And yet, the possibilities of customer care over the Internet are enormous, and undoubtedly, still in their infancy. The growing trend to conduct customer service and business via the Internet is being driven by a combination of cost, convenience and consumer demand. Put simply, it is estimated that it costs a bank about 65p per transaction in a brick and mortar outlet, 32p per tele- phone transaction, and 2-5p per Internet - or clicks and mortar - transaction. Companies can pass these savings on to consumers, who can browse away to their heart's content 24 hours a day.
E-business, or e-tail, can make use of a wide range of technological facilities. Consumer participation is the current trend in service delivery. Encouraging customers to participate in the service they receive allows the company or service provider to make real-time alterations on the service quality during the transaction. The Internet is the best available medium for recording and responding to consumer participation, and linked to a call centre, can provide the following benefits: The Customer contact centre: The evolution of the call centre to build relationships with its customers using the telephone, the Internet, fax, e-mail, interactive TV and video conferencing in a consistent manner.