eGain's New eService Software Extends Call Centers with Web-Based Interaction Management
eGain eService Enterprise Integrates Customer Calls and Clicks to Enable Next-Generation Contact Centers
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2001-- eGain Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:EGAN - news), a global provider of Interaction Management software, today announced a comprehensive new solution that increases the productivity of phone-based call centers and helps those centers evolve into
multi-channel contact centers. Responding to strong customer demand and market projections, eGain is launching eGain eService Enterprise(TM), an integrated software solution that provides multi-channel interaction management. Most market experts expect that as a percentage of activity, Net-based customer contacts are
expected to dwarf phone-based interactions by 2005, yet to date, it's estimated that only 24% of corporate call centers have Web-enabled their customer interactions.
Multi-Channel Solution Includes Integrated Knowledge Management
Available now, eGain eService Enterprise (E3(TM)) is a modular solution that integrates eGain's applications for knowledge management, inbound and outbound email management, real-time Web assistance (text chat and co-browsing), and four types of Web-based self-service, including innovative guided service. While eGain's
applications had previously been available stand-alone, linked channel to channel, or integrated via professional services, the new integrated solution provides a robust and standardized integration across all channels, with common access to knowledge management throughout the solution. This integration speeds and streamlines the deployment of multi-channel contact systems, and is reinforced by new solution-based pricing that provides economies of scale for the cumulative total of seats purchased.
Intelligent Escalation Across Channels Improves Service
E3's Net-based channels complement existing phone-based infrastructure, and support intelligent escalation of customer inquiries across all touch points: phone, email, real-time text chat and co-browsing, and Web self-service. By capturing the interactions of customers and service agents, and building-in processes to escalate
unresolved inquiries, E3 improves the effectiveness of the service team and the overall customer service experience.
``Adding new customer contact channels can complicate interaction management as a result of cross-channel effects, channel limitations and customer channel preferences,'' said Tim Hickernell, a senior program director in META Group's Web & Collaboration Strategies Service. ``Companies adopting hybrid-channel service must adopt multi-channel escalation strategies to ensure customer inquiries are answered in the shortest amount of time, through the appropriate channels and utilizing the lowest cost service resources possible.''
Given that every service interaction presents an opportunity to either reinforce or weaken customer loyalty, E3's intelligent escalation can help companies improve customer satisfaction and retention rates -- critical corporate goals in times of slow economic activity.
Modular System Allows for Incremental Deployment, Quick Results and ROI
Because eGain eService Enterprise is a modular solution, it enables call centers to add Web-based channels gradually, timing the channel expansion with business needs and the readiness of the company and its customers. Unlike the protracted implementation cycles of many customer relationship management (CRM) systems, eGain's incremental approach provides a quicker return on investment (ROI), and enables companies to accustom their staff and customers to using each new communications channel.
``Enabling customers to implement in a staged manner is a very important approach in today's economic environment,'' said Mary Wardley, program director, CRM Applications research at IDC. ``Our research shows that while end user organizations regard a CRM strategy as critical, the current economic environment has caused
them to adopt a more long range, incremental approach in regards to implementation. With eGain's product set, companies can implement one or two at a time over time, with the assurance that the end result will be a cohesive solution.''
eGain's phased approach lets companies stage their eService deployments to address their most critical needs first, whether dealing with high agent turnover, new subject matter for service agents, spikes in call volume and hold times, floods of emails, or increases in Web site traffic. Based on helping nearly 800 corporate customers ramp eService systems that handle millions of customer and agent interactions worldwide, eGain's deployment strategy embodies proven best practices for managing large-scale eService initiatives.
Quick Call Center ROI via Knowledge Management
Comprehensive knowledge management, blended queues for real-time interactions, and cross-channel reporting and monitoring provide familiar entry points for call centers' initial eService efforts. These options build upon standard call center work flows, immediately improving agent productivity and management effectiveness.
For call centers that want to improve existing processes before adding new channels, eGain's knowledge management enables agents to provide faster responses to customer inquiries, with an increased accuracy rate. Documented through numerous case studies available at egain.com (see Customers, Case Studies), eGain's knowledge management increases first-call resolution rate and customer satisfaction, speeds call handling time and thus reduces hold times, and significantly increases the agent-to-customer ratio, and agent ability to handle more product lines.
To get started, E3's access to unstructured data enables companies to deploy an initial knowledge management solution in as little as three weeks, gradually expanding the underlying knowledge base with structured cases over time. E3's quick-ramp knowledge gateway unlocks immediately useful knowledge from existing corporate documents, such as technical notes, user documents, databases, and call logs.
E3 provides the industry's only knowledge solution that uses a single conversational interface to access both case-based knowledge and unstructured corporate documents. Thus, as a company builds structured knowledge cases, users can access additional information using a familiar interface. E3's knowledge base can be used by both agents and customers, and can be accessed by all channels.
Blended Real-Time Queues
For real-time interactions, E3 offers blended queues for phone, text chat and Web co-browsing, backed by integration with 90% of the ACDs (automatic call distributors) on the market, including systems from Aspect, Avaya, Mitel, Nortel, and Siemens. E3's integration with call center equipment also provides cross-channel monitoring and reporting, so supervisors can track inquiry volumes and agent workload. To further complement call center environments, eGain's solution can link to Blue Pumpkin, Nice Systems, and Witness Systems.
Training Customers to use Web Self-Service via a Web Escort
E3's real-time Web channels enable service agents to guide customers to Web-based self-service, thus training customers to use the most cost-effective assistance. As long as the customer has Web access, the agent can use E3's live Web technology to begin a joint session at a precise area of a site, backed by advanced co-browsing to escort the customer through the Web site page by page.
Because the co-browsing is proxy-based, it accommodates complex sites that use personalization, eCommerce, and user authentication, enabling agents and customers to see the exact same page. Agents can even help customers jointly filling out forms, working within security parameters set for sensitive information such as credit card numbers, stock order transmissions, or personal data.
Comprehensive Self-Service with Escalation Path to Assisted Service
eGain eService Enterprise offers a robust and comprehensive solution for Web-based self-service, with options for four types of self-service: a customer service portal, automatic generation of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), a virtual Web-agent, and guided problem resolution through case-based reasoning. This range of self-service options enables companies to handle a spectrum of customer inquiries: common inquires both simple and complex, or uncommon inquires that can nonetheless be addressed via self-service. Unlike more limited systems, eGain's built-in links for escalating inquiries to assisted service enhance the quality of service and reinforce customers in using cost-effective contact channels. For more information on E3's Web-based self-service, go to
egain.com.
Integration within an Enterprise Environment
eGain eService Enterprise integrates with prevalent enterprise systems including CRM applications such as Clarify, Remedy, Siebel, and Vantive; and knowledge sources such as Verity, Microsoft Site Server, and Lotus Notes. To speed the integration with Oracle, SAP and legacy systems, E3 includes forms-based configuration, with preset options for using ODBC, JDBC, HTML and XML. This breadth of integration capabilities helps companies preserve the value of infrastructure investments they've made, while at the same time enabling companies to accommodate the explosion of Net-based customer interactions.
Pricing and availability of eGain eService Enterprise
eGain eService Enterprise is available now for NT-based environments. A Solaris version of the solution will be available by the end of the calendar year. Pricing for the system is based on the aggregate of cross-channel licenses, using a per seat schedule for all agent-facing applications, and concurrent access numbers for the self-service environment. A typical multi-channel deployment for an entry-level configuration of E3 averages $200,000 for license, support and professional services. Modular pricing for component applications is available on demand.
For more information on eGain eService Enterprise, including a solution backgrounder, and supplemental press materials, go to egain.com. |
