January 27, 2005

CUSTOMER WINS Advanced Info Service, one of Thailand's top mobile-network providers, has selected Convergys to provide customer care services to more than 15 million clients. Convergys will integrate its systems with existing CTI capabilities in the AIS customer support group, and will oversee expansion of contact center technology in the future. Three years ago the companies signed a more limited billing service pact covering 2 million AIS customers. ON THE MOVE NuTech Solutions, a predictive analysis developer, has added several new members to its upper management team. Sergey Malinchik and Mike Gould join NuTech as senior scientists in mathematical modeling, while Jennifer Koures comes onboard as the new director of marketing. Susan Johnson will direct sales efforts in her new role as director of industry solutions. IN THE NEWS Adjoined Consulting has released some details of its 2004 financial performance, and has closed a deal to acquire a competitor. The services firm says its 2004 revenues grew over 30 percent to top $50 million. To expand its East coast operations, this week the company closed its acquisition of Cima Consulting Group, an enterprise software services firm which specializes in Oracle and PeopleSoft implementations. NEW PRODUCTS In-Stat, a research division of Reed Business Information, is expanding its coverage by creating a research facility in China. The new research branch represents part of an ongoing partnership between Reed and industry peer International Data Group, and is expected to expose the international business community to technological innovations emerging from the Chinese market while providing In-Stat analyst services to Chinese entrepreneurs for the first time. Best Software has released ACCPAC CRM version 5.7, an upgrade to the browser-based CRM system Best added to its midmarket product range when it purchased the ACCPAC parent in late 2003. The new edition improves ACCPAC CRM's ability to integrate with other enterprise software and data sources, as well as exposing more functionality to be invoked by broader Web services-based applications. Inventory and quoting capabilities are also included. Proficient Systems announced the latest release of ProficientSales Server, its sales productivity solution focused on merging online and offline customer opportunities. Version 4.0 provides enhanced tracking of complex customer opportunities and multiple customer management, along with an enhanced opportunity status view. WebTrends has released version 7 of its namesake analytics suite for online customer behavior and shopping cart conversion. The new campaign manager provides enhanced tracking of paid search engine placements and keyword advertising, comparing performance with natural, unpaid search hits. The new version also makes it easier to accurately measure the performance of customer targeting campaigns along a wider range of demographics and past shopping behavior. Related articles: Real-Time Analytics: Excellent Insight, or Speedier Mistakes? Anatomy of a CRM Analyst