One of the least glamorous ways to use the Internet to improve your business is in the customer service department. But it's also one of the most effective. Given the current economic climate, keeping customers satisfied cost effectively is paramount. So it came as no surprise last month when Fortune Small Business magazine reported that 39% of survey respondents say the reason for their Web sites is to "improve customer service," versus only 2% in 2000. Further, an Information Week survey found that more than 90% of business technology executives placed "improving customer service" as a top priority for the remainder of 2007.

For the first time, consumers in Internet-connected households are paying more of their bills online than by paper check, according to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive & Marketing Workshop. The 2007 Consumer Bill Payment Survey showed that, for the first time, online bill payments exceeded bill payments made by paper check among online households.

Customer support software is undergoing a significant change that corresponds with changing needs in the customer support industry. Traditionally, call center employees have relied on call tracking logging software to do their jobs. However, the increasing complexity of products, vastly expanded customer bases (and corresponding increases in the number of calls support centers handle) and rising costs on just about everything have conspired to keep call centers from becoming profit centers.