UniPress' FootPrints Drives Self-service Initiatives (email this article)

Edison, NJ (October 27, 2005) – UniPress® Software, Inc., a leading mid-market provider of web-based service desk automation software, today announced that a large component of its 2,000-plus customers are using FootPrints® 100% web-based service desk’s built-in self-service online to expand their service delivery options for both customers and employees, enabling them to provide service and support 24/7 throughout the world. FootPrints customers are finding that self-service online initiatives are enabling them to realize key benefits for their businesses, including cost reductions, increased customer retention, and substantial efficiency gains. As a result of customer adoption of self-service processes, the need to interface with live agents is reduced, freeing up resources to focus on more complex incidents and manage larger volumes of requests. (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies)

According to an industry report, delivering self-service options to employees and customers can significantly impact an organization’s bottom-line. Forrester Research indicates that 92 percent of customer interactions go through call centers at an average cost of $6.17 per incident, while self-service interactions costs less than $2. This is a cost savings of 67 percent.

Getting self-service “right” means organizations have to create a process that empowers customers with useful resources that they, and agents will easily adopt. The self-service system must be easy-to-use and enable people to access knowledge quickly. FootPrints offers organizations a comprehensive, integrated set of tools to deliver self-service online, manage support solutions, manage two-way email, and manage all incoming requests from multiple communications channels.

FootPrints customers use self-service online to provide support in several ways. One method is to empower their customers with the ability to easily search FAQs online to find solutions to their problems and incidents, using just a browser. A second method is to provide “assisted self-service” where customers contact agents by phone to submit a request and agents guide customers through the self-service system to show them where a solution can be found and how to access it for their next interaction. With FootPrints, customers can submit requests for assistance via the web, email, and live chat, while tracking the status of their requests online using the FootPrints system tied to an organization’s web site. Customers can also request live eSupport to interact with a live agent. Organizations can automate “status alerts” via email to customers and agents advising them of the status of their requests and what’s being done to resolve them.

The FootPrints Customer eService Portal offers organizations a simplified, highly customizable single frame customer portal that’s embedded within an organization’s existing web site. This portal can be configured with an organization’s own look and style – without any programming. In addition, users do not have to log in to access self-service online.

FootPrints’ fully customizable knowledge management capabilities include the ability to create multiple solutions knowledge libraries, allowing organizations to publish more simplified, public solutions knowledge for customers, and more in-depth internal solutions for agents in separate knowledge bases. Links can be set up to access external, public knowledge bases as well, such as Google™ Groups or Microsoft® TechNet., import content, or link to solutions from other FootPrints projects. FootPrints also offers the ability to design, distribute, and manage customer satisfaction surveys enabling organizations to keep a pulse on their support effectiveness.

FootPrints provides organizations with centralized, multichannel problem and incident tracking, ,workflow and business rule automation, self-service online, two-way email management, knowledge management, service level management, automated reporting, and customer surveys. FootPrints’ signature ease-of-use, web-based, “on-the-fly” customization without any programming, and multiple project capabilities allow organizations to optimize service and support operations and other business-critical processes.

“Among our 2,000-plus customers, we are seeing organizations of all sizes embrace FootPrints for self-service initiatives,” said Mark Krieger, President of UniPress Software. “By integrating FootPrints’ self-service online and knowledge management features into their existing processes, employees and customers have access to a broad range of information to resolve issues when they need it, without waiting for or relying on an agent.”

About UniPress Software, Inc.
Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, UniPress Software, Inc. is a developer of web-based service desk automation software serving the mid-market, as well as large and small organizations. The company’s FootPrints® product line, launched in 1996, provides a comprehensive range of capabilities to significantly improve help desk and customer support operations, and is used worldwide by over 2,000 corporate organizations, government offices, and educational institutions, including Prudential Financial®, BHP Billiton® Petroleum, IBM®, Kampgrounds of America, Hunter Fan Company®, the IRS, and the University of Pennsylvania. UniPress’ FootPrints software is available in numerous versions, along with add-on tools and best-of-breed integrations. The company also offers a complete line of product and best practices training courses and professional services. For more information, contact UniPress Software at 1-800-222-0550, or via the web at http://www.unipress.com.

UniPress® Software and FootPrints® are Registered Trademarks of UniPress Software, Inc. All other trademarks are registered trademarks of their respective owners.