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			Business Research: Customer Performance Vendor Research: AIM Technology, Chordiant, Ciboodle, Cincom, Cisco Systems, ClickFox, CustomerSat, eglue, Enkata, Envision, Genesys Telecommunications Lab, HardMetrics, Informiam, Inova Solutions, InQuira, Intelligent Results, KnoahSoft, KomBea, Merced Systems, NICE Systems, Oracle, Portrait Software, Queplix, ResponseTek, Responsys, RightNow, Salesforce.com, SAP, Symmetrics, Tealeaf, thinkAnalytics, Verint, VPI, Witness Systems, Aspect
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Summary
For years, companies have been trying to add intelligence to the way their contact centers interact with customers. Initially, they deployed tools to route inbound calls more intelligently; recently, as centers have begun to handle multiple forms of communication, they extended this to route all forms of communication through the same platform and rules. Genesys goes a step further with a product named intelligent Customer Front Door (iCFD), which uses customer profile information to decide the most-likely best action for each interaction. It can be integrated with the latest voice recognition software and interactive voice response (IVR) systems enabled with speech or video to make the interaction safer (by using voice recognition to identify the customer) and more intuitive for customers to use. Although some of the advanced voice-enabled features may not be practical for most companies, Ventana Research recommends that companies investigate iCFD to see whether it can help them make the handling of interaction more intelligent, and make interactions more personalized.

Assessment
The first call centers relied on automatic call distributors (ACDs) to route calls according to the number the customer dialed. This was followed by the development of call-routing software that took into account the available agents and their skills. After that, companies began to front their centers with IVR to help identify the customer and the type of issue, again as an aid to deciding where to route the call. Each of these developments made the handling of interactions more intelligent.

Genesys has built iCFD on the foundation of these developments as well as the move to voice over the internet (VoIP)-based contact centers and the development of a voice-enabled version of eXtensible Markup Language (VoiceXML). It is a software-based engine that uses business rules to decide the next action that should be taken when handling a customer interaction. The engine is integrated with a database of all available customer information, including his or her profile, propensities, lifetime events and recent interactions through any channel. This data can be assembled from various sources, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) system, a billing system, the customer’s call history and Web-based interactions. Using the rules and this data source, iCFD decides whether to route the interaction to automated customer self-service or a live agent, and customizes the information presented at the next point of interaction; for example, an agent might be prompted to inquire whether the person is calling to resolve an issue that the data shows first occurred in a Web interaction. In this way the system can produce a more personalized experience shaped by the customer’s previous behavior.

Once the system has been set up, a trained business user can change the rules in real time to reflect new business or operational circumstances. For example, if queue times lengthen beyond set limits, more calls than usual could be diverted to automated self-service, using each customer’s profile as a basis for diverting lower-priority customers and passing high-priority customers to an agent.

Genesys iCFD can work in conjunction with other recent developments in voice-enabled technologies. These include voice recognition software that can identify the caller without requiring him or her to enter any information and voice-enabled IVR that can identify the most likely option instead of automatically offering the usual string of options. For cutting-edge companies, iCFD can also be integrated with video-enabled IVR so users of smart cell phones can see the options on their handset and make a selection using speech input.

Market Impact
Our benchmark research in customer experience management shows that many companies recognize that they are not handling customer interactions very well, and consumer research done for Genesys confirms that consumers want more personalized service. This combination of insights suggests that there is a place for iCFD. However, our previous benchmark research into intelligent call routing shows that few companies have yet to take advantage of the latest features offered in products such as those already offered by Genesys. So although many companies will grasp the concept, we question how many will have the vision to actually act on it. For those that do, we forecast a bright future.

Recommendation
In a difficult economy, companies have to compete harder for the money customers are reluctant to spend, and a good tactic is to improve customer service by focusing more on the customer’s experience. Various vendors say their products will help companies do this. Ventana Research believes that iCFD is unique, and we recommend that companies include it in the products they evaluate for initiatives to improve the way they interact with customers. They may not need all the voice- and video-enabled enhancements, which are likely to attract only a small number of innovative companies. But the core capabilities of iCFD can provide an edge to companies that see how to use them, and the bells and whistles may well offer a growth path as they mature.