By David Sims

David at firstcoffee d*t biz

 

The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Aimee Mann’s wonderful Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse:

 

Oncontact Software has announced the release of Oncontact CRM 6.0, the CRM software to “update its graphical user interface and visual style to complement Microsoft Windows Vista operating system,” according to Oncontact officials.

 

Based on the Microsoft.NET platform, Oncontact CRM 6.0 is designed to help mid-market organizations automate pertinent business information. Company officials claim it is “the only CRM product available to offer project management capabilities.”

 

“Our CRM product is the first to integrate the updated look and feel of Microsoft Windows Vista, making it easy to use for customers already familiar with the Windows Vista interface,” said Jon Zimmerman, president, Oncontact Software.

 

Oncontact CRM 6.0 stores customer information on one central screen, allowing users to communicate with potential prospects and existing customers. Additional features include Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility, Lotus integration, a time billing module and an advanced search function.

 

The product is compatible with industry-standard products including Microsoft SQL Server. Customer service and a help desk management system are available to track service inquiries, incidents and problems. The product is offered at one price per user.

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This just in: Roger Federer is determined to be human after a thorough dissection by Dr. Rafael Nadal in Paris yesterday. The operation, which revealed a lack of heart and will in the patient, formerly thought to be an inhuman tennis machine, took just over three hours and was pronounced by Dr. Nadal a “complete success.” Reached for comment, Federer simply said “Wait until Wimbledon.”

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Vettro, a vendor of mobile on-demand business applications, has announced it has elevated its Oracle PartnerNetwork membership status to Certified Partner and has recently completed validation of its integration of Vettro 360 Sales to Oracle’s Siebel CRM On Demand.

 

Vettro 360 Sales for Siebel CRM On Demand allows Oracle customers to use existing software and hardware investments for sales operations in the field. Vettro is currently deploying its mobile product for Siebel CRM On Demand for Dot Hill Systems.

 

Vettro 360 Sales for Siebel CRM On Demand provides mobile users with the ability to access, create, and manage business information in real-time from standard wireless smartphones or PDAs. All data captured in the field is updated dynamically in Siebel CRM On Demand. The application is built on the Vettro 360 core architecture, which allows all related information, such as customer history, accounts receivable, support and knowledgebase, to be linked for the mobile user.

 

Company officials say Vettro 360 requires no additional infrastructure investments and is installed over the wireless network “in a matter of minutes.”

 

The Vettro 360 suite of applications complements the Oracle product portfolio via pre-built, standard integration adapters and facilitates an end-to-end Service Oriented Architecture across applications used by mobile and desktop users. It also has plug-and-play with advanced mobile capabilities such as GPS, Bluetooth peripherals, RFID, point-of-service transactions, and printing.

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Strangest thing: Last week my kids found a young crow, unable to fly, walking around the grounds of our apartment complex. Poor thing, I said, with so many cats around it won’t last long. But we saw it two days later and I was surprised it had lived so long. It was by the tennis court over the weekend, and today my son saw it walking past our front door. I guess cats learn early in life not to mess with crows.

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Publishing products provider, 5 fifteen Ltd, “celebrated developments” in its Web-based advertising booking system, ad Depot, at a customer event held at The Imagination Gallery, London recently.

 

5 fifteen officials said the software, launched last year, is now enhanced with Microsoft Dynamics CRM to enable exchanging information between systems. This CRM product is designed specifically to help track customers and their ad workflows, from first contact through to purchase and post-sales.

 

The latest technologies integrated into ad Depot were explained by representatives from Microsoft, Wave2 and 5 fifteen, highlighting the latest advancements in online data management and business processes applied to total advertising management.

 

Ad Depot is a browser-based, Service Oriented Architecture compliant product adhering to emerging standards for advertising interchange. It’s designed entirely in.NET and Java with no proprietary legacy application underneath. The system consists of a number of inter-connected components including products for real-time sales visualization, automatic make-up of classified and display advertising and financial management.

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A little birthday shout-out to Salentica Systems, a vendor of Client Management products based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which has announced its tenth year in business with “accelerated growth and a move to a larger premises.”

 

You read so much about what poor levels of customer service CRM firms give out themselves — much of what you read is true, by the way — that it’s nice to hear about companies doing well by their customers and growing as a result.

 

Since its inception in 1997, Salentica has grown its customer base to include more than 60 financial services firms worldwide. These include mutual fund wholesalers, investment banks, institutional asset management firms, private wealth management companies, retail brokerages and insurance companies.

 

As of May Salentica has relocated to larger offices at its Canadian office in the heart of Toronto’s financial district.

 

Awards and achievements over the past decade also include Gold Certified Microsoft Partner, Microsoft Presidents Club and Microsoft Impact Award Winner — Rookie of the Year.

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ReachForce, Inc. a vendor of OnDemand Data Services, has announced that it has secured a $1 million in debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank in addition to its $3.2 million in Series A funding from G-51 Capital and private individuals.

 

The vendor, launched in October 2005, will use the additional capital to “fuel accelerated customer acquisition, new product development and technology initiatives,” according to company officials.

 

ReachForce sells OnDemand Data Services for CRM — customers of companies such as salesforce.com, Siebel/Oracle CRM, MicrosoftCRM, and others.

 

In conjunction with the funding, ReachForce has also added two new members to its Board of Directors — Theresa Garza, Venture Partner with G-51, and Lauranne Jarrett, Partner with G-51.

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MAS Consulting, a leading provider of simple and cost-effective marketing products to the Sage Software reseller community, has announced that they have published the inaugural issue of a new quarterly newsletter — Sage Nonprofit Solutions.

 

The new Sage Nonprofit newsletter focuses primarily on Sage MIP Fund Accounting. MAS Consulting is trying to expand the breadth of marketing products beyond the “MAS” product line to partners across the entire Sage Software community, including Sage Timberline Office, Sage MIP Fund Accounting, Sage CRM, Sage Accpac ERP, Sage FAS Fixed Assets and Peachtree by Sage.