BEDFORD, N.H.--KIVA Group, Inc. (www.kivagroup.com) announced today that First American Bank, an Illinois-based institution with $2.5 billion in assets, is utilizing the Respect™ Contact Center software as the foundation of its technology strategy for quickly responding to customer requests and providing well-informed service. The Respect software provides First American with a single, front-end solution from which its employees can swiftly retrieve all existing customer information from multiple data sources. With KIVA’s technology, the bank has been able to significantly streamline the case management process across the enterprise and enhance its ability to create an outstanding experience for its customers.

“The combination of KIVA’s industry expertise, the far-reaching capabilities of the Respect software and our vision of customer care has provided us with an optimum case management solution”

As part of a key customer care initiative in 2007, First American was looking for advanced technology capabilities to replace its legacy case management system. The bank wanted a new system that would improve automation and efficiency, but also be much more intuitive to the way the institution wished to serve its customers. After an extensive evaluation, First American selected the KIVA Respect™ 7 software.

“The combination of KIVA’s industry expertise, the far-reaching capabilities of the Respect software and our vision of customer care has provided us with an optimum case management solution,” said Kim Kohon, executive vice president, deposit operations director, First American Bank. “With KIVA, we re-engineered our overall service process flow to centralize our information sources, accelerate customer response time, and re-focus our staff on understanding service delivery issues—instead of navigating the bank’s previously cumbersome systems. User acceptance of the system was fast and overwhelmingly positive.”

A fundamental aspect of the implementation, KIVA Group deployed a cutting-edge integration interface into First American’s core Silver Lake system using Jack Henry’s jXchange XML technology. The Respect Case Management software provides the institution with a one-stop service delivery solution that seamlessly integrates more than eight information sources, including Microsoft Active Directory, Lotus Notes and external databases. The bank is also able to access an unlimited number of external applications and/or web sites from within the KIVA software.

The benefits First American has realized from the KIVA Respect solution are significant. According to Kohon, “The time it takes for our customer service representatives to open a new case record has been measurably reduced by the new system. By providing them with fast access to information, service delivery has been streamlined considerably. The lapsed time between receiving a service request and fulfillment of that request has been appreciably reduced. It is now also possible for many customer issues to be resolved on the first contact when previously it used to involve back-office follow-up.”

“First American Bank understands that the way it handles customer problems and requests is a crucial factor in building and maintaining meaningful customer relationships,” said Michael Baker, president and founder of KIVA Group, Inc. “Our Respect software is enabling the institution to resolve customer issues much faster, better utilize their technology and staff resources, and deliver a more satisfying customer experience—all of which help the bank’s bottom line.”

The Respect Case Management application is part of the Company’s unified Contact Center (uCC) system. Built upon Altitude Software's award-winning customer interaction platform, KIVA’s uCC is comprised of several fully integrated applications that address a breadth of customer relationship management functions. The Respect 7 Suite gives community institutions the ability to not only meet, but exceed customers’ expectations of service with each interaction, regardless of the channel, by maintaining consistent customer information and interaction management.

About KIVA Group

KIVA Group is a global provider of Web-based software solutions that help community financial institutions to integrate and optimize their multiple delivery channels to achieve sales success through exceptional service. Respect™ 7, the company’s technology platform and suite of applications, is enabling banks and credit unions worldwide to connect the customer, product and services information they need to create a more satisfying experience with each interaction. These teller, branch, internet, call center, IVR, marketing and sales software products can be implemented as point solutions or as part of a strategic initiative to completely unify the enterprise. For more information about KIVA Group and its offerings please visit www.kivagroup.com or contact us at 866.212.2225.