Call Interactive Launches Suite of Customer Care Products - Brief Article

Information Superhighways Newsletter, May, 2001

Call Interactive, a subsidiary of e-commerce and payment services leader, First Data Corp., and a pioneer in automated customer care solutions, launched the Call Interactive (CI) EasyServe suite of customer service products.

Designed to automate even complex customer service functions, CI EasyServe products feature next-generation technology for phone and Web access. In early applications, these products have dramatically increased the number of calls satisfied start-to-finish in the interactive voice response (IVR) environment, pared call lengths by as much as 50 percent and provided consistent customer support at a reduced cost.

The Call Interactive multi-channel approach allows customers to access the advanced functionality of the CI EasyServe products through both touch-tone and conversational speech recognition technology. Through advanced Web integration technology, Call Interactive clients are able to use one database for both Web and IVR customer service solutions.

Call Interactive is introducing EasyServe products for a number of key industries:

- Brokerage industry -- With CI MarketTalk, brokerage firms can offer their customers voice access to everything from real-time stock quotes, trade execution, and advisories to account information. The CI MarketTalk advanced speech technology utilizes powerful voice response software from Nuance.

- Financial industry -- CI CardServe products move into new territory, automating complex customer service functions for card issuers. These products handle everything from charge disputes and lost or stolen card reports to card replacement requests. The multi-channel environment integrates phone and Web technology with applications that utilize touch-tone and advanced speech technology.

- Insurance industry -- CI BenefitServe offers comprehensive automated customer care services for providers, patients, and employers. This flexible Call Interactive product is revolutionizing concepts of customer service in the insurance industry with automated response mechanisms that speed FastFax provider lists to patients, provide instant answers to questions of eligibility, and offer up-to-the minute claims status information -- all without the help of a live operator.

All CI EasyServe products are packaged solutions, which makes them ready for implementation in record time. In addition, these products are modular so that new features can be added easily.

Call Interactive has been a provider of customer service products since the 1980s. Although not originally branded as CI EasyServe, Call Interactive's automated customer care solutions historically served clients in industries as diverse as telecommunications, food products, and financial services. Today, its EasyServe customer service products eclipse the functionality of the in-house systems that many companies rely on for customer service support.