TLM, while this article did not mention eShare, the industry ESHR serves is growing by leaps and bounds. eShare will get its share of visibility with WS soon.
Regards,
Tom
Software makers aim to support
e-commerce
By Kim Girard
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
November 15, 1999, 6:40 a.m. PT
As stellar service becomes a more crucial part of selling online, a growing
number of software makers are pitching improved ways to help companies
connect with their customers.
Companies including Kana Communications, eGain Communications, Mustang
Software and WebLine, which Cisco bought in September, have quickly positioned
themselves to help e-commerce firms manage their overwhelming quantity of email
and assist with customer service.
Wall Street was particularly welcoming of Kana's
recent IPO. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company's
shares jumped to 51.5 in the first day of trading in
September--and closed Friday at 119.25.
Meanwhile, eGain's stock jumped 20 percent to $30
a share last month after the company announced it
was part of a deal with AOL, under which eGain
software will be used to help AOL enable its
members to make customer service requests in
plain English. eGain shares closed at 36, down
0.88.
Part of the reason for these companies' success is
the anticipated growth of online shopping and
demand for software to support that rush. Analyst
firm Gartner Group expects companies will grab 25
percent of all customer inquiries through email and
over the Web by 2001, though recent studies have shown that many online
companies are woefully unprepared to provide adequate support.
Today, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based eGain will introduce new features to its software
platform that are intended to help companies provide more live, real-time support.
Like other companies promising real-time chat, eGain Live 3.0 will enable instant
communication between an e-tailer and a customer as users are shopping or
surfing a Web site--and tie all correspondence to a customer's email history.
As a complete package, eGain Commerce 2000, which the company will begin
shipping today, along with eGain Live 3.0, helps customers track every email,
phone call or contact to the company, information which can be configured to pop
up when a call center operator answers an inquiry or used for a marketing
campaign.
The software can be customized to include a host of business rules, which will be
triggered depending on the content of an email. For example, an email request to
buy something on a user's site might automatically receive priority routing. eGain
said it has more than 140 customers including AOL, Mazda, online bank Wingspan
and Walgreens. Kana, which also provides hosting services, has about 200
customers, including J. Crew, Delta Airlines, Kodak, Maytag and Avon.
IDC analyst Chris Hoffman said eGain and others have technology that will be
increasingly in demand.
"In order to deliver good service and support and create satisfaction with customers
and get their loyalty, you need to communicate with them," he said.
IDC expects the services and support market--which includes call center software,
instant messaging applications and Web technology--to grow from $11.3 billion in
1998 to $42.7 billion in 2003. |
