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Event
Summary
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IslandData, a leading provider of automated
response technology for the online customer service market, announced
that it has signed Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE - news), the fourth
largest desktop software company in the world, as a customer of IslandData's
ExpressResponse, a commercial service that automates the process of quickly
reading and responding to end user e-mail and web support requests.
Market
Impact
Adobe
is a well-known software manufacturer who produces common desktop utilities
and applications such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Page Maker
Plus and Adobe PhotoShop. Adobe's support site receives approximately
1.3 million client inquiries per month and has been in need of an automated
response system to decrease escalating support costs. To alleviate the
burden of manual responses to end users needs and concerns, Adobe has
selected IslandData's e-mail automated response system.
IslandData's
response system has met Adobe's needs through automated response systems,
which takes less than 10 seconds to address a user's inquiry in addition
to a dramatic decrease in cost. However, if a question requires support
beyond the automated response system it is forwarded directly to the web
support personnel. The system has reduced the web support team's manual
responses by over 50% and has improved advanced support turn around time
to less than 24 hours, where in the past it would take up to 14 days.
Cisco
introduced a similar e-mail consumer management system called the Cisco
eMail Manager. The Cisco product has a leg up on IslandData due to name
recognition and corporate viability. However, Cisco's product is not inexpensive
at $1500 (USD) per seat, which should give IslandData some breathing space
to grow.
The
e-mail response market is growing rapidly to accommodate the response
needs of both online shoppers and individuals seeking a quick resolution
to their question. The following chart indicates the growth of e-mail
impacting the Internet on a yearly basis. The net result is that demand
for automated client-communication technology is strong and growing. (Chart
Source: IDC)
User
Recommendations
Chances
are that Adobe has an automated response to meet your specific need and
question, if so you should receive an automated response in under a minute
(depending on the speed of your mail system and Internet connection).
If your question is of a more complex nature a "real person" will respond
to your needs within 24 hours.
The
implementation of IslandData's response system is a win-win situation
for both Adobe and end users. For Adobe, there is a dramatic decrease
in support operating costs coupled with a more satisfied user base, resulting
in what Adobe hopes will be increased sales. For the end user, support
for your installed Adobe products has become faster and easier. If you
have not taken advantage of Adobe's web based support system, give it
a look, we believe you will be pleasantly surprised.
IslandData's
automated response technology is applicable not only to vendor support
web sites, but also to large on-line retailers. Organizations such as
Amazon and Egghead.com interact with thousands of users a day, and the
key to customer retention is attention via communication. A vendor's or
retailer's client base can easily go elsewhere on the Internet to conduct
their transactions, making an investment in automated communication technology
an imperative.