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CRM
Initiatives Spur Demand for a Host of Customer Service Technologies
As consumer acceptance for performing everyday tasks over the Internet
continues to grow, along with web-based interaction channels offering
lower service costs and more sales opportunities for businesses,
the demand for Internet-based customer care tools will continue
to grow.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, North American Multimedia
Contact Center Markets, reveals that online live collaboration tools
generated revenues totaling $79.7 million in 2001, while e-mail
management systems generated $109.9 million. Total market revenues
are expected to reach $356.8 million and $541.4 million, respectively,
in 2008.
The use of Internet Protocol technology in contact centers has
triggered the adoption of voice data convergence facilities, and
highlighted the need to incorporate multiple customer contact channels
such as voice, e-mail, and web collaboration into a common framework
for routing, reporting, and administration.
"The market is marked by end-user requirements for greater
functionality and a more focused approach to achieving strategic
objectives," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Katrina
Howell.
"Businesses are looking at the specific goals by adding customer
contact channels and examining architectures that allow for greater
integration with their existing customer care operations."
Such products are being offered as integrated suites bundled with
other telephony and CRM applications; so the stand-alone markets
for e-mail and web collaboration are gradually becoming a single
market for Internet-based interaction management suites.
The continuing growth of PC ownership and consumer use of the Internet
are expected to increase the role of web-based self-service that
allows a customer to search for and retrieve information from a
database. Instantaneous answers to queries will boost customer satisfaction.
"By enabling customers to gain immediate access to the information
they require, sophisticated web self-service applications also help
alleviate the pain experienced by contact centers overwhelmed with
interaction requests," says Howell.
Effective applications that can handle complex queries and leverage
databases of information that already exist within the enterprise
can dramatically reduce staffing needs.
The mid-market for multimedia contact center solutions is expected
to take off in the near future, as products are now available with
reduced hardware costs, making multimedia integration more accessible
to smaller organizations.
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Products & Services 
