Fuze: Customers' queries help knowledge base grow

What: Fuze Digital Solutions

Who: Chuck Van Court, 49, president and co-founder

Mission: Provide companies with consistent communication with customers and employees.

Knowledge base-ist: The Fuze software system is organic in its ability to assemble and analyze customer questions. Many are answered automatically while others fall outside the obvious. Once a question is asked and answered, it becomes part of the knowledge base. Said Van Court, "The knowledge base increases naturally, based on the number of times a certain question comes up."

Just reward: The software tracks employees with a point system, rewarding them for supplying new material to the knowledge base. This can be used as either a carrot or a stick; requiring the accumulation of a certain number of points in a job description or rewarding those who increase their projections with free vacation days or cash bonuses, for example. Points also can be used with customers, supplying prizes such as an iPod or vacation.

Employees: Eight

Financials: The private company says it's cash-flow positive and profitable. For more than 100 recurring customers, it offers services on a lease basis or sells outright to those with their own server infrastructures. "We have never taken venture money," Van Court said.

Instant gratification: A Fuze-sponsored survey about e-mail expectations found that a majority of people expect an answer within four hours. Faster responses earn goodwill, while slower ones can permanently sour customer relations. "People have expectations about how long they should have to wait," Van Court said. "If you take too long, they won't come back."

Question of balance: "In these economic times, companies are doing everything they can to hang on to their existing customers," Van Court said. "When a company can provide great customer service, it can operate more effectively and profitably."

— Charles Bermant