Industry Standard, The: Place Your Bets - Company Business and Marketing

The FBI may be getting a lot of ink these days for its "carnivorous" e-mail monitoring product, but tech firms in the private sector are also releasing their share of "smart" online products.

Prepare for take-off. San Jose, Calif.-based Software911 is getting the word out that its eService Portals use technology developed by NASA. The eService Portals aim to reduce customer support workloads with a self-help section that addresses problems such as how to place an order and find delivery dates.

The NASA technology, CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System), is a rules-based engine that powers the product's SuperFAQ feature. Unlike traditional, static FAQ pages, SuperFAQs lead visitors through a multiple-choice, question-and-answer session to get to the crux of the problem. While clearly a clever solution to online customer support, these SuperFAQs seem more like jazzed-up decision makers than rocket science.

Online odds. The day after Congress struck down a bill that would have restricted online gaming, StarNet Communications dealt a fresh hand of online gaming software: Beyond 2000.

The Java-based games include such favorites as blackjack, seven-card stud and horse racing. StarNet claims the games offer online businesses unparalleled customer-behavior analysis and fraud screening.

One thing licensees won't get with Beyond 2000 is immunity from possible government prosecution. For that, they'll have to follow StarNet's lead and base their operations in Antigua.

Form Letters. Businesses are increasingly realizing the power of opt-in e-mail marketing. But rather than draft their own e-mail newsletters and promotions, some businesses rely on the knowledge and skills of Dallas-based e2 Communications, which automates e-mail newsletters.

While traditional message-list apps send and manage newsletters, e2 Express lets a company quickly create personalized newsletters, based on a questionnaire that recipients fill out when they sign up. And since e2 operates as an ASP, companies don't need to worry about setting up and running a mail server. E2 also makes customized versions of the application for different online businesses. The latest out of the gate: e2 Express for Travel.