Traditional customer service functions - over the internet.

This article presents an interview with Greg Gianforte, chief executive and founder of customer relationship management (CRM) vendor RightNow Technologies Inc. Demand for CRM products has exploded in the past two years, as companies seek to get to grips with the challenges of trading across borders, languages and time zones, as well as across multiple platforms such as the web, interactive TV, and the phone. According to Gianforte, the company has more than 30 government agencies in Great Britain using the technology to manage their interactions with the public. With more and more travel retailers and service providers turning to the web as their primary outlet, they are looking at ways to improve and streamline their customer services, and in particular their question handling, which is where an effective CRM system comes to the fore. Gianforte said that Internet businesses need to make the most effective use of what staff and resources they have. He remarked that the viability of a business starts with whether the customers are happy and if they get something of benefit from the product.