InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
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July 31, 2000 |
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Act Globally, Serve Locally
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The reason companies such as Xilinx are rushing toward localized customer service is simple: People are more likely to buy when addressed in their own language, when local business practices are observed, and when legal requirements are followed. But there are differing degrees of localization. Some make translation concessions only for the most lucrative markets. Others adapt online retail or supply-chain efforts to reflect local laws, commercial practices, and business policies. The most successful seek to offer the same quality of Web experience to all visitors, regardless of geography.
Go2Call Corp., an Evanston, Ill., company that offers free calls over the Internet to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany, plans to roll out its service throughout the Americas and Europe. To do this, the company is implementing Idiom's WorldServer, an online system for managing global translations and localizations.
Go2Call wants its regional Web site to be as comprehensive as possible, cutting down the demands normally placed on call centers. "You have to make your products easy to use so the user-inquiry ratio is kept as low as possible," says Go2Call co-founder Larry Spear. In Spear's experience, most Americans have grown accustomed to keeping up with the latest hardware and wrongly assume the rest of the world is up-to-date as well. He recommends adopting software that can cope with a wide range of hardware and applications.
At Go2Call, which has more than 100,000 registered users, an efficient E-mail response system is an important aspect of its customer-service strategy. Online customers seeking assistance are directed to send an E-mail message with the promise of rapid response. Go2Call uses Talisma Email, a component of Talisma Corp.'s CRM suite, to handle 80% of inquiries via canned responses. By spending $20,000 on the system, the company has greatly reduced the call-center load and cut costs dramatically.
San Francisco action sports E-retailer Fusion.com has taken a different approach. Rather than minimizing routine calls via interactive voice response and auto-response E-mail systems, Fusion.com uses the frequently asked questions portion of its site to form a close bond with its public--surf, skate, and snow sports enthusiasts in 45 countries.
"Our activities are lifestyle choices, and the people involved are passionate about them," says Ed Schultz, VP of business development at Fusion.com. "If we were to use a sophisticated outsourced call center or some canned auto-response setup, our customers would see through it and we'd lose our legitimacy."
The company's FAQ section is hosted by Broad Daylight Inc. Using a suite of hosted apps, it builds, manages, and distributes customer-driven question-and-answer content. Answers contain HTML-enabled pictures of the products discussed: One click and the customer can order the item. All FAQs are posted, and customers can browse an extensive list of questions, search for answers, or ask new questions.
Fusion.com pays a nominal fee to Broad Daylight for every answer served. The company considers this a small price for improved customer loyalty and sales. Sales have doubled in the past year, and Schultz says the FAQ played a significant role in this expansion.
In response to the growing popularity of specialized products, some big CRM companies are either adding niche functionality into their own generic wares or forming partnerships with other vendors. Siebel, for instance, has teamed with Talisma to fill some gaps in its CRM portfolio. "While Siebel does a great job with personal and phone interaction, their customers consistently tell us that they need features such as advanced routing capabilities, superior customer-service productivity tools, real-time chat, and outbound E-mail marketing," Talisma VP Tom Ryan says.
Until CRM applications mature further, many companies venturing into the global service arena will have to mix and match their E-business platforms with a variety of tools. But at the same time, too much delegation of authority can dilute brand image and lead to escalating costs.
The sensible approach seems to be a balanced strategy built upon a customer-centric foundation. "Corporations must work out a CRM business strategy based squarely on the perspective of the customer," says Liz Shahnam, VP of Meta Group's CRM infusion program. "But even then, an iterative approach is recommended, implemented by trial and error, until customer-support systems are functioning smoothly."
Illustration by Aaron Thomas Roth
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