Ericsson launches a revolution in Internet Customer Service

Ericsson launches a revolution in Internet Customer Service TM Ericsson today launched Upfront Support , a new Internet Customer Service application that combines the power of the Internet with the personal touch of the existing telephone support service. Upfront Support is the key to the enterprise Customer Care Centre of tomorrow, as it will mean being more responsive, effective and cost-efficient than ever before. When integrated with Ericsson's Next Call Centre, the solution covers the whole scope of Customer Interaction from automated support over the Web to direct contact with an agent by text-chat or voice call. Upfront Support brings total customer communication, including sales and support follow up, that revolutionizes the entire customer interaction process. The new Internet platform provides an enterprise's customers direct access to a company through a web site interface using a multitude of Internet media. Rather than relying on staff answering every query on the phone, which is expensive and time-consuming, Ericsson's Upfront Support combines voice and text interaction over the Internet to provide customer satisfaction at the lowest cost per interaction," says Stig Sjogren, General Manager, Product Unit CTI, Ericsson Enterprise Systems. The Ericsson Upfront Support system opens an intuitive Internet chat window that customers can use for Internet Customer Service. The 'Upfront Agent' enables customers to have their questions answered on-line automatically, providing them with an effective and efficient service. The Upfront Agent can assume a 'personality' that can be predetermined and therefore, reflect the right image of the organization. "Many customers are often unaware that they are conversing with the Upfront Agent. All they do is type in their question in natural English or choose from a pre-selected subject list," explains Stig Sjogren. "Since a large percentage of customer questions are similar, within seconds they can receive a written answer that is clear, succinct and accurate. If they require more assistance, the dialogue can continue with the customer until they are satisfied." If a customer prefers at some stage to speak to a real member of the Customer Care team, this can be facilitated through a 'live chat' facility or a voice connection. When a Customer Care agent picks up a call they can view all previous dialogue instantly, giving them an immediate grasp of the caller's needs. The support platform can also be integrated with Ericsson's Next Call Centre solution and therefore utilize skills-based routing to a particular customer service agent. This system can effectively reduce a major percentage of basic customer help inquiries, freeing up staff to attend to more complex issues. Ericsson integrates Upfront Support with the enterprise's web site, retaining its original look and feel. Visitors to the Website will simply click on a 'help' button and the Upfront Support facility will be activated. From here they can enter a PIN number, if required, which will allow for personalization of the service to particular customers. There are no downloads or plug-ins required, customers can get straight down to business. The enterprise provides answers and other relevant information, which is stored in a database. Staff can identify succinct and clear responses to everyday problems, therefore constantly updating the Knowledge Base. It is also very easy for the Upfront Agent to send WebPages, streamline multimedia presentations, access external databases and submit application forms in response to customer queries. Ericsson Upfront Support is server based, enabling updates to be carried out dynamically, avoiding any kind of interruption to an enterprise's service. When integrated with Next Call Centre it provides true skills-based routing regardless of media, as well as a common management and reporting system. Both Upfront Support and Next Call Centre run on Windows NT architecture. Upfront Support includes an extensive Knowledge Base, Authoring Tools with a built-in external interface to PBX/CTI systems as well as legacy and third party applications. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Lars Irenius, Director Business Area Customer Interaction, Ericsson Enterprise Systems Phone: +46 8 422 23 49 Mobile: +46 70 665 1946 email: Lars.Irenius@ebc.ericsson.se Lena Hyttsten, Press Relations Manager Ericsson Enterprise Systems Phone: +46 8 422 0317 Mobile: +46 70 246 9494 E-mail: Lena.Hyttsten@ebc.ericsson.se ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/15/19991015BIT00430/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/15/19991015BIT00430/bit0002.pdf