RightNow improves customer behaviour analysis

Customer requests for service and support are increasingly directed to the manufacturer

On-demand customer relationship management firm RightNow Technologies today launched the latest version of its flagship software, designed to allow manufacturers to meet increasing consumer demand for an improved service experience.

The main new feature in RightNow February '09 is a product registration module which is able to capture end-user product registration data, integrate registration events with targeted marketing, and make the data available for analytics, the company said.

There is also a nudge widget which reminds customers visiting a site to register with the manufacturer.

David Vap, vice president of products at RightNow, explained that, with the rise of online stores such as Amazon, customer requests for service and support are increasingly "boomeranging" back to the manufacturer rather than the online store from where they bought the item.

The new module therefore helps these manufacturers to gain a better insight into their customers' buying behaviour, according to Vap, and ultimately increase brand loyalty by improving customer service.

"There is no major new functionality in this release because customers don't want it. They want to make their existing features work better, and [have] tools to engage better with their existing customers," he said.

"The benefit to the vendor [of the product registration tool] is that it gives powerful insight into your customers. A large number of people have asked for this feature, and the clamour just got louder."