Follow this example:

• Company has a customer support form on their website (Low cost to implement)
• Client comes to website, and from front page, clicks on and fills out customer support form
• Based upon pre-defined criteria, the form is routed to the necessary individual(s)
• Problem is solved, client is contacted, ticket is closed
• The record can remain in the database for a specified number of days, then it can be moved to an archive database automatically

Benefits:

• Low cost to implement and maintain.  Has lowered cost of customer service in almost every company that has implemented this type of system
• Customers are becoming more comfortable going to the Internet to do communications - some even expect it, don't have your customers think you aren't ready for today's high-tech world
• This gets the user on your site to look around, increasing their knowledge of your company's products and services
• Built in workflow, so that the form will be routed to the necessary person(s), they will then place updates on the form.  No paper chase is necessary, forms are automatically routed.
• Reports can be generated to determine the number of calls, timeliness of answers, etc.
• Records can be archived for future use
• Can use this to build a database of customer information including Frequently Asked Questions, E-Mail addresses, etc.