companies typically charge for a traditional phone call. This tool
requires your customers to have multimedia computers, a microphone and speakers to enable agents to converse with your
visitors. Customers visiting your Web site can click on an interactive button or icon to speak with a customer-care
agent instantly. Many of the VOIP tools can inform the customer-care agent whether the Web site visitor has multimedia
capability. Most VOIP environments are equipped with Internet navigation assistance tools to help agents
“push” information to the Web visitor. Computer telephony integration capabilities can offer tremendous
enhancements to VOIP. Consult with your VOIP provider or service center for more information. Features to look for: Now
that you have decided to service your customers via the Net, here are features to look for when choosing the right
tool:
• Universal compatibility (Web chat). It is crucial that the chat tool you select works with all standard Web
browsers and that the agent and customer can access the tool behind corporate fire walls.
• Dynamic icon placement (Web chat, e-mail, Web callback, VOIP). Since your customer-care environment may have
certain hours of availability, it is important that the icon for live help is shown only during coverage hours.
• Custom and preformatted response capability (Web chat, e-mail). The ability to use preformatted responses can
increase efficiencies, reduce agent response time and ensure consistency in response. Custom answers are critical when
addressing the more specific inquiries that are bound to surface in the customer care environment. Having a spell check
on these tools will also reduce the number of correspondence errors.
• Auto response and intelligent response (Web chat, e-mail, VOIP). An immediate auto response (confirmation
message) communication will assure that your customer contact has not fallen into a black hole. The response can become
“intelligent” if a preformatted response is generated based on keywords that are present in the text.
Intelligent keyword searches are often used for troubleshooting, order status and frequently asked questions requests.
• Multiple sessions (Web chat, e-mail). It is important to choose a tool that can increase agent efficiency by
allowing multiple e-mail/live chat sessions to be processed concurrently. For quality purposes, an agent should never
manage more than three at any given time.
• Data gathering and reporting (Web chat, e-mail, Web call back, VOIP). You will always want to keep a pulse on
customer trends, Web site user expectations and general feedback. Make sure the tools you use allow you to survey
customers at the end of each session. It is also important to look at other forms of gathered data, review dialogue
transcripts, analyze call/contact logs and monitor contact duration. Being able to readily access data is critical in
getting to know your customers better and enhancing their contact experiences.
• Prioritization and skill-based routing (e-mail, Web chat, Web callback and VOIP). All forms of contact can be
qualified through a few simple questions and then routed to an agent skill set that is trained to accommodate the
customers’ needs. This will help you manage your center in a more efficient manner and achieve a higher level of
first contact/call resolution.
• Web page pushing (Web chat, e-mail). This feature will allow your customer care representatives to open up and
“push” any URL page to your Web site visitors to assist with problem resolution or to provide additional
information. Some tools even allow the agent to highlight specific areas of text or graphics that may require
clarification. The main objective of any customer care environment is to help the customers. Customers need to be able
to communicate with your business in a way that is most comfortable and available to them. If you can’t provide
the communication platforms they want to use, they will find companies that can. It is those companies that can hear
their customers’ suggestions, complaints and buying signals that will excel relative to their competition. The
Internet offers some of the best ears to a company and its over-all business strategy.
Gary Blasiar is president of Alert Communications, Los Angeles, an outsourced call center. He can be contacted at
gblasiar@alertcom.com.
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