November 30, 2010
By Koa Beck, Editorial Assistant, CRM magazine

Parature Announces Facebook for Parature

Parature, a provider of on-demand customer service software, announced that Rosetta Stone, a technology-based language learning solution, will be the first customer to use Parature for Facebook, the industry's first integrated customer service application for Facebook.

Rosette Stone will be able to use the application to monitor Facebook wall conversations, post comments in real-time, and respond and report various interactions, providing wider customer visibility. Customers can use the support tab on Rosetta Stone's Facebook fan page to search Rosetta Stone's knowledge base, submit tickets, and chat with customer service agents.

In a statement to the press, Jay Topper, senior vice president of customer success at Rosetta Stone, expressed how Parature for Facebook will be beneficial to Rosetta Stone's customers. "We are excited to have an integrated application that enables us to engage further with our learners in this popular social media channel," said Topper. "We put incredible focus on our leaners' success; and providing a superior overall experience. This will encourage our learners to socialize with Rosetta Stone at any time, from anywhere, in multiple languages, and in a manner that fits in well with their communications style. Parature for Facebook is another strategic channel to help us accomplish this goal."

Duke Chung, founder and chief strategy officer of Parature, explained that Rosetta Stone's "hybrid" of being both a retailer and a software company makes it "a fantastic candidate for [Facebook for] Parature." He also notes that," on the bottom of every [Rosetta Stone] box, it now says ‘support on Twitter and Facebook.' They're so focused on customer service..... That multichannel approach in turn demonstrates [that] they're serving all of their customers in whatever channel their customers prefer."

In the first wave of Parature for Facebook, large retailers and universities are among the first customers to jump on board.

"The retailers [are interested in the application] because, primarily, they have they have a broad B to C reach. Most of their consumers are already on Facebook," says Chung.

Both Chung and Esteban Kolsky, founder and research analyst of ThinkJar, agreed that Parature for Facebook not only allows companies to better service their customers, but also gives customer an opportunity to help one another. By posting inquiries to the fan page, customers can also expect helpful responses from fellow customers.

"Instead of having a standalone silo channel, [Facebook for Parature] gives the company the ability to monitor one more channel without losing their channel or their tools," says Kolsky. "It's a win-win for the company. The questions remain whether customers will go to Facebook to get customer service. When you go on Facebook, you go to look at your friends and family pictures. It may not be the place to get customer service....[However] Now that [the application ]is there, it may open [customers'] eyes as to what companies can do."