5 Designing, Building, and Maintaining a Vibrant E-Service Strategy I nternet-based customer service (also known as e-service or web-based self-service) has evolved since the mid-1990s, when it was considered an afterthought of e-commerce, to an essential element of every company's customer service and CRM strategy today. It would be great to think the maturity and expansion of this sector of the software market is the result of companies recognizing the value e-service offers to customers. The reality,