Talisma Acquires KnowledgeBase.net

Time for some important CRM news. Talisma, a provider of multi-channel CRM solutions, today announced the acquisition of KnowledgeBase.net, a market-leading provider of hosted and on-site Knowledge Management (KM) software for Customer Support and Self-service. Talisma will incorporate KnowledgeBase.net's technology, intellectual property, and customer base into its operations, fueling its strategy of organic and acquisition-based growth. The acquisition is the culmination of over eighteen months of technology, product, and business collaboration between the two companies and has already resulted in several product and service offerings. The acquisition of KnowledgeBase.net will further enhance Talisma's award-winning suite of CRM solutions and strengthen Talisma's position in the fast growing Customer Interaction Management (CIM) segment of the CRM market.

Talisma's acquisition of KnowledgeBase.net advances its strategic growth path by leveraging Knowledge Management tools market opportunities, estimated to reach over $5 billion by 2008*, as well as the expected growth in multi-channel call centers in North America, which are projected to climb from 6,600 in 2003 to approximately 13,800 by 2008**. Both growth figures highlight the opportunity for the combined offerings of Talisma and KnowledgeBase.net.

"Since last year, Talisma's powerful Multi-channel CRM business expertise and KnowledgeBase.net's leadership in Knowledge Management have already produced a strong combined solution for customers around the world. We believe, as a result of this acquisition, Talisma will expand its market presence to become a significant solution provider for both Enterprise and SMB Customer Interaction Management solutions," said Robin Goad, Senior CRM Analyst at Datamonitor. "As the number of customer interactions continue to rise, companies worldwide are recognizing the value of optimized Multi-channel CRM solutions. As a result, they are turning to providers like Talisma for robust solutions that are easy to implement and result in a rapid return on their invesent."

"Talisma is committed to providing our customers with the best Multi-channel CRM solutions available," said Dan Vetras, President & CEO of Talisma. "KnowledgeBase.net, a market leader in Knowledge Management products and services, delivers the most comprehensive, out-of-the-box knowledgebase solution available. Our tremendous success in selling KnowledgeBase.net on an OEM basis has led us to our decision to acquire the company. Moving forward, this complete and seamless integration will continue to deliver the most comprehensive suite of Knowledge and Customer Interaction Management solutions available - now under one umbrella."

"The KnowledgeBase.net team is extremely pleased to join Talisma and contribute our expertise and proprietary technology to develop a comprehensive and compelling Multi-channel CRM offering," said Alex Kazerani, CEO of KnowledgeBase.net, who will join the Talisma management team. "The consolidation of our companies extends our commient to offer relevant and functional customer support tools based on Knowledge Management. Our customers will now have the opportunity to broaden their scope by taking advantage of powerful Multi-channel CRM solutions."

*This figure is based on a combined estimation of the Knowledge Management and Collaborative Software market projections found in “Gartner’s Market Trends, Collaborative Software and KM Tools, Worldwide, 2003-08,” (September 2004).

** "Vertical Guides to Contact Centers in North America," Datamonitor (July 2004)