Thomas Cook CRM's right here, RightNow

Flythomascook.com, the discount airfare arm of travel agent Thomas Cook, has announced a deal with on-demand CRM vendor RightNow to help the company handle a growing number of customer queries.

The flexibility and scalability of the online delivery model was a key factor in flythomascook.com choosing RightNow, according to Tony Milsom, director at flythomascook.com.

Milsom said although the site is only 18 months old there are high hopes of rapid growth and the immediacy of the on-demand model allows the company to choose a solution which can grow with it.

RightNow's system offers a high degree of automation to customer service, with the use of its Knowledge Foundation service which provides answers to frequently asked questions via an online interface. Flythomascook.com is also planning to trial RightNow Voice. It offers a voice recognition interface for handling common queries.

Wayne Foncette, VP UK and Ireland at RightNow, would not disclose the value of the deal. However, he told silicon.com it is entirely tied to the scalability of the solution and its success for flythomascook.com, suggesting its cash value in the short term is negligible but tightly linked to high expectations from both parties.

Foncette told silicon.com: "The value of the deal will grow in relation to the business and the success which RightNow can deliver."

Foncette claimed such a deal is far more agreeable for an 18-month-old business which is growing rapidly and said this is a major benefit the on-demand model can provide.