A Million Handshakes for Onyx and Knova

Consona CRM, formerly M2M Holdings, has returned Knova and Onyx to the market with the release of Knova 7.1 and Onyx Adaptive CRM 6.0, after the acquisition of those two vendors in 2006. The two brands will remain separate under the Consona umbrella, but will exhibit the hallmarks of same-owner integration. These two products, joined by marketing automation tool Million Handshakes 4.5, comprise what Consona is calling Total Customer Management (TCM). Onyx Adaptive CRM 6.0 adds a number of features and enhancements, such as a new SQL generation framework, integrated calendaring with Outlook, Assignment Studio group collaboration tools, and a powerful UI configuration framework, according to the company. In addition, Onyx 6 updates components including Onyx Employee Portal, Onyx Process Manager, and Onyx Business Intelligence. Knova, whose acquisition completed in March 2007, is a KM and service resolution platform that covers all facets of customer service interaction. Updated areas in Knova 7.1 include enhancements to contact center, forums, self-service, field service, knowledge desk, and guided selling. These brands meet in the middle at Million Handshakes 4.5, a marketing automation and customer dialogue solution from Consona's technology partner Million Handshakes, based in Norway. New to North America, the Million Handshakes suite handles dialogue marketing activities including email, direct mail, and telemarketing. Features include customer Web-profile tools, an internal customer data portal, and design tools for dialogues, messages, questionnaires, and reports. "Because it is built on a leading technology architecture, Onyx 6.0 offers maximum extensibility and reliability, and easily integrates with other applications without the need for pre-built connectors," said Tim Hines, vice president of product management, in a written statement. "With such actionable technology, we're able to quickly go to market with our acquired products and create new value for our existing customers." Analyst reaction to the trio of new releases is favorable especially considering the company's status as a private organization. "Now that it has Knova in the fold alongside Onyx, this definitely positions Consona a little better in the market," says Rob Bois, a research director for AMR Research. "Being public really hindered [Onyx], and this new arrangement will allow a continued commitment to CRM and a greater ability to execute. I like Onyx's chances a lot better now." Related articles: Taking Out the Trash Onyx North America can now go beyond cleaning records to building more complete information from customer data. M2M Gets a Brand New Knova Bag M2M Holdings Mines Onyx

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