A voice for e-commerce: Software vendors add reality components to Web shopping

Shopping on the Web for the most part has been a solitary experience: Find the Web site, pick your item, choose your payment method and wait for the merchandise to arrive via snail mail.

Two recent software introductions, though, are threatening to change the protocol by allowing Web site owners to interact with customers through a combination of text chat and voice contact. In both cases, the companies also are targeting Internet service providers, marketing the packages as way to retain corporate Web hosting customers.

The first to hit the market is the CustomerNow package from New York-based SiteBridge Corp. The company, formerly known as SocialScience Inc., has developed a new version of CustomerNow that lets users chat with customer service representatives and browse Web pages using the same connection. CustomerNow is finding its greatest application in the financial services market and software industry. Already included on the list of clients is Business and Trade Network, Root of New York City, Safeco Mutual Funds, Web-based music retailer SoundStone.com and Tucows' eBarn site.

For most, contacting customers over the Web is old hat. Pre-qualifying customer questions and eliminating those that can be handled by a quick transmission of a frequently asked questions file is not.

"In a service and support environment, companies are very concerned with call volume and how to manage it over time," said Wendell Lansford, president of SiteBridge. "It's really a triage of service calls."

More important than providing a platform for service calls, the new software packages are finding their way into a lot of pre-sale interaction. Balisoft, a Toronto-based start-up, developed its LiveContact product with sales in mind.

"We see Internet commerce as a mall full of vending machines," said Gary Toste, senior product manager for Balisoft. "All the help available is in the FAQ files and e-mail, which many people don't use. There's little ability to build relationships. Upselling and cross-selling also is very difficult to do on the Web today."

Under Balisoft's model, the company sells the program either directly to retailers, which use it to enhance their Web sites, or ISPs, which can use the package to offer an added service on top of Web hosting. In a typical installation, the ISP will charge an additional $20 a month on top of Web hosting charges for basic service. In some cases, ISPs are contemplating providing the CSRs, who will work exclusively with customers that want to interact through a text-chat.

"We don't see it replacing e-commerce," said Toste. "We see it being an integral part of e-commerce."

On Balisoft's client list is e-trade Canada, NBTel and fashion retail Airshop. Balisoft's and SiteBridge's products let Web-based CSRs push Web pages to users while speaking with them. In addition, both can use IP voice to connect users with CSRs.

"We make it possible to use it, but right now we're not hearing a lot of demand from our customers for it," said Lansford.

However, voice capability alone may be a major factor in developing e-commerce. According to one report from Forrester Research, about 35% of Web users will not buy items off the Internet because of security concerns. IP voice gives users a more secure feeling.

Ironically, because of the application, voice quality concerns almost never enter the discussion, said Toste. "For this type of interaction, it's absolutely good enough."

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