Customer service on the internet : building relationships, increasing loyalty, and staying competitive

Many companies have realized that they can substantially reduce the cost of their customer service operations by shifting from telephone-based support to Internet-based support while maintaining the high quality of their support. Explaining the latest methods in Web customer support, this text is intended for customer support managers, marketing directors, and other middle managers who must determine their company's Internet strategy. It covers the technical and strategic issues, provides a cost/benefit analysis, and makes recommendations as to what type of information a company should make available and in what form. Other topics covered include: managing your corporation's image; managing the look and function of your Web site to encourage customer interaction; organizing your information and making it readily available; and managing online forums and answering customer questions.