ACCPAC International, a vendor best known for selling accounting software that helps companies manage payroll, accounts receivable and general ledgers, wants to extend its business offerings by entering the CRM industry.
ACCPAC says its clients' needs have changed in the last couple years. Companies need more than just accounting software, they're asking for a host of solutions available through one vendor, such as contact and e-mail management software.
ACCPAC will reorganise to accommodate the new demands by branding itself as a CRM company that caters for the mid-market. The company has already launched its debut offerings, eCRM and Warehouse Management.
Although ACCPAC will continue to sell business management systems, its focus will shift to eCRM and the Warehouse Management system. eCRM offers an integrated sales force automation, marketing automation and customer care solution. The technology is Internet and WAP-enabled and integrates with clients' existing ACCPAC Advantage Series accounting software. The Warehouse Management System offers automation for handling the inventory process by providing order management, and includes features such as receiving, stocking and replenishment management components.
The Sales Force Automation piece of eCRM includes account and activity management, sales cycle management, graphical analysis, reporting and WAP components, as well as a server that allows employees to work offline. Customer Care offers a contact management piece, which provides call history, as well as manages contacts, e-mails and support cases and targets sales opportunities.
Customer Care also includes a repository for files, as well as a time management piece that provides an interactive calendar.
Finally, Marketing Automation offers evaluation tools and a campaign management piece that assigns, schedules and tracks all marketing activities. Jeremy Waterman, managing director of ACCPAC Africa, says the shift to CRM has been in the making for a while now, and the midmarket will serve as ACCPAC's new target.
"We're no longer just an accounting software company. In line with our customers' requests, our aim is to establish ACCPAC as a one-stop business management solutions vendor," he concludes.
Share
ACCPAC International acquired LA Technology, its sole distributor in sub-Saharan Africa, in June last year. ACCPAC Africa operates through select business partners throughout the continent. These partners are trained to install and support ACCPAC for the company's more than 15 000 customers.
ACCPAC International
ACCPAC International, Inc, a division of Computer Associates (NYSE: CA), empowers medium-sized enterprises through a broad range of end-to-end e-business solutions designed to enhance competitive advantage and increase profitability. Award-winning product lines include ACCPAC Advantage Series (Enterprise Edition, Corporate Edition, Small Business Edition and Discovery Edition), ACCPAC Executive Series, ACCPAC Pro Series, ACCPAC VisionPoint, ACCPAC eTransact, ACCPAC eCRM, ACCPAC Warehouse Management System, Simply Accounting, FAXserve and Simply BitWare.
Based in Pleasanton, California, USA, with offices in Asia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Middle East, SA and the UK, ACCPAC has more than 500 000 registered clients and 5 000 business partners in more than 100 countries worldwide. Visit ACCPAC at http://www.accpac.com/ and http://www.accpaconline.com./
Editorial contacts