Telecom readies chat, virtual hold as NGT rollout nears

Telecom is preparing to introduce a slew of new customer service technologies leading-up to the deployment of its new Siebel-based customer relationship management system next year.

Russell Stephens, Telecom's head of channel planning and operations for Telecom Retail says the company is investing $6 million to $8 million this year to deploy new technologies based around its Genesys call centre software as well as contextual web chat sessions on Telecom's website.

Web chat has been trialed in Telecom's broadband queues and will be offered if users hover over particular web pages, he says. The trial was successful and customer satisfaction was high, he says.

Web chat will be deployed in the new year for broadband and for service queries, for people hovering over FAQs pages, for instance, Stephens says. It is not offered if no agent is available to manage the session.

Also in train are two technologies based on Genesys: virtual hold and PC remote control. Virtual hold allows customers to receive a call-back at a convenient time without losing their place in a call centre queue.

Remote control will be used for service requests, to allow service agents to take control of a PC remotely, using Genesys' Motive software, provided the user accepts by installing software on their PC.

Telecom partner Alcatel-Lucent owns Genesys and Motive.

Meanwhile, Telecom Retail's CEO, Alan Gourdie, says the roll-out of the $30 million Siebel-based Next Generation Telecom (NGT) system is on track. fifty users have been trialing the new system and this is expected to blossom into a business trial with around 2,000 users in January or February, with a full rollout scheduled for June or July 2010.

"If there are any changes to the timing it will be a business decisions, not a project decision," Gourdie says.

NGT replaces Telecom's existing IBM ICMS customer system and will deliver improved online self service and increased ability to analyse customer data among other benefits, he says.