Given this fragmentation, it is no surprise that it is challenging to coordinate marketing, sales and customer service across Web, brick-and-mortar and call center operations.

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This formula has worked for RightNow.com, which promises to cut your call-center costs with a Web-hosted service.

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From my experience, there are a few good ways to do that: make online self-service links prominent on your website and always offer them anywhere you provide your customer support number, integrate online help throughout key processes, promote Web and self-service resources in telephone hold messages, let call center agents notify customers of self-service options, and reply to email questions with the link to self-service content to re-enforce self-service availability.

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