“Our version 8.8 was one of our biggest releases for our CRM, and last year, we followed that with new products,” said Rohit Bedi, director of product marketing for PeopleSoft CRM. One upgrade comes from the “predictive analytics” area. “Essentially, what this enhancement allows our clients to do is to look at their customer base, and based on the information that they have about their customers, they can build models for predicting behavior of customers,” explained Mr. Bedi.

PeopleSoft noted that this is an especially useful tool for insurance companies, where there are big customer bases and intense competition. “You want to be able to predict your customers behavior, and based on that prediction, you can implement the right strategies for appropriate customer segments,” Mr. Bedi said.

The company has also started offering another upgrade called Process Integration Packs. “When you look at the CRM industry in general, and organizations that deploy CRM, its often found that they might have Oracle or SAP back-office systems for order management, service request materials authorization and service fulfillment,” Mr. Bedi observed.

He noted that this upgrade is an attempt by PeopleSoft to help clients avoid high costs of integration by providing a pre-built, out-of-the-box solution that allows PeopleSoft CRM to be deployed seamlessly with some of these back-office systems. “Once you have these process integration packs, now you might have SAP or Oracle back office, but you can deploy PeopleSoft CRM on top of that, and you dont have to pay for a big integration cost,” he explained.

In 2003, PeopleSoft CRM also released enhanced functionality to address the Federal Trade Commissions “Do Not Call Registry” requirements. This includes a customer preference tracking feature, which makes it easier for marketing departments to comply with the FTCs legislation. It also offers a “quick-customer-create” feature, allowing call center agents to create a new customer record when opening an e-mail inquiry.

Another new enhancement, called PeopleSoft Infosync Server, offers automatic, server-to-server synchronization between PeopleSoft CRM and Microsoft Outlook and IBM Lotus Notes servers. The company said it is the first CRM vendor to deliver bi-directional, server-side synchronization, which removes the need for the client to load separate synchronization software.

“This can be especially useful in the insurance industry where you have a lot of salespeople. There is a lot of information today that is stored in personal information management systems, such as the Outlook e-mail system and Lotus,” Mr. Bedi said. “There was a big request from our customer base that we provide a solution that really allows our customers to easily synchronize data seamlessly between the CRM system and personal information management systems, and Infosync technology allows that.”

All PeopleSoft CRM products are based on Internet architecture, so they can be hosted and managed through PeopleSoft Hosting or through its partner application service providers, the company said. The implementation for PeopleSoft CRM can take four weeks or more. The company also offers full training and consulting services as well as product upgrades and support hotlines.

PeopleSoft declined to provide pricing information.

SmartOffice by E-Z Data Inc. This Pasadena, Calif.-based tech company unveiled its Web-based SmartOffice software solutions in November, 2003. SmartOffice, formerly known as Enterprise CRM Platform, is now offered in three separate versions to better meet varying business and technological needs of insurance and other financial services professionals, E-Z Data said.

“From agents and advisors, to distributor agencies and brokerages, to the home office, SmartOffice solutions can help streamline operations, improve customer relationships, and increase top-line revenue,” said Darren Peterson, vice president of marketing at E-Z Data. SmartOffice offers contact, calendar, marketing and customer-service features, he explained. In addition, it features more insurance-targeted features, such as support for multicarrier insurance products, investment tracking, commission/compliance tracking and new business/pending case processing.

One version of the E-Z Data software solutions is called SmartOffice Online and is designed for agents, advisors and other smaller financial-services businesses. This option, Mr. Peterson noted, is for organizations looking to “get up and running fast, with minimal cost and headache.” Both hardware and software are maintained in E-Z Data's data center for “anytime, anywhere” access to clients' applications and data.

“Fully hosted in our secure data center, SmartOffice Online offers practice and agency management, without the burden or cost of managing software and servers,” Mr. Peterson explained. “Clients can access their data anywhere, anytime, using a Web browser and an Internet connection.” SmartOffice Online pricing starts from $30 per month on a subscription basis.

E-Z Data also offers a version of SmartOffice for small- to medium-sized businesses and for divisions of larger enterprises. This is a Web-based software product deployed in the customers environment, the company said. With a standard database and various insurance-industry-specific features, clients can get this product in a package that is easy to install and built to scale for growing business.

Another version, called SmartOffice Enterprise, is geared toward larger organizations looking to deploy CRM across several departments. “SmartOffice Enterprise is built to meet the needs of Global 1000 insurance, banking and financial-services institutions–it drives the effectiveness of all distribution channels, enabling career agents and advisors, wholesalers, and brokerages to orchestrate their efforts using a single, integrated platform,” Mr. Peterson said.

Pricing for both of these versions starts at $699 per seat but can vary with volume, the company said.

While SmartOffice Online is accessible to anyone using Microsoft Internet Explorer, the other two versions require Web server and database server licenses. They support Microsoft and Unix-based Web servers and a number of database servers, including Oracle, Sybase and UDB.

As for the implementation time, Mr. Peterson said SmartOffice Online can be up and running almost immediately. And, depending on a users data conversion needs, the switchover from their old systems usually takes one-to-three weeks. Setup time for the other two versions varies depending upon data conversion, system configuration and integration needs, with timeframes ranging from one month to a year.

E-Z Data offers various training options, including on-site training with professional instructors as well as on-demand and instructor-led online training. The company also noted its CRM products are used by more than 50 of the largest insurance and financial services companies, with more than 95,000 seats installed globally.

Wintouch eCRM for Websphere by Touchtone Corporation. Wintouch eCRM for Websphere, scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2004, is a product enhancement designed to supplement Touchtone's current version of Wintouch eCRM. Rich Hall, vice president of sales and marketing at Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Touchtone, explained that it will offer user-specific, customizable “portlet” views of an organization's data, contacts, activities and projects that are managed by insurance agents, underwriters and brokers.

“This new version brings all the IBM Websphere capabilities to bear, as well as the great customization and data integration capabilities of the existing version of Wintouch eCRM,” Mr. Hall said. “Websphere makes the application more compatible with various back-end database structures and creates new Web-based capabilities for user access to the CRM system and other applications. And it provides extensive Internet interface functionality.”

Wintouch eCRM for Websphere is available for any platform, including Windows and Linux. Mr. Hall added that the standard version is best suited to the IBM AS/400 or iSeries server on the back-end, with user access over any Internet browser. Both versions include access capabilities for laptops and PDAs.

Touchtone's current CRM product, Wintouch eCRM, was first introduced in 2000. It allows users to keep track of activities and histories of customer accounts; drill down to data such as policy details and status, claims or underwriting information, invoices, documents, and scheduled follow-up activities; and do reporting and performance searches on the accounts, the company said. This browser-based software, available for installation on a customer's server or as an application service provider offering, runs on the IBM AS/400 or iSeries operating system.

Touchtone said it generally offers a two-to-three-day training program to clients' on-site administrators. “Web training is also available via the Internet. There is an additional charge for training and some organizations choose to have us train the trainer for them to become the expert and conduct their own training sessions,” Mr. Hall said.

Prices for Wintouch eCRM range between $1,500 and $2,500 per user, all-inclusive for the software and installation, depending on the number of users, the company noted. There are annual software maintenance expenses as well as implementation, data conversion and installation services typically provided by the Wintouch professional services group.

Mr. Hall explained that Wintouch eCRM can be installed in relatively short timeframes, depending on how quickly the client can make decisions about screen layout, customization and the data they want to access. Typically, implementation takes between one and three months. The insurance and financial-services sector is one of Touchtone's strongest market segments, he noted.

Answer Suite by Skywire Software. Frisco, Texas-based Skywire Software has recently launched its “Answer Suite” CRM product for the insurance industry. “Answer Suite provides a robust suite of customer-service applications consisting of knowledge management, Web self-service, case management and desktop discovery tools that automate the problem resolution process and make it easy for insurance companies' customers to find information on their Web sites 24/7,” explained Wendy Gibson, vice president at Skywire.

With Answer Suite, Ms. Gibson said, the client's customers can get their inquiries answered over the Web via the organization's personalized, knowledge-driven support portal that facilitates quick resolution without requiring telephone support assistance.

“Customers can submit and track support requests over the Web via the client company's support portal,” she said. “Custom routing ensures that new cases are assigned to the most qualified support agent. And by understanding customer inquiries, companies can proactively address top issues to improve the quality of support and reduce caseloads.”

Skywire Software offers two delivery options for its CRM product. The hosted edition offers turnkey customer service and technical support with no software or hardware to install. The price for this option starts at $99 per agent per month, and this system can be up and running in less than 30 minutes, the company said. The second option, called enterprise edition, provides customized and integrated customer service and technical support designed for larger businesses. Pricing for this option was not provided.

Ms. Gibson added, “Answer Suite offers easy integration with clients' existing systems. Clients can integrate knowledge base, case management, customer management and other support processes with their existing systems and Web sites via Web services.”

Training is included with each implementation, and further on-site training options are also available. “For customers using the enterprise edition, professional services are bundled with the product to provide on-site deployment, tight integration with existing CRM systems, integrated content authoring, multichannel support, enterprise-class analytics and support for industry standards,” Ms. Gibson noted. Answer Suite supports key industry standards, including .NET, SQL Server databases and Microsoft Windows platforms.

Teradata CRM Version 5.0. Teradata, a data-warehousing division of Dayton, Ohio-based NCR Corporation, recently launched its latest customer relationship management software, Teradata CRM Version 5.0.

This version, which became widely available last September, offers enhanced features to better identify industry-specific business opportunities, the company said. Additionally, all functionality has been consolidated into 11 modules, down from the original 20, for ease of use.

Mike Koehler, senior vice president at Teradata, said his companys CRM product can offer an accurate, up-to-the-minute view of customer behaviors, as well as the ability to create timely, personalized customer communications and develop comprehensive customer interactions. Mr. Koehler explained that Teradata CRM integrates analytical-intelligence tools to optimize customer communications, personalize the experience of the customer, and thus increase the value of the relationship to the business.

Pricing is dependent on system configuration, Mr. Koehler said, but a basic analysis and segmentation package starts at $50,000, with more advanced features such as campaign management and event-based marketing starting at around $140,000.

Teradata said CRM Version 5.0 is currently used by more than 100 large businesses in various industries including insurance, financial, retail, travel and telecommunications.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, January 16, 2004. Copyright 2004 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.