Epicor announces first CRM application on Microsoft .Net platform

Epicor Software Corporation, a leading provider of integrated enterprise, e-business and collaborative commerce software solutions for mid-market companies, today announced Clientele Customer Support 8.0, the first application completely architected on the Microsoft .Net Platform.

Part of the Clientele CRM.NET Suite, Clientele Customer Support 8.0 provides companies a robust way to provide customer service by offering a new .Net architecture that delivers powerful accessibility, extensibility and integration.

Epicor`s new .Net CRM architecture, also announced today, provides businesses with the ability to take advantage of all that extensible markup language (XML) Web services has to offer, including access to critical information anytime, anywhere and from virtually any device.

Going beyond simply offering products compatible with Microsoft .Net servers such as SQL Server 2000 and IIS 5.0, Clientele CRM.Net utilises the Microsoft .Net platform to create an application built using Web services. The new .NET CRM architecture will afford Clientele customers new levels of flexibility and customisation, easier application integration and lower total cost of ownership. The new Clientele release provides the same robust functionality in use today at thousands of Clientele customer sites, but it has been completely re-architected using the Microsoft .Net platform.

"We are proud to be the first CRM vendor to announce a customer support application based on native Microsoft .Net architecture," said Doug Berry, vice president and general manager of Epicor`s Clientele Group. "The new architecture is going to be a crucial component for companies to perform at their maximum potential and it allows them to deploy customer support and other core CRM applications that build customer retention while keeping costs down."

In addition to the new architecture, the Customer Self-Service Portal, a companion to Clientele Customer Support 8.0, provides customers access to account information via the Web. Customers can access a wide variety of account information including call logs, service agreements, and account balances at any time of day. Used as an additional channel for customer support, the Self-Service Portal provides a direct benefit that ensures customers are getting the information they need, when they need it. The Customer Self-Service Portal is built on a .Net-based portal framework that is fully integrated with Clientele Customer Support 8.0.

Companies require a robust solution that can be cost-effectively maintained and supported. Clientele Customer Support 8.0 provides a "hands-free" deployment model allowing the application to be distributed from a single Web site. In addition, product updates, enhancements and new releases can be automatically deployed to the client, allowing businesses to cut down on expensive client/server administrative time and enhance overall operational efficiencies and return on investment.

"The small and mid-sized business markets - which Aberdeen has identified to be less that 15% penetrated with CRM -- are looking for new and innovative solutions that are cost-effective, easy to deploy, and have a relatively low barrier to entry," said Karen Smith, research director at the Aberdeen Group. "Epicor`s recent announcement of its Clientele CRM.Net suite demonstrates that the company is embracing the vision of XML Web services and the .Net framework for small and mid-size companies."

It is critical that a company`s CRM solution can be adapted to match its business processes. To meet their specialised requirements, companies want the ability to customise their CRM solution. Many CRM products use specialised development toolsets that require expensive consultants and training, which increases the cost of deployment and makes customisation impractical. Clientele Customer Support 8.0 is extremely flexible and can be quickly and easily customised to meet unique business practices and requirements. By using Microsoft Visual Studio .Net as its single, standard customisation tool, Clientele Customer Support 8.0 minimises proprietary development learning curves. The enhanced customisation model enabled by .Net means custom features can be isolated from source code, so future upgrades and migrations do not overwrite custom changes.

For Clientele customer Sign Warehouse, a direct source of quality sign making products, the enhanced customization model offers significant benefits. "Clientele CRM.NET is going to save us valuable man hours with its hands free, centralised deployment of upgrades and ability to automatically update our previous customizations," said Chris Donaldson, programmer/analyst for Sign Warehouse. "Anytime the product has a new version, except for the initial implementation of Clientele CRM.NET, we won`t have to make changes, as customidations we`ve made will simply fit into the .Net framework. We are looking forward to the time savings and convenience."

Many businesses need a way to quickly integrate their CRM solution into other applications that they may be using. Using native Web services and XML throughout, Clientele Customer Support 8.0 makes integration to external applications such as accounting or manufacturing easier and faster than ever. XML, the universal format for structured documents and data on the Web, acts as a link, allowing companies better interaction with partners, customers and vendors, breaking down information barriers that exist today.

In BETA since 1 May 2002, Clientele Customer Support 8.0 is currently expected to be generally available to customers mid-year, 2002. Epicor will deliver additional applications in the Clientele CRM.Net suite, including sales and marketing, over the next 12 months.