Discount Tire Selects WiredEmpire's ReplyAgent Tool to Manage Quality Customer Relationships
8 August 2000
Discount Tire Selects WiredEmpire's ReplyAgent Tool to Manage Quality Customer Relationships
BURLINGTON, Mass. - WiredEmpire, a leading provider of on-line marketing automation software and services for e-business, and a majority-owned subsidiary of Marketing Services Group, Inc. , an Internet and integrated marketing services industry leader, announces that Discount Tire Co., Inc, the largest independent national tire retailer, has selected WiredEmpire's ReplyAgent tool to enhance its on-line customer care effort.Discount Tire Co., Inc is the largest independent brick and mortar tire retailer in the country, in large part due to its commitment to improving its customer relationships. Discount Tire's Web site, www.tires.com , is designed to offer a full range of information about wheels and tires to help customers make educated decisions and purchase either on-line or at the store, which ever is more convenient.
"Our commitment to customer care has been one of the hallmarks of the success of Discount Tire in the brick and mortar world," said Travis Unwin, ebusiness solutions manager for Discount Tire.
Discount Tire recognized that by providing information to its customers on-line, it would also need to manage those relationships by responding to customer inquiries in the same rapid, accurate and courteous manner that takes place in its brick and mortar stores. After taking a look at a number of tools on the market, Discount Tire decided to tap into the powerful technology behind WiredEmpire's ReplyAgent.
"By implementing ReplyAgent, we're going to be able to provide that same level of care to our on-line visitors that our traditional customers have come to expect and we will be able to do so without incorporating a major call center effort," said Mr. Unwin.
The importance of fast and accurate response to incoming Internet customer inquiries was highlighted in a recent Jupiter Communications study which showed that among 125 Web sites surveyed, 42 percent failed to respond to e-mail requests promptly or accurately, resulting in lost business opportunities and disappointed customers.
WiredEmpire's ReplyAgent automates the process of answering e-mail questions by intelligently categorizing incoming e-mail, routing it to the appropriate response team, and suggesting the most relevant response. The tool reduces costs, reduces response time and increases accuracy.
"Even for businesses that use their Web sites as an information resource, rather than for commerce, managing those customer relationships is a crucial element to the success of the business," said Shane Arnold, chief marketing officer at WiredEmpire. "Customers still have an expectation that their questions will be answered quickly and accurately, and ReplyAgent is the perfect tool to deliver on that expectation."
In addition to ReplyAgent, WiredEmpire provides a full package of integrated e-relationship tools and services for e-Business. In this package is the e-marketing suite that includes CampaignAgent, which facilitates personalized, targeted e-mail marketing campaigns to consumers, and ProfileAgent, which builds registration forms, surveys and questionnaires that can be used for a variety of applications including market research, customer/visitor/product registration, product promotions, and sweepstakes programs.
About WiredEmpire
WiredEmpire is a subsidiary of Marketing Services Group, Inc. . Major stockholders in MSGi include GE Capital and CMGi, Inc. WiredEmpire provides marketing automation solutions aimed at creating and cultivating customer relationships through personalized on-line campaign management. WiredEmpire's solutions leverage a centralized customer database to track, store, generate and make actionable all customer touch-points. The company stresses opt-in participation to ensure privacy.
About MSGi
Marketing Services Group, Inc. is a leader in the Internet and integrated marketing services industries. MSGi revenues have grown from $16 million in fiscal 1996 to more than $200 million on an annualized basis. GE Capital and CMGi are significant shareholders of the Company, with ownership interests of 16% and 9%, respectively.
MSGi has two business divisions, The Internet Group and The Direct Group. MSGi Direct provides integrated marketing services across all mediums. The Internet Group's primary focus is WiredEmpire and its Marketing Agent technology, providing Internet marketing, e-commerce applications, Web development and hosting, on-line ad sales and consulting. The Group's strategic objective continues to focus on acquiring, investing in and incubating Internet companies. MSGi Direct, which will continue to leverage the synergies across all its companies in marketing and technology, provides strategic planning, creative, direct marketing, database marketing and management, telemarketing, telefundraising, print production, mailing and media planning and buying.