With a focus on the technology behind the helpdesk, Fused Solutions provides an outsourced support offering that can be implemented either on its own or in tandem with an ISP's in-house solution.

by Jeff Goldman [May 19, 2004]

Fused Solutions is a subsidiary of the 102-year-old Nicholville Telephone Company in northern New York. In 1996, Nicholville Telephone founded an ISP called St. Lawrence Internet Corporation, or SLIC. A few years later, SLIC decided to create its own in-house technical support division. In 2002, that division became Fused Solutions.

In the time since the creation of Fused Solutions as a separate entity, the company has focused on improving the technology behind its support services. "We were in need of some trouble ticket and CRM tools, and we looked around in the market and didn't see anything that would service our needs," says Mark Cornett, the company's President and General Manager.

Fused Solutions (877) 754-2998 sales@fusedsolutions.com

The company's proprietary system, KnowPlex, is now also available for use by other service providers and call centers. "We have gone from being strictly a service bureau to a solution provider," Cornett says. "We can look at a customer care function and provide solutions that are comprised of both software tools and our call center services."

Shared platform
The aim, Cornett says, is not to serve simply as an outsourcer, but to work in partnership with the ISP. "A typical example is a client who has an eight-to-five in-house helpdesk to support their clients, and they would like to expand that service period to 24/7 and would also like to upgrade their helpdesk/CRM platform and knowledge base," he says.

In that situation, Fused Solutions deploys the KnowPlex product as a common platform between the ISP and Fused Solutions. "We can then divide up the 24/7 time period any way we like," Cornett says. "They can keep their daytime staff in place and give us evenings and weekends, or in some cases we'll handle the residential community while our clients handle the commercial customer base."

Key to the KnowPlex system is Fused Solutions' online knowledge base, which is available to Level 1 agents in a diagnosis tree and to Level 2 and 3 agents on a more free-form basis. "We've distilled, from probably half a million trouble tickets over the years, a very robust knowledge base that comes both in an article-based format and in a scripted format," Cornett says.

Virtual agent
The scripted format is also available as the Fused Solutions Virtual Agent, which gives the end user online access to the same diagnosis tree that Level 1 agents can view. "It only reveals pertinent information as the end user needs it," says Jeffrey Yette, the company's Senior Interaction Designer. "They don't have to look through a long list of FAQs—it starts out just by asking one simple question."

The Virtual Agent application can also adjust itself to the end user's level of expertise. "It can provide more detail or less detail, provide screenshots if needed, or highlight areas on a screenshot," Yette says. "And if the content determines that the situation needs hands-on resolution from a live agent, the application can redirect the end user to a live agent."

The live agent is then able to view all of the information that the customer has already seen. "They can see everything that's already been done, so even if they haven't been able to resolve their problem, they've at least verified their contact information and have started the diagnosis process," Yette says. "If they've used Virtual Agent, then they can pick up right where they left off."

Reporting and pricing
Also included in the KnowPlex system is a web-based reporting tool. "We use it internally to manage our own operations, and we also give our clients access to that tool," Cornett says. "They can get onto a secure site to look at a variety of information. They can look at call center statistics, and they can look at any ticket-related information."

The reporting tool can also automate the conducting of periodic customer surveys. "For example, they can initiate a survey automatically at the start of every month, take a random sample of tickets, and send an email with a link to the survey tool that subscribers can then fill out—and then they can get access to that survey information through the normal reporting process," Cornett says.

Pricing for Fused Solutions' support services can be structured either by the minute or by the subscriber. The KnowPlex application is available both on a licensed and a hosted basis. If the software is purchased on a licensed basis, an annual maintenance fee gives the client access to software patches, software revisions, and technical support.

Resolving the issue
For existing call centers, the company also offers consulting services. "We can not only help existing call centers refine their operation, but we can also help a call center, from scratch, consider all of the components and functions that go into creating and maintaining a successful small to medium sized call center," says Chuck McGee, Fused Solutions' Director of Business Development and Marketing.

Peter Curran is the General Manager of Catskill Online, an ISP based in upstate New York. Catskill originally ran its own helpdesk, but switched over to Fused Solutions' service soon after it became available. "We've watched them grow from an operation where they're just answering the phones to where they've actually developed customized, specialized software for the helpdesk," Curran says.

According to Curran, the technology behind KnowPlex turned out to be the strongest argument for staying with Fused Solutions over the long term. "It shrinks down the time that they're on the call," he says. "It makes the call as minimal as possible as far as person-to-person talk time, and gets the issue resolved as quickly as possible."

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Online resources:
	Outsourced Customer Support Directory
	Quick Reference Chart