Microsoft Updates Customer Care Framework

Microsoft Corp. this week launched an upgraded version of its Customer Care Framework, which offers a way for enterprises to unify the applications used by customer agents.

CCF 2005 consolidates information from multiple business systems, such as billing, ordering and customer relationship management, so that agents can view all of their applications on a single screen.

It automatically signs agents on to several applications at once, avoiding multiple sign-on delays, and saving agents from having to retype data.

Additionally, the framework was designed to improve customer satisfaction by saving callers from having to repeat information such as their names and account numbers, said Vish Thirumurthy, group manager for the Communications Sector at the Redmond, Wash., company.

“Its important to have a seamless experience for enterprises end user customers,” Thirumurthy said. “We have aggregated data from just about every application there is. “

The framework is not an end-to-end contact center package, but instead works with such packages to create real-time connections among applications.

With the latest version of CCF, users can integrate various customer service channels, including voice, email, instant messaging and web chat. A new self-service portal function allows an enterprises customers to obtain their own information, such as billing and ordering data, directly.

So far, the telephone, retail and health care sectors have been particularly receptive to the application unifying software, Thirumurthy said.

British Telecom Germany deployed CCF last year to support its new mobility offerings, according to Peter Hascher, head of IT Development Services at BT Germany.

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“The processing time for a new mobile phone contract has been reduced by approximately 80 percent,” Hascher said.

“Deploying CCF has positively impacted our bottom line.”

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