|
Press Release |
|||
|
Chordiant Introduces Unified CRM Infrastructure and Knowledge Management System to Deliver More Individualized ResponsesKnowledge Management and CRM Solution Allows Companies to Make the Most of Every Single Customer Interaction, Bolstering Customer Retention and RevenueCUPERTINO, Calif., October 31, 2000 – Chordiant Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRD) today announced the immediate release of Chordiant Knowledge System v2.0. An advanced knowledge management system, this latest product module allows companies to act on the wealth of rich information gathered from a variety of sources, including Web sites, customer interactions, product sources and customer service representatives (CSRs). Chordiant also announces the immediate availability of Chordiant Automated Response and Chordiant Assisted Response, enabled by its unified knowledge management system.The value of the Chordiant offering comes with its unified approach. Chordiant Knowledge System combined with the existing Chordiant Unified CRM Solution, allows companies to provide highly customized responses to inquiries based on a combination of knowledge and information unique to each individual customer, such as transactional history, behavioral information, customer preferences and demographic data. Chordiant’s integrated approach also ensures that responses to individuals are consistent with standardized business policies implemented across entire organizations. By acting on a combination of structured and unstructured data, the unified solution allows companies who rely on CRM to bolster customer retention and build long-term profitable relationships with customers, to make the most of the increasing number of “informational inquiries” made via online self-service applications. According to Chordiant CEO and chairman Sam Spadafora, “If the success of your business depends on building long-term relationships with large numbers of customers, a combined approach blending product information and rich customer data is called for. Every customer interaction is an opportunity to exceed individual customer expectations, retain individual customers and build lifetime customer value.” Chordiant Knowledge System offers sophisticated features to optimize Web-based self-service capabilities. These include the ability to recognize users as individuals, providing access to data or “knowledge domains” relevant to each individual’s relationship with the company; the ability to learn over time what knowledge is most valuable, automatically prioritizing this knowledge each time a request is made; and the incorporation of the combined, learned knowledge of consumers, CSRs and groups of individuals or “communities.” Unlike most online knowledge portals that act independently of CRM systems, Chordiant’s approach brings together knowledge with unified customer data pulled from multiple sources including transactional systems. In addition, the flexible XML-based architecture inherent in Chordiant Knowledge System enables ease of integration with Chordiant Workflow Server and Chordiant Foundation Server. Chordiant Workflow Server delivers a set of processes and procedures to allow companies to implement business processes unique to the needs of their organization, marketing strategies and customer base. Chordiant Foundation Server provides Chordiant’s “single view” capability which integrates multiple sources of information, in real-time, to create unique profiles of each individual customer. The net effect is that companies can ensure that responses to inquiries are tailored according to the needs of the individual and predefined business processes. Chordiant Automated Response v2.0 Chordiant’s automated email response function, brings a new dimension to Web self-service. Thanks to integration with Chordiant Workflow Server, standardized business processes are automatically activated in response to incoming emails. Once user profile information is established based on the source of an incoming email, the content of each email message is compared against knowledge held in Chordiant Knowledge System, which utilizes templates and predefined “knowledge domains” to seek out the most appropriate answer for that individual. Responses to emails are given according to the content of each message, the unique attributes of the individual and the contents of the knowledge base, consistent with each company’s business processes. Where business processes indicate that an automated response is not appropriate, Chordiant Assisted Response is activated. The rich functionality of Chordiant’s automated email module allows companies to perform queries on the knowledge base by putting query keywords and other information into the body of an email message. Individuals can also attach documents to the email or forward relevant emails to the knowledge base to be used as data for the query, or to be automatically added to the knowledge base. Documents include memos, chat transcript, URLs, PDFs or word files. Like an email version of a “fax-back” service, when a specific knowledge item is requested by email, the knowledge system will obtain the item and mail it back to the individual. Chordiant Assisted Response v2.0 When Chordiant Assisted Response is triggered, Chordiant Knowledge System will automatically route customer emails to an appropriate CSR who will provide response according to an individual’s user profile – again, based on the source of the incoming email. CSRs have access to different “knowledge domains” within the system via portals embedded in Chordiant’s desktop application - Chordiant Live Response. For VIP customers for example, CSRs can be empowered to significantly improve the timeliness and quality of responses to complex questions regarding tailored insurance policies, equity funds or mortgage offerings. In the same way, existing customers will receive different treatment than anonymous customers. In addition, the learning capabilities of the knowledge system give CSRs the ability to learn from each other when it comes to finding and locating the most appropriate information in the shortest time, thereby offering improved service and reducing training requirements. Since the knowledge system is integrated with Chordiant Workflow Server, CSRs have access to the precise level of service and processes they need to follow to respond. This could mean answering an inquiry, fulfilling on a service request, or completing the sale of a product. Due to the integration of its knowledge management and CRM software, the Chordiant solution also ensures that each customer transaction is captured, including those conducted via automated email or “assisted agent” response, to form part of each individual’s unique case history. In addition to increasing contact with customers, Chordiant’s unified solution ensures consistency and continuity of service across multiple touchpoints. With an even greater level of choice, consumers have access to the same information and processes, based on the same unified infrastructure, no matter how they choose to deal with the company. Additional features of Chordiant’s Knowledge System v2.0 - Advanced FAQ (frequently asked questions) functionality, giving people an easier way to find what they’re looking for on the Web. FAQs learn in real-time and are automatically ranked according to the most frequently asked question. Consumers can ask questions in plain English, or use highly flexible search criteria. Answers are given in the form of documents such as Word, text, PDF, HTML or audiovisual, as well as URL links and memos. - Web-form support allowing for inquiries, customer questions and even complaints to be easily submitted via Web forms. - Web self-service knowledge base search portals, which allow companies to provide general, public knowledge bases for anonymous users and premium controlled knowledge bases for identified (logged-in) customers and customer groups or communities with shared interests. - A Java-based “Vortex” knowledge engine, that learns over time what knowledge is most valuable and automatically favors this knowledge in the future. - Virtual knowledge domains allowing companies to provide domains, sharable over the Internet allowing business-to-business collaboration portals where individuals from multiple firms can share knowledge. For example, if an insurance or financial company has a number of large institutional customers, a separate knowledge base can be created to specifically provide information relevant to either one company or group of companies. The Chordiant Knowledge System is completely Web-based and supports interfaces via e-mail, Web browser, XML and WAP-enabled devices. The technology uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to manage domain information and end user profile data. Availability, Price and Platform Support Available for immediate delivery, pricing for Chordiant Knowledge System v2.0, Chordiant Automated Response v2.0 and Chordiant Assisted Response v2.0 licenses vary depending on the number and combination of users and servers. The Chordiant Knowledge System and Chordiant Automated Response run on the Windows NT server platform and support a variety of application platforms and data protocols. Standards supported include POP3, SMTP and XML. Browser support includes Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. The Chordiant Assisted Response runs as an optional application to the Chordiant Live Response desktop Java application. About Chordiant Software, Inc. Chordiant delivers a unified CRM solution for companies with extreme customer demands. Designed from the ground-up, Chordiant Unified CRM Solution provides a common response for customers – whether communicating by email, Web, telephone, or wireless access. It includes built-in support for voice, data and Internet integration, as well as a comprehensive workflow engine, which allows companies to implement best business practices across multiple touchpoints. Chordiant empowers high-value contacts designed to consistently retain customers, grow revenue and drive profits during every contact. The Chordiant system has been selected by several of the world’s leading consumer companies, including Lloyds TSB, Barclays Mercantile, Direct Line, General Motors, First USA Bank and Bank One International. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Chordiant maintains regional offices in Chicago, Dallas, New York, London, Amsterdam and Munich. The company’s Web site can be found at http://www.chordiant.com This press release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to customer and market acceptance of our product, deployment delays or errors associated with these products, hardware platform incompatibilities, reliance on a limited number of customers for a majority of revenue, need to maintain and enhance certain business relationships with application integrators and other parties, ability to manage growth, activities by Chordiant Software, Inc. and others regarding protection of proprietary information, release of competitive products and other actions by competitors, and economic downturns in either domestic or international markets. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “hope,” “assume,” “estimate,” “plan,” and other similar words and expressions. Chordiant and the Chordiant logo are registered trademarks of Chordiant Software, Inc. Chordiant, CCS-Customer Communications Solution, and One Click, One Call, One Customer are trademarks of Chordiant Software, Inc. All other trademarks and servicemarks mentioned are property of their respective holders. © 2000 Chordiant Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Editorial Contact: Tom Walsh Marenghi Public Relations 781-915-5000 x5021 twalsh@marenghi.com top of page |
|||