March 4, 2005

CUSTOMER WINS Siebel Systems has announced that Luxe Worldwide Hotels has chosen Siebel CRM OnDemand to strengthen its 25-member sales force's ability to manage relationships with member hotels, increase the number of hotels in its portfolio, and boost the sales of hotel services to travel agencies and corporations. The hosted solution will replace the independent hotel representation company's previous sales and marketing methods including spreadsheets and contact management software. EmailLabs, a Web-services provider specializing in email marketing, has announced that Blue Tent Marketing, an Internet marketing and sales company, is using the EmailLabs solution to grow its new business segment, which concentrates on spurring sales and enhancing the customer experience of its real estate, e-commerce, lodging, and hospitality customers. Under a private label agreement Blue Tent customers can manage all of their email marketing needs via one interface. o2 interactive, a customer management solutions provider for the home building industry, has announced that Vintage Design has decided on the company's OnSite CRM solution as its primary sales tool for options and flooring selection for homebuyers. The solution will allow the company, which helps homebuilders choose the selection of flooring and product options of their homebuyers, to manage costs, inventory, and contracts. Additionally, the solution equips homebuyers with the ability to interactively decorate virtual rooms based on Vintage Design's flooring, countertop, and cabinet finishes. Epicor Software has announced that Ilim Pulp Corporation, which comprises pulp and paper producers in Russia, will implement Epicor iScala, an integrated ERP, CRM, and supply chain management solution, to boost efficiency across business operations. The project will include using Version 2.2 of the solution to establish an integrated, corporate accounting system for major mills within the corporation over the next four years. IN THE NEWS Aspen Marketing Services, has acquired SRI Analytics, a data analytics firm specializing in customer life cycle management and statistical modeling. According to Aspen Marketing, SRI Analytics is the first in a series of planned acquisitions this year. NEW PRODUCTS Axonom, a CRM midmarket-focused company, which provides Microsoft-based solutions to the financial services, high-tech manufacturing, and nonprofit industries, has unveiled Powertrak V7 for Microsoft CRM. Version 7 features its Powertrak Application Builder, which includes a multiple-language screen builder, in-line editable lists, field-level security within forms, browser-neutral use, and multidatabase support. ON THE MOVE Nortel Networks has announced changes to some of its senior management posts. Bill Owens, president and CEO, will become vice chairman and CEO effective March 14, 2005. Gary Daichendt, previously executive vice president of worldwide operations at Cisco Systems, will assume the position of president and COO effective March 14, 2005. Peter Currie, recently appointed CFO effective February 14, 2005, will become executive vice president and CFO also effective March 14, 2005. The Cobalt Group, a provider of automotive retailing solutions, has appointed Jim Beach as its CFO and executive vice president. Beach's over twenty years of experience in financial and operations management includes serving as CFO of WRQ, a privately held enterprise software company that was recently acquired by a group of private equity firms, CFO and senior vice president at DataChannel, CFO and vice president of Applied Microsystems Corporation, and CFO and vice president of Microcosm. Related articles: How to Maximize Analytics' Effectiveness Twice as Many Online Newsletters Expected in 2004 10 Strategies for Customer Service Success