Brightware Offers Online Service Flexibility

Internet customer-relationship management vendor Brightware Inc.moves beyond E-mail-response management this week with the release of Brightware 2000, which adds self-service and live-chat features to its product mix.

The company, which competes with CRM companies such as Kana Communications Inc. and eGain Communications Inc., had previously focused on E-mail. But Brightware 2000 will let businesses assist customers without leaving their Web sites. The centerpiece of the product is Brightware Concierge, a customer's entry point to a business on the Web. Concierge provides a place for customers to ask questions; those questions are answered automatically or forwarded to a customer-service rep. Concierge can also walk customers through buying processes, with its eRecommend and eAdvise features.

Concierge should help customers find answers more quickly, says Vince Gordon, VP of operations for SkyDesk Inc. The San Diego company, which provides online storage, is testing Brightware 2000.

With Brightware's previous E-mail product, Gordon says, service reps had to paste hyperlinks of Web-page answers into E-mails in response to questions. Brightware 2000 lets them push Web pages directly to the customer. The product can also perform automated or assisted chats through Brightware Converse, which Skydesk will implement next.

"It cuts out another level of interaction between the customer and a care desk," Gordon says, leading to faster responses and lower costs.