Motive Announces Results of Automated Phone Support Study

ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 3, 2003 -

Motive, the leading provider of service management software, today announced the results of a study on the company’s patent-pending automated phone support technology, SmartCall. Conducted by leading testing firm Perceptive Sciences and working with one of the largest North American broadband service providers, the study validates the positive impact automated phone support has on the efficiency of customer care operations and the rate with which subscribers adopt electronic support offerings.

Using SmartCall software hosted in Motive’s datacenter, the study involved customer service representatives (CSRs) as well as a significant sample of broadband subscribers. Overall, the product was measured on its ability to deflect calls, drive subscriber behavior and reduce call handle times for support issues like email and connection problems. Highlights include the following:

• 64 percent of subscribers calling for technical support solved the problem themselves without escalating to a CSR
• As a testament to the easy adoption of the technology, 89 percent of the subscribers in the study successfully generated a diagnostic code without a client installed on their computers and provided it to the SmartCall system
• With support calls that were handled by CSRs, SmartCall helped shorten average handle times by 57 percent

Automated phone support technology like SmartCall is fast becoming a requirement for broadband service providers’ customer service operations, as many subscribers still heavily rely on phone-based interactions with their providers. Recent research shows that nearly 7 of 10 broadband subscribers have called for support in the past twelve months, and 40 percent surveyed called more than once.

Kenny Van Zant, executive vice president of Motive’s Consumer Business Unit commented: “The data from our study demonstrates the enormous impact automated phone support technology can have on a provider’s business, with the potential to save millions of dollars in support costs, while offering subscribers a faster, more effective way to solve problems. The combination of adoption benefits and cost savings are unmatched by any existing support automation strategy.”

SmartCall is a key component of Motive’s Total Broadband Care solution, which includes Web-based activation and blends electronic and phone support into a comprehensive service management offering. SmartCall, which can complement any existing Web and electronic support solution, is the first software offering that enables broadband service providers to deliver automated troubleshooting and resolution via the phone to optimize manual, time intensive support interactions. SmartCall integrates with existing call center and support technologies including ACD, IVR, CTI, voice gateway, and CRM systems, and leverages industry standards such as VoiceXML. Using SmartCall, subscribers speak or enter via touchtone a unique, Motive-generated code into the phone that drives self-service guided resolution of common broadband problems. When additional help is needed, the diagnostic code is translated into a simple view that enables CSRs to identify and troubleshoot problems quickly.