eGain Introduces Service 7.6

eGain Communications on Monday released the latest iteration of its self-service application, eGain Service 7.6. New features include guidance on complex customer interactions and tweaks to security, as well as additional process improvement. The changes, eGain CEO Ashu Roy told CRM Buyer, are based on either customer requests or the company's experiences in the field.

Such incremental gains in functionality -- across the self-service industry in general -- are likely to be the norm going forward, according to Gartner (NYSE: IT) research director Esteban Kolsky. "The self-service industry has matured," he said. "I don't anticipate any significant advances other than those that build on investments or product direction that has already been established."

A Wide Range

eGain Service already supported a wide range of self-service functionality, including SMS (short message service) customer service interactions, Web self-service, chat, co-browsing, e-mail, fax, postal mail support, notification management, call tracking and resolution, and service fulfillment. Version 7.6 includes enhancements to these features, as well as an upgrade to the application's customer interaction hub (CIH) platform, a scalable service management platform that the company rolled out about a year-and-a-half ago, Roy noted.

Based on J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) architecture, eGain's CIH features integration with third-party business applications, content management systems and a call center infrastructure application. The service-oriented architecture (SOA)-based platform also enables the development of custom applications.

eGain Service 7.6, which can be deployed on-demand or on-premise, includes the following new funtionality:

Self-Service

• eGain MessageCenter, which offers secure e-mail communication between the customer and the business, allowing customers to view their interactions through an authenticated Web site.

Assisted Service

• eGain Adviser, a guidance module that helps agents handle informational or transactional customer interactions. Features include contextual upsell and cross-sell, follow-on service fulfillment, and value-added advice that is compliant with regulations and corporate best practices. It also provides a user interface and integrated workflow powered by eGain's Inference reasoning engine.

• eGain CallTrack, an application that works with eGain KnowledgeAgent software for phone call logging, tracking, resolution and follow-on service fulfillment.

• eGain SME, a collaborative tool that enables reps to consult with subject matter experts (SMEs) throughout the enterprise.

• eGain SMS, a system to manage customer interactions via the increasingly popular SMS protocol.

Process Automation

• eGain AutoClassify, a process management tool that classifies and routes incoming inquiries and e-mail. It uses eGain's Inference reasoning engine to provide a more robust classification of inquiries as opposed to simple keyword matching.

• eGain AutoWorkflow, another process management tool that works with the eGain Workflow Engine and eGain Adapters to automatically execute service processes.

• eGain Notify, which helps to manage and deliver event-based reminders, alerts and updates.

• eGain Survey, for use in contact centers, e-commerce sites and customer portals to solicit and act on customer feedback.