RightNow Preps Service 6.0

RightNow Service 6.0 will offer full thick-client functionality in a thin client plus improved incoming workload queuing, expanded search, and support for specific service level agreements (SLAs), said Greg Gianforte, CEO of the Bozeman, Mont.-based company.

The revamped client is designed to provide one common workspace for customer service across multiple channels, Gianforte said, adding that the SLA support means users can assign SLA expectations on a customer-by-customer basis.

"If you have a platinum-level customer who needs one-hour turnaround 24x7 or another who gets four-hour turnaround, and everyone else gets eight-hour turnaround, this tracks and manages that on a client-by-client basis," he said.

The upgrade also adds an analytics engine that's tightly linked to the company's "knowledge base" that would include a history of all client interactions.

Convergys, a human-resources outsourcer, uses RightNow Service to support its customers, said Lowell Knighton, IT director at the Cincinnati-based company. "The new [user interface] and support console consolidates what used to take multiple screen paints to do in a single screen. It doesn't have to repaint every time you do something," he said.

More granularity also allows tight management of cases and processes "pre- and post-agent touch," Knighton said.

A RightNow Service application for a 50-seat call center, including two-year licensing and implementation, costs about $200,000, Gianforte said.