Powered by the Microsoft Lync platform, SmartChat offers live, presence-enabled chat via the web, connecting business and support representatives with their online customers.

SmartChat for Microsoft Lync provides live web chat connecting the Microsoft Lync client application with online web visitors. It does this through a Microsoft Silverlight and Lync Server presence-enabled chat client integrated with innovative customer support and CRM tools with line-of-business application plug-ins created easily using Microsoft Visual Studio.

This solution brief is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published October 2010


Business Needs

Today, many organizations take advantage of web chat applications to support their online web visitors. These applications make basic online chat possible between representatives and the web visitor to offer customer service or support. With these applications, organizations can provide agent response systems, reporting, queues, and online web visitor interaction via a web client.

Solution

SmartChat is a live web chat solution that meets exactly what customers need today. It also provides a massive savings on what organizations spend today for existing web chat applications by offering a lower total cost of ownership and a good return on investment by integrating web chat with the Microsoft Lync platform.

By providing the latest innovation in online web chat, organizations can now offer more than basic web chat to their online web visitors. Now, through SmartChat, they can provide true presence-enabled chat solutions, advanced routing, compliance and agent-based reporting. More importantly, organizations are able to equip their representatives with a full suite of out-of-the-box and customizable customer service and support tools through the SmartChat for Microsoft Lync client application.

Through SmartChat for Microsoft Lync, customers have access to features such as:

  • Live, presence-enabled webchatclient application, powered by the Microsoft Silverlight browser plug-in and with no software to install for online web visitors.
  • Administrative Console, whichprovidesSmartChat agent management, supervisor tools, agent queues and routing management, and reporting.
  • SmartChat application extension for the Microsoft Lync client, whichoffers application sharing, co-browsing, Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration, customer tracking, customer profile information, user mapping, and location services. It also provides a plug-in development suite to create additional line-of-business application integration to better equip the SmartChat agent.
  • Translator-aware and language-aware solutions to help them better support their own customers at a fraction of the cost of the systems they have deployed today.

With SmartChat, Microsoft United Communications customers can offer customer support and service via the web without having to roll out new client software. And because they are familiar with the Microsoft United Communications client application, customer services representatives, or call center agents need no additional training.

Benefits

By implementing SmartChatfor Microsoft Lync,businesses can reduce costs and improve customer support. Benefits include the following:

  • With SmartChat for Microsoft Lync, customers no longer have to rely on expensive contact center, call center, and hosted web-based live chat applications that drain an organization’s budget.SmartChat agents can support their customers from any location based on remote user connectivity provided through the Lync platform. As a result, businesses save money by eliminating office expenses and travel. What’s more, SmartChat compliance and reporting features save money by making timelier and more efficient customer support possible.
  • SmartChat agents have the information they need to best support their online web visitors through more than basic web chat.Through SmartChat, agents are provided with visitor and customer profiling, integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM for customer record management and history, and application sharing. They also have access to other popular customer support and service tools and resources to provide the most innovative customer support solution via the web as well as internal support available through an IT help-desk solution.
  • By using the SmartChat plug-in interface, additional line-of-business applications can be integrated easily into the SmartChat for Microsoft Lync client application so SmartChat agents can better service their online web visitors by linking CRM, ERP, customer service, and IT help-desk applications.
  • Online web visitors can connect from any browser to interact with SmartChat agents through a live web chat application powered by Microsoft Silverlight.Features including instant messaging, application sharing, co-browsing, and additional line-of-business application functionality help ensure the highest level of customer support.

This solution brief is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published October 2010