Customer Service

Genesys has announced plans to acquire VoiceGenie, a provider of self-service voice applications -- a move that is expected to solidify the drive to determine which standard will dominate the industry. The acquisition of the privately held firm, which is expected to close in a few weeks, will also a...

It's opening day in many Major League Baseball stadiums today, and in addition to wondering who's throwing out the first pitch, how much the beer will cost, and whether that rookie shortstop can hit the curveball, competitive and committed fans of this great sport are grappling with another burning ...

If you're ever starved for conversation at a cocktail party, bring up the subject of computer support. It's sure to start a buzz in the room, since almost everyone has a horror story to tell about the topic. The reason everyone has a terrible tale is that customer service in the PC industry is at a ...

Kana has updated Response, its e-mail response management application, and Response Live, its live chat and Web collaboration module. The new versions provide better integration across customer touch points, along with additional functionality that allows desktop agents to answer customer questions ...

Enterprises that have already invested in contact center equipment may think managed services have nothing to offer them, but much of the managed services functionality offered today works in tandem with the Customer Premise Equipment already in place, enhancing features already in use. Advances in ...

Talisma has released a new version of its Customer Interaction Management suite, Talisma CIM 7.0. The software integrates multiple communication channels, including e-mail, chat, Web self-service and phone. Able to handle million of interactions, Talisma 7.0 can be deployed on-site or on-demand. Thi...

Enterprise is far from the days when it was enough simply to have a Web presence. More and more sophisticated consumers are shopping for services based not only on what a company offers, but what it offers online and how easy it is to negotiate. A recent study by Keynote Systems, which offers e-bus...

Retailers are finding that a blog that is supportive can translate into measurable new sales, but they are exercising caution, despite the word-of-mouth advantages blogging can bring. Blogging is a dual-edged sword: A well-trafficked blog that is critical can deliver a blow. Eva Yusa is not crazy a...

Managed care is facing a fundamental shift in the way it handles member relations. Historically, payors invested little in developing solid relationships with individuals. This was a logical arrangement as employers selected and paid plans, so sales, service and marketing resources were dedicated ...

Sparking the interest of retailers around the globe, UK supermarket chain Tesco announced it will be selling Internet-based phone service and handsets on a pay-as-you-go basis. Tesco's move is more than a product announcement; by private labeling a VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, service, Tes...

Microsoft has introduced an upgraded version of a product it quietly rolled out last year. Called Customer Care Framework 2005, it is a desktop application for contact-center operators that provides customer-care information via e-mail, instant messaging, interactive voice response and the partner-d...

New research indicates that many brand-name computer companies perform poorly when it comes to online customer service. The study by the Ipswich, Mass.-based Customer Respect Group, an international consulting company, demonstrates that only six companies included in the report received an "excellen...

Asia Pacific is still the dominant locale for contact-center outsourcing, new figures from Frost & Sullivan confirm. The number of contact centers in the region totaled more than 21,360 in 2004 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 9.1 percent to reach 39,247 by the end of 2011, a...

The home-based customer care market -- a small but quickly growing niche of the contact center industry -- could triple by 2010 to 300,000, according to a new report by IDC. "Current estimates put the number of home-based agents at 112,000, so that is a strong growth rate," Stephen Loynd, senior ana...

The holidays are over, but retailers are still waiting for the holiday shopping season to end. Increasingly, consumers are opting to give gift cards instead of actually buying an article of clothing or an electronic gadget. This is good news for retailers hoping to drive up modest margins. When rede...