New Eloquent Offering Addresses Mobile Users

Eloquent Inc. Monday unveiled an add-on package to its flagship LaunchForce software that lets users access sales information in the form of synchronized audio, video and Microsoft PowerPoint-based content on handheld devices.

LaunchForce is an enterprise-class application that provides a closed-loop solution for posting, accessing, and measuring product sales and information. It enables field sales, channel partners and customers to access content in a variety of mediums, lets executives and managers monitor and track sales effectiveness, and enables marketing and training materials to be delivered to field sales representatives quickly.

Due out in later this month, the new add-on now support users of any device running Microsoft Windows Media Player for Pocket PC operating system.

The new mobile support lets users author content on the Web and publish it to a variety of medias including, CD ROM, Web, and handheld devices, according to executives at San Mateo, Calif.-based Eloquent.

David Glazer, co-founder and chief technology officer of Eloquent cites an example of how the technology lets users access sales information anytime, anywhere. For example: sales representatives use their handheld to view a product manager talking about a new product, as well as hear them describing the benefits and features of that product. The sales rep can also browse a presentation by slide thumbnails or title, and easily find relevant information.

Glazer notes that is not a replacement for LaunchForce on other platforms, but an alternative.

"Sales reps are often traveling in places were it's not appropriate or easy to bring a, such as a sale call to a manufacturing plant," Glazer says. "This lets the rep have immediate access to the same information and deliver a consistent message to the customer."

Tom Hill, the program manager of the education and training center for Hewlett-Packard Inc.'s Non-Stop Enterprise Division, says that over the past six months he has seen an increase in the number of field representatives requesting information be made available on handheld devices.

Hill's group is evaluating the LaunchForce Pocket PC add-on as a solution. Currently, HP's Non-Stop Enterprise Division has 1,000 LaunchForce users accessing information over the company's intraweb application using laptops and desktop PCs.

The add-on is priced at $25,000 for the Pocket PC functionality. That price also includes a license for up to 1,000 users.

In order to deliver content that is presented in ways that are appropriate for handhelds, Eloquent also said it will license the iPresentation Mobile Client from Presenter Inc.