What is 'customer self-service / self-management'?
Most organisations today allow customers to log in via their web site and either enter data about new orders or find out information about their account.
A classic example is a mobile phone provider: almost all major mobile phone companies allow you to enter your mobile phone number and a PIN code and see your unbilled amount and access your old mobile phone bills. They sometimes also allow you to make changes to your service such as CallerID settings. For mobile phone companies, self-service via the website reduces the number of calls they take at their call centres and allows them to provide more data to clients in a close to real-time fashion.
Our 'Tools'
We generally use MySQL as a database engine and PHP as a scripting technology, both of which are open source. This delivers a secure solution with minimal expense. It also allows you to add more functions at a later date and allows for easy integration. Using this set of technology tools, we can also integrate Asterisk based telecommunications systems with the database so customers can be verified before they speak to a customer service representative. At a later date, you can also add a customer relationship management system to your business and have it integrated with your databases.
Tell me some of the things you have already done...
One of our clients manufactures telephony related equipment from the component level. They design and manufacture completely inhouse as well as looking after their own sales channel. We have built an integrated solution that does the following:
- Allows them to track boards through the various stages of manufacturing.
- Allows them to find out which product the final board was used for.
- Allows them to find out data about the length of time between various stages of manufacturing and the number of units manufactured.
- Allows customers to register their product directly on the website.
- Allows service personnel to enter a serial number and review the entire manufacturing history of the unit including any component information entered during manufacturing.
The manufacturing control system is now being integrated with a full customer relationship management system which is being integrated with their online commerce portal which is to be released shortly. All of it is written in HTML, PHP and MySQL and have been developed for a fraction of the cost of what another package of similar capabilities would cost. Best of all, there are no ongoing fees to be paid and maintenance can be done cost effectively by a number of different companies located either here in Australia or around the world.
We are working hard to add more pages and information to this web site! But, if the meantime, you are interested in any of our services, please give us a call or drop us an email via the online form. We offer many IT related services not yet listed on our site.