Customer service is usually a tradeoff between quality and cost. With no budget constraints, organizations could field an army of well-trained customer service representatives (CSRs) supported by technology and systems that deliver immediate access to comprehensive customer records, product information, and related material. Of course, organizations cannot afford such a people-centric strategy, so they must continually explore self-service options, particularly on the Web and through interactive voice response (IVR) systems, to meet quality goals and stay within budgets.

Conversagent's ASA offers up automated responses

Five-year old Conversagent is attracting just such customers looking for a cost-effective, automated Internet support solution with its flagship offering, the Automated Service Agent (ASA) system. Customers like cable giants Comcast Corporation and Cox Communications and the American branch of consumer electronics giant Matsushita, Panasonic Corporation of North America, use the ASA system in conjunction with their search engine-based online support databases and static FAQ pages.

While each of Conversagent's customers implements the solution in a slightly different manner, they all have the same goal: Delivering improved customer service in an automated fashion and only escalating the interaction to a CSR when either necessary, or beneficial (for example, handholding a customer interested in a high-margin offering).

ASA-based systems typically allow a user to type in a natural language query phrase, such as "What's the difference between plasma and LCD TVs?" The backend system is smart enough to correctly respond to the unintentional misspellings from poor typists or erratic spellers as well as the intentional text-messaging style input of younger consumers. When it fails, ASA administrators can easily enhance the system so it improves future accuracy.

For Conversagent customers, a hosted option with payments based on sessions, the ability to continuously audit the system and increase its effectiveness, and the opportunity to link into backend trouble ticket and content systems are major selling features.

And since the ASA technology is not limited to post-sales customer support, there are many other areas customers can apply the solution to. For example, Panasonic uses its implementation for pre-sales support, helping prospects understand its high-end TV offerings. And with a forthcoming ability to automatically generate FAQs from actual customer inquires, an ASA system can also be used to tailor documentation and information useful to not only the support group, but to sales training, marketing, and businesses executives.

Implementations show there is plenty of room for improving the experience

The ASA system, much like the basic technologies behind the Web, is wide open in terms of how it is delivered to the consumer from a user interface and experience perspective. The query field can be embedded in a Web page or it can be part of a pop up window. The resulting information can be terminal-like plain text, or it can include graphics, video, or even Flash animations. A response can also simply return inline, database-driven responses, or it can automatically load the appropriate Web page. For example, a query on "What is your Boston store's phone number?" can result in the number being displayed in the query field or in a Web page loading with the relevant contact information.

Interestingly, existing ASA implementations are rather basic and illustrate how online support is often viewed within organizations. While the Web and product pages are often graphical and design-centric, text dominates the ASA systems, as it does most of the existing support pages. In addition, the underlying political divisions between support, Web design, and marketing in most corporations means that implementations often feel isolated from the overall Web experience. For both Conversagent and the organization investing in ASA, this often makes sense, as a more integrated position would be difficult to get going, whereas simply adding an automated agent link on a support page requires little buy in from other internal parties involved with site design and branding.

The good news for Conversagent, its current customers, and future users, is that more inclusive, graphically appealing, and user friendly solutions can be rolled out when organizational initiatives finally catch up with the technology's capabilities.

Smart, automated self-service is not an option in the long run

Most organizations continue to deliver sub-optimal online self-service support with search-driven knowledge bases and static FAQs. But we believe an automated approach that includes seamless CSR escalation and integration into backend systems will be expected by consumers increasingly exposed to real time inventory access, instant communications, and appealing and interactive Web experiences like Google Maps.

With increasingly complex products and services becoming the norm, consumers will demand 24x7, smart, intuitive support from the providers of their digital music players, cell phones, vehicle navigation systems, home theater equipment., and services, such as communication plans and financial services.

In response, companies will make their first foray into automated self-service. The next step will be to provide an integrated, seamless, graphically rich, intuitive experience. While consumers may have to wait three to five years for this second stage, today's investment in ASA-like solutions will provide the foundation for customer satisfying, organizationally cost-effective online support.