911solutions.com's web-based technologies and service offerings are allowing online companies to add in what's always been the core of customer service: the human touch.

Why all the effort? Industry research shows that perhaps only 30 percent of shopping transactions started online are completed. Even fewer people who visit a site even try to make a purchase. To thrive, Internet companies that spent millions on developing content and marketing new Web sites must now invest in turning browsers into buyers.

"Excelling in customer service is going to be even more important now, as there are more customers shopping online who are less comfortable with making an online purchase," says Melissa Shore, an analyst at Jupiter Communications.

Web-enabled customer support is reducing selling costs for some Web vendors, for example, by compressing many exchanges along the shopping experience into a single, human-assisted transaction. And it's boosting sales for other vendors by linking online customers with live vendor reps who can cross-sell and upsell.

Many Web sites offer shoppers automated help, such as self-guides and e-mail, but an April survey by Jupiter found that many online shoppers want some degree of human contact - especially when they're buying a complex product or service. Our newest innovations in Web-based customer support give customers the closest thing to "face time" in solutions that cluster around real-time interaction.

How it works:

One trend is the use of Click Help button throughout the client's site. The icon, lets customers click on it to relay a request for assistance back to the 911solutions.com's service center. There, a customer service operator initiates a secure one-on-one text chat with the user. Your customer is unaware that the application rests on a third-party server. The customer doesn't have to leave the site, as the chat takes place in a freestanding window on the screen.

Live Internet chat approximates an in-store experience for online shoppers. Customers want answers to their questions right way. Imagine how it would be if you walked into a store and had questions, but there was no one there to respond. You'd walk out of there.

911solutions.com's technology keeps Web shoppers from "walking out" with a Click Help icon that lets them chat online with service reps about what they're both seeing as they browse the site together. The cost? There's an initial $400 setup charge and an additional charge of $200 per month for each rep used to maintain satisfactory support service levels on the site. So far, some 40 online merchants and service providers have integrated 911solutions.com's technology into their Web sites.

Before using our service, 80 percent of some of our clients orders came through their 800 call center. People would see the Web site and then call the 800 number. With our live help links through the Web site, they were able to reduce the phone calls to zero.

The competition:

Net Effect Systems, which counts Yahoo's GeoCities and SBC Internet Services among its customers, enables commerce sites to create a service delivery system that answers shoppers in real time and offers suggestions to them. Pricing for a full implementation starts at $50,000.

In summary:

Effective customer service is not just good back-office management. Over time, in most industries the long-term differentiator is the quality of care you provide. So, far from being a cost center, customer service is a strategic weapon for business. Contact us today and turn browsers into buyers. Our solutions works with all standard browsers including Netscape versions 3.0 to 4.6 and Internet Explorer versions 3.0 to 5.0. It will also work with AOL versions 3 and 4.