More than almost any time in the past, customer loyalty in the 1990s turns on customer service. And almost no technology has provided more scope for improving customer service than the Internet. But to realize those efficiencies for their customers, they've got to integrate access to their own records. They've got to make the customers feel that they're in control, and one-stop customer service is a big part of that. We believe that what we're seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg on this.
Some companies already have Internet customer self-service systems in place.
Gross cites as one example Mobius customer USA Group, a provider of education loan services to colleges and universities, lending institutions, and other financial services organizations. More than 1,000 of these organizations access their loan status reports through USA Group's Web site, improving service to lenders in the competitive student loan market. Plans are under way to allow individual students to view their own information. By the end of 2000, Mobius expects the number of companies offering customer self-service will increase exponentially. Looking back at this era from the future, I think we'll see this as the emergence of one of the fundamental uses of the Internet.