March 16, 2005

CUSTOMER WINS SAP has been selected by EarthLink to implement mySAP in a stand-alone implementation aimed at improving EarthLink's customer centricity. More than 3,500 customer service agents will be able to more effectively respond to customer requests and better position EarthLink's expanding line of dial-up, broadband, voice, wireless, and Web-hosting and Internet services, according to the company. EarthLink also expects mySAP to provide the company with greater flexibility when managing customer inquires and core business operations. LivePerson, a provider of communications solutions for online sales, marketing, and customer service, will provide customer service and sales support for Monster UK, a division of Monster.com, a global online recruitment site. Monster UK will implement LivePerson's Timpani Chat to supply live, online support to employees. According to the solution provider, agents will be able to deliver guided online experience while preventing employers from abandoning the sign-up process. SupportSoft, a provider of real-time service management software, announced that Charter Communications has implemented SupportSoft Service Verify to automatically validate a customer's IP services and to assist in diagnosing problems. SupportSoft also provides resolution to optimize ongoing performance. Charter Communications will provide its CSRs, dispatchers, and field technicians with customer information and the service providers' network. Texas State University-San Marcos has implemented key components of Vignette's V7 product family, including Vignette Content Management, Vignette Application Portal, Vignette Builder, and Vignette Business Integration Studio to help current students, faculty, and alumni access university information. Examples include the academic calendar, human resources department, and parent and alumni associations. Japan Telecom has deployed CosmoCom Contact Center On-Demand (CCOD) services. Japan Telecom is the latest to join a number of Japanese telephone companies that are offering the hosted contact center as an alternative to premise-based solutions. Japan Telecom acquired the CosmoCall Universe platform from HP Japan and Takachiho Koheki (TK). HP Japan and TK also provided Japan Telecom with system integration and implementation services for the Contact Center On-Demand platform. ON THE MOVE Nextance has appointed Bill Morton as its new vice president of professional services. Prior to joining Nextance Morton served as executive vice president of professional services at Dorado, a software and services company for the mortgage lending industry. Brian Henry, executive vice president and CFO of Onyx Software, is resigning. Henry will remain with Onyx during a transitional period through at least mid-April 2005. NEW PRODUCT Apropos Technology, a provider of contact center communications-management solutions, has made available Apropos for Customer Support, a new product and services bundle for its multichannel interaction management solution that was developed specifically for customer support applications. The product bundle will enable support centers to deliver service to customers while reducing support costs. Apropos for Customer Support provides multichannel interaction-management capabilities to monitor and maintain service level agreements, increase customer satisfaction, and leverage contact channels such as email and live Web chat. Related articles: CRM Contributes to Homeland Security Wires: News and Technology for November 19, 2004