The two vendors’ latest set of activities see them converging on the area of virtual call centers. At its recent user conference, RightNow introduced a set of integration tools designed to help telephony partners create voice-enabled CRM environments based on RightNow’s CRM and voice applications.
The RightNow Telephony API integrates a range of telephony environments and includes tools for integration with on-premise PBXs, including specific connectors for platforms such as Avaya Definity and Nortel Meridian, and on-demand offerings such as Echopass’s Call Center On Demand and Five9’s Virtual Contact Center. It supports Screen pop functions driven by caller identification, enables click-to-dial capabilities that automate outbound calling from RightNow applications, IVR integration, support for CTI or PBX call routing, capture of agent-level call statistics in the RightNow database, and XML-based API database read/write. It builds on the release of RightNow Voice in June and the voice capability gained when the company acquired Convergent Voice in the same month.
Salesforce.com is also preparing to take a substantial step forward in enabling virtual call centers with the announcement of Salesforce Service & Support 2.0 (previously known as Supportforce), and AppExchange Service & Support 1.0, both due to be released with the Winter 06 edition of Salesforce.com in the fourth quarter.
The new version will add over 50 new features designed to improve call center efficiency, but one of the biggest changes will be the introduction of an agent desktop. This is a critical feature in call center applications because it enables customer interactions to be streamlined around business process. Another key addition will be Suggested Solutions, which will enable self-service customers or agents to tap into a central repository of previous cases and should increase the speed at which issues are resolved and improve levels of accuracy because of its use of a self-learning algorithm. Version 2.0 will also provide for CTI via the Appforce Telephony API 2.0 (formerly STAPI), which includes nine pre-built integrations with CTI vendors, but it will not be available until the first half of 2006.
AppExchange Service & Support 1.0 is part of the AppExchange application and component repository and will have 22 service and support-specific applications available at the outset.
While it has expanded beyond its original remit of sales force automation, many of Salesforce’s activities have centered on building infrastructure-type components such as Appforce, Multiforce, Customforce, and AppExchange. Salesforce Service and Support represents a more serious push into CRM service and support, which is an important area for Salesforce.com because it is a volume market.
Although Salesforce.com is making progress in building functionality for this sub-sector, RightNow’s founder and CEO Greg Gianforte is dismissive. Of all our would-be competitors in the on-demand CRM space, Salesforce.com is probably the least capable of duplicating our success in customer service and support, he said. They don’t have the experience, technology or corporate DNA necessary to enable companies to deliver world-class customer care. Salesforce.com’s service functionality is immature compared to RightNow’s, and its self-learning algorithm appears to be less sophisticated, while RightNow has taken a step forward with its voice capability and analytics.
Misys Banking Systems, which has used the Salesforce.com support application since April to provide mission-critical 24/7 customer service for its portfolio of 450 banking customers, has taken Salesforce.com’s customer service application on board. Peter Middleton, director of customer services for the retail banking division of Mysis, wanted to converge the two discrete systems used within the division around key business processes, looking to optimize processes and consolidate them to enable common reporting, new initiatives such as self-service, and the introduction of an innovative one-tier support operation, as well as to improve efficiency.
The company chose the Salesforce.com support application after carrying out due diligence on the support application. The SFA application was in use elsewhere in the business, so Middleton was confident it would be stable, and had a feel for the type of functionality, extensibility, and flexibility available. It has given me the confidence to look at process and organizational change and the confidence to know the infrastructure can support it, he said. The application is used to support a complex and evolving set of service functions in the banking environment where, as he pointed out, support has repercussions outside the single organization. Without rich functionality it would not be possible, he said.
