I have written about RightNow on several occasions (see Customer Service Still Matters – Even More Than Ever, More on the Obama Campaign’s Use of the Web with RightNow and RightNow Offers New Features with August 08 Release). I recently caught up with Andrew Hull, Director of Product Marketing for an update and discussion of their latest release.  This release focused on enhancing support for multi-channel contact centers.

One new feature is agent scripting that walks agents through a call script to ensure consistent handling of customer interactions. Agent scripting includes: complex branching logic, complete control over the format and layout, ability to capture and validate data right within scripts, and an intuitive graphical user interface that lets general business users create scripts. There is a WYSWYG interface for creating these scripts. Authors can then use a mashup capability to add in other data sources such as Google maps for locations. They can also pull in legacy application data to the agent desktop via their desktop add-in framework..

Andrew said that this new capability is especially useful for new agent on-boarding in a field that still runs over 30% annual turnover. The consistency from agent scripting is even more important for highly regulated industries such as financial services. This capability is offered in an on-demand model. Here is an agent script screen.

Another new feature is guided assistance. It gives the agents more control but it delivers quick trouble-shooting capabilities through a series of questions and answers that direct agents to appropriate knowledge answers. Guided assistance can be used in combination with RightNow’s broader agent scripting capabilities. Guided assistance can model the best practices of the best agents. Here is a guided assistance screen.

In a past life I had a lot of experience with call centers and saw how more primitive versions of these features could really drive agent performance and deliver a positive ROI. We found a three-fold increase in cross selling success, significant reductions in escalations to supervisors, repeat calls, etc, when agents used the knowledge base of best practices. I can only imagine greater returns here.

 The new release also offers a desktop add-in framework. This feature allows customers and partners to easily add additional functionality to the agent desktop. The desktop add-in framework integrates applications, tools, or web services into RightNow’s On Demand Agent Desktop, streamlining many agent processes, such as: computer telephony integration (CTI), address validation, return merchandise authorization, and order processing.  All this should also address agent productivity. Here is a slide show on the new contact center capabilities.

Andrew also said that the Obama Answer Center, built on the RightNow platform, is still up and running after the election to answer transition questions. I hope it continues into the next administration as applications like these promote more public involvement in government. RightNow also confirmed that the Obama campaign completed the integration of the contact information of everyone who had connected with the campaign site into their database, creating a common database of all contacts. This was underway when we last spoke.