ClickSoftware Adds Customer Interaction Management Capabilities to ServiceOptimization Suite
13 Janeiro 2009 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
New ClickContact Solution Drives Customer Satisfaction While
Reducing Operational Costs BURLINGTON, Massachusetts, January 13
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd.
(NasdaqCM: CKSW), the leading provider of mobile workforce
management and service optimization solutions, today announced the
launch of ClickContact, a new solution for customer interaction
management and the newest addition to the Company's
ServiceOptimization Suite. ClickContact offers a number of
out-of-the-box features to help service organizations improve
customer service by facilitating better communication with
customers. Starting with appointment booking, the solution enables
service organizations to offer customers the option of self-service
appointment booking via the Internet, which allows customers to
choose the medium by which they interact with the service
organization. This puts more control over the service experience in
the customer's hands from the start. Once an appointment is booked,
either online or by phone, ClickContact enables the service
organization to send customers automatic notifications-including
confirmations, updates, etc.-via email, text or voice messaging-and
to proactively keep in touch with the customer regarding the
expected time of arrival of the technician to the service location.
By providing this type of communications, service organizations
show they respect their customers' time. With updates provided by
ClickContact, service organizations can offer their customers
smaller appointment windows, and customers are no longer "chained"
to the service location waiting for the service technician to
arrive. The real-time updates mean that customers can do whatever
they need to do away from the service location and arrive just in
time to meet the technician. In addition to appointment booking,
ClickContact enables customers to reschedule or cancel appointments
that are no longer scheduled for a convenient time. These
appointment management capabilities enable customers to change
their appointments as many times as they need to without the hassle
or time cost of having to wait on hold to speak with a service
representative each time. While contributing immensely to the
quality of service, ClickContact also offers efficiency gains by
reducing the number of staff at contact centers. "Offering
self-service appointment booking with automatic follow-up
capabilities is a highly effective way to manage the tension
between keeping operating costs low and customer satisfaction
high," said Hannan Carmeli, President & Chief Operating Officer
at ClickSoftware. "In today's do-it-yourself culture, providing
self-service capabilities is viewed as a value add by customers,
while it enables the service organization to reduce its overhead
costs. And we also give customers more visibility into the whole
process. With ClickContact we give the service industry the real
time monitoring that customers have long enjoyed in tracking the
delivery of physical goods, such as Internet purchases and mail,"
he added. The seamless integration with all other ClickSoftware's
products offers two unique advantages over other solutions, be they
purchased or home grown. First, real time data obtained from hand
held and GPS devices are automatically integrated so that the
estimates for arrival time are a combination of where the
technician currently is in his daily schedule, as well as last
minute updates regarding his location or traffic conditions. This
enables the service organization to provide a more accurate
estimated arrival time. Second, the cost of deployment and on-going
cost of ownership is greatly reduced since all products are built
on the same databases and software infra-structure. This is true
whether a company is looking to deploy another out-of-the-box
solution or build a solution internally. While dramatically
improving the customer experience, and reducing staff at contact
centers, ClickContact also helps a service organization cut down on
the number of customer "no-shows" that require a costly second
visit to the client location to complete a work order. "There are
many reasons why a customer would not be at the service location
when the field technician arrives," said Carmeli, "but they all
result in the same thing-the need for a second visit. This repeat
visit comes at a cost to the service organization, and these costs
add up quickly. By facilitating better communication between the
customer and the service organization before the time of service,
customers are happier, more informed about the upcoming visit and
more likely to be present at the service location. Costly customer
no-shows, therefore, can be greatly reduced." The last component of
the ClickContact offering is the ability to automatically send
customer satisfaction surveys immediately following service in
order to gain important performance feedback while it is still
fresh in the customer's mind. By soliciting immediate feedback,
service organizations are more likely to get the information they
need to fine tune service offerings and improve technician
performance, both drivers of customer satisfaction. "The importance
of customer satisfaction cannot be overstated, as it can have
significant top-line implications for an organization," Carmeli
said. "Every component of ClickContact is geared toward enhancing
the customer experience in order to both improve retention rates
and attract new customers. The satisfaction surveys close the loop
on communications toward this end. From appointment booking to
post-service feedback, ClickContact provides value at every step in
the service lifecycle." About ClickSoftware ClickSoftware is the
leading provider of mobile workforce management and service
optimization solutions that create business value for service
operations through higher levels of productivity, customer
satisfaction and cost effectiveness. Combining educational,
implementation and support services with best practices and its
industry-leading solutions, ClickSoftware drives service decision
making across all levels of the organization. From proactive
customer demand forecasting and capacity planning to real-time
decision making, incorporating scheduling, mobility and
location-based services, ClickSoftware helps service organizations
get the most out of their resources. With over 100 customers across
a variety of industries and geographies, and strong partnerships
with leading platform and system integration partners ClickSoftware
is uniquely positioned to deliver superb business performance to
any organization. The company is headquartered in Burlington, Mass.
and Israel, with offices in Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more
information about ClickSoftware, please call (781) 272-5903 or
(888) 438-3308, or visit http://www.clicksoftware.com/. This press
release contains express or implied forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those
statements regarding future results of operations, visibility into
future periods, growth and rates of growth, and expectations
regarding future closing of contracts, receipt of orders,
recognition of revenues and deferred revenues. Such
"forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or
performance to differ materially from those projected. Achievement
of these results by ClickSoftware may be affected by many factors,
including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding
the general economic outlook, the length of or changes in
ClickSoftware's sales cycle, ClickSoftware's ability to close sales
to potential customers in a timely manner and maintain or
strengthen relationships with strategic partners, the timing of
revenue recognition, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations,
and ClickSoftware's ability to maintain or increase its sales
pipeline. The forward-looking statements contained in this press
release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including
those discussed in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in
ClickSoftware's annual report on Form 20F for the year ended
December 31, 2007 and in subsequent filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Clicksoftware is under no obligation to (and
expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its
forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Contacts: Joanna Giannotti
ClickSoftware, Inc. +1-781-272-5903 x2235 Contact: Contacts: Joanna
Giannotti, ClickSoftware, Inc., +1-781-272-5903 x2235, DATASOURCE:
ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd CONTACT: Contacts: Joanna Giannotti,
ClickSoftware, Inc., +1-781-272-5903 x2235,
Copyright