Microsoft Updates Hosted Customer Service PlatformMicrosoft Updates Hosted Customer Service Platform

Microsoft is demonstrating an updated version of its natural language search tool for automated customer service, due to be made available this summer.The Automated Service Agent (ASA) is positioned as a less expensive alternative to attended customer service that addresses the flaws of conventional automated service. "Where ASA falls is right in the middle," said Clinton Dickey, Microsoft director of program management, during a presentation at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco.

"We see this as offering a lot of advantages over FAQs or keyword searches," Dickey continued. "When you have an FAQ, a customer still has to go through the a long list of possibilities to get the answer, if they get it at all....The beauty of ASA is that it can ask questions in natural ways and will link answers from a knowledge base that expands over time." Dickey demonstrated the difference by asking ASA, "How much is Xbox Live?" and getting exact pricing in response.

In July, Microsoft plans to introduce an ASA software development kit, which will allow partners and customers to build their own applications.Infoworld, CNET News