Seeing the e-services big picture: online self-service can pay huge dividends, but requires more than simple automation.(INNOVATIVE IDEAS FROM THE MULTIMEDIA CONTACT CENTER SOLUTIONS EXPERTS: A Special Editorial Series Sponsored by Interactive Intelligence) From: Customer Interaction Solutions | Date: August 1, 2005| Author: | COPYRIGHT 2005 Technology Marketing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

"Emerging self-service technologies, such as automated e-mail response, natural language search and knowledge taxonomies, will improve specific aspects of the automation process. Other technologies such as text chat, voice over IP, 'call me back' requests, customer support automation and basic application integration will ease technology integration."

At least that's how the analysts at Gartner, Inc. viewed e-services back in December 2002, having conducted a study on the customer self-service movement. And though automation taking over for contact center agents was still in ...