Oracle Puts Customer Care Online, Creating Global Virtual Support

ByDoug Bartholomew Just about anything can be accessed over the Web, so why not customer care? Actually, it's the Oracle Corp. suite of customer-care software applications that are now available online. Global accessibility of the software eliminates the need for companies to worry about making centralized customer information available to anyone who interacts with a customer. Called Support.Oracle.com, it can be accessed at www.support.oracle.com and is initially being offered at no charge. Based on the customer care applications of the Oracle E-Business Suite, the online service offers comprehensive support functions from initial problem tracking through resolution. Customer care representatives will be able to create and manage service requests, review tasks, and search for resolutions to many different kinds of service inquiries. "With Support.Oracle.com, Oracle is enabling companies to operate a 24x7, 'follow the sun' service model," says Mark Barrenechea, senior vice president for applications development at Oracle, in Redwood Shores, Calif. "It allows companies to consolidate their support data and makes it accessible to support agents around the world, virtually eliminating the need for companies to construct and manage physical support centers."