The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Dexter Gordon's Go:
CRMTrak , sold as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) CRM product, announced it has added online support tickets capabilities to its product.
The new customer service "allows CRMTrak users to setup a branded online support ticket system that is fully integrated with CRMTrak customer records," company officials say.
The product is marketed as a tool to help sales, marketing and services personnel manage customer information, sales processes and services. The online support tickets feature is being billed as a way to give CRMTrak customers "the opportunity to have a single, comprehensive view" of their customers' sales and service information.
"Our customers have asked us to add more service capabilities... and adding online support tickets features was an important step," said Mark Morton, president of Morton Marketing, the developer and product provider of CRMTrak, adding that the company "plans to continue to enhance our service capabilities as part of our long-term development plan."
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StayinFront, a vendor of enterprise-wide customer relationship management applications, has announced that Access International Advisors), managers of hedged and structured investment portfolios, has chosen to upgrade to the latest version of StayinFront CRM.
Explaining the decision to upgrade Tancrede Queval, Chief Administrative Officer, AIA, said "the functionality and configurability" of StayinFront CRM "has kept pace" with the company's needs over the past seven years.
The latest version of StayinFront CRM is described by company officials as having a configurable, layered architecture, coupled with Microsoft .NET framework that allows a business model to be created once and deployed across multiple platforms in the enterprise. The product "combines CRM and analytics into one system" for rendering business intelligence data accessible.
StayinFront CRM 11 uses Microsoft's Smart Client technology, "providing the benefits of a Web application" while maintaining the appearance of a desktop application, according to company officials.
The product "traverses all platforms across the enterprise - including Tablet PCs, mobile devices, LANs and WANs," said Nigel Huxtable, vice president, Sales EMEA of StayinFront.
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Since we seem to be on the iPod beat here at First Coffee, let's report that iSimple has announced the availability of iPod docking interfacing kits that give drivers of "hundreds of 1995 to 2007 automobiles" an - "affordable" -- way to enjoy "static-free iPod music directly through their vehicle's factory stereo systems."
A distinct step forward, to be sure, but as soon as someone comes up with something that works on a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle convertible, call us.
In addition to audio, these kits also allow the user to track forward and track back on the iPod directly from the factory radio, as well as providing battery charging for many iPod models.
Each kit features a "brain box" (called a PXDP, for some reason) and a wiring harness that plugs directly into the CD changer port in the back of a compatible vehicle's factory-installed stereo system. Once installed (professional installation is recommended) the unit delivers what iSimple officials describe as "CD quality sound" directly through the sound system, as well as the option of selecting tracks through the car stereo using the FFWD / RRWD CD changer function.
We know what you're thinking, and no, the unit does not block out clickwheel or touch screen controls, those can be used to browse and select tracks as well. "And, because the connection is hardwired to the vehicle," company officials say, the docking connection offers battery charging for most iPod models, including the iPhone.
All iSimple automotive docking products are made by Peripheral Electronics and distributed and marketed by AAMP of America.
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Pewaukee, Wisconsin-based Broadlook Technologies has announced the availability of Ellis, a product the Broadlookers describe as a "service-based remedy for keeping sales contact lists optimized."
Evidently the product improves and expands contact information by way of three core elements: skilled people, name parsing technology and a proprietary six phase process, company officials say: "At the heart of the parsing process is Broadlook's scoring system that ranks the contact information it gleans from thousands of real-time Internet data sources."
Where previously a company may have only three or four valid points of contact, now there will be eight or ten, Broadlook officials explain.
The process is described as understanding the organization's needs by performing a needs analysis, then acquiring, normalizing, merging and de-duplicating existing raw data from client sources, then separating refined data and scoring it based on client needs and specifications, extracting real-time data from across the Internet which is then sourced, extracted and scored, then loading the sales organization's "personal Ellis consultant reviewed results" into the organization's source system according to its preferred method.
Ellis' six phases expand on the traditional "normalize, merge, de-duplicate" process for generating contact data, using the sales organization's supplied data, for what company officials call "extreme data augmentation."
Ellis supports all CRM systems including NetSuite, SalesForce.com, SugarCRM, OnContact, Sage SalesLogix and Maximizer.
Broadlook officials say Ellis services can be administered on a one-time, refresh (monthly/quarterly/annual) or retainer (continual/as-needed) basis.
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Sage North America has announced the launch of the Sage MAS Online Community, described by the Sagians as "a new resource for Sage MAS users, business partners and developers to connect, exchange ideas and share insights on Sage MAS products."
The community is one of online forums hosted by Sage designed to "improve the overall experience of customers by empowering easier and more interactive communications among themselves and with Sage personnel," according to Sage officials.
This particular community includes interactive forums, expert blogs, networking opportunities and best practices tips, among other resources. Forums and discussion threads are divided by product for Sage MAS 90 and 200, Sage MAS 500, and the Sage MAS 90 and 200 Extended Enterprise Suite.
Within product sections, visitors can access current product information, exchange ideas and products, access expert product advice directly from Sage MAS personnel, and check on the latest tips and tricks of fellow users. The Sage MAS Online Community also features a Partners Only Forum and a Developers Forum to accommodate the interests of these special groups.
The Sage MAS Online Community is being kicked off at the company's annual Sage Summit user conference. Registration kiosks throughout the Denver Convention Center enable attendees to join any number of interactive forums on the spot.
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a vendor of business management software and services. Sage North America employs approximately 5,000 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,800 people and supports 5.7 million customers worldwide.
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