With Microsoft Customer Care Framework, call center operators can help improve customer service and reduce costs by decreasing average call times, eliminating redundant data requests, and delivering better information faster to call center agents, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft Customer Care Framework integrates with service providers" existing customer relationship management systems, operations support systems and business support systems, providing a unified platform that consolidates disparate applications and automates contact center workflow, the company said.

Microsoft is targeting service providers with the new product initially, but noted that it is also applicable to any business whose call center operations represent a significant part of its operations.

Bottom Line Impact

"Contact centers are a crucial customer service function for telecommunications service providers -- or any enterprise that has direct contact with a large customer base, for that matter," said Maria Martinez, corporate vice president of the Communications Sector at Microsoft.

"Because customer service satisfaction directly impacts the bottom line, businesses need a solution that improves call center efficiency , reduces operational costs and integrates seamlessly with back-office systems," she noted.

Based on Microsoft .NET technology and Web services architecture, Microsoft Customer Care Framework is easy to implement, integrate and deploy, the company said. It works in conjunction with a suite of products, including Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.

In addition, Web services enable multiple data sources and applications to be accessed simultaneously, increasing overall call center productivity and improving the quality of customer service, the company noted.

"To remain competitive, today's communications service provider has to successfully and cost-effectively manage a complex system of customer service applications and databases," said Sanjay Mewada, vice president of Yankee Group.

"As CSPs roll out new services and seek greater customer-centricity, they need a unified platform that brings together different applications and automates contact center workflow, which will result in increased efficiency and improved customer satisfaction," he added.

Data Integration

Initially designed to address the requirements of service providers, Customer Care Framework currently is being deployed by Primus Telecom Australia.

"With its Customer Care Framework, Microsoft offers a solution that links key systems and information, which will enable us to streamline call center operations and, in turn, improve customer response times," said Robert Iftime, software development manager at Primus Telecom Australia.

Because Microsoft Customer Care Framework is able to bring together data from different types of applications within a single user interface, it holds appeal for large enterprises in other industries, such as financial services, retail and communications, Microsoft said.

System integrator Accenture Ltd., independent software vendors CosmoCom Inc., Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc. and Telution Inc., and industry partner Mahindra-British Telecom are adopting the system to improve their own customer care offerings, Microsoft added.