BT pumps millions into customer service system

BT is to roll out an upgraded system for its online customer service after signing a multimillion dollar contract with CRM software company, RightNow.

The five year deal will see RightNow provide BT with a knowledge management system for 10,000 contact centre staff, to use when dealing with customer queries.

It will also include a system to respond to email queries more quickly and a live IM-style service for customers to have queries answered by support staff.

Information on the database can be updated in response to the kinds of questions being submitted and the answers that are given.

David Thomson, senior business director at BT Retail, said the technology means the company can offer a "superb customer experience" and keeps it ahead of the competition.

Thomson said: "The technology point is important in its own right but really the reason we're doing this is that it improves customer service for our end users."

Among the benefits of the new system will be giving call centre staff better access to customer and product information when answering queries.

The system will also improve call handling times - as information will be easier to locate - as well as increasing the rate of call queries resolved on the first call and improving customer self-help on the group's websites.

Previously, the email management and knowledge database were managed by two separate companies. RightNow provided the latter but will now take on the email management side as well.

Thomson said: "Really we want to bring [the two elements] together."

He added the bulk of the knowledge base is already in place and the migration of the email systems over to RightNow is due to be completed by the new year.