New Product Spotlight

Amdocs has released version 12 of its Clarify CRM suite. Release 12 includes the Java-based Customer Interaction Manager, with a Web-based user interface that allows contact center agents to work in one screen most of the time. The CIM is designed to reduce training time and call duration, which is especially important because "the contact center is becoming the cockpit of customer relations," according to Peter Hurst, vice president of marketing at Amdocs. Release 12 also features Order Manager, an ordering system; Billing Manager, which with one click moves the relevant customer information to the appropriate new screen; and Opportunity Advisor, to advise agents on cross-sell and upsell opportunities that should also maximize customer satisfaction. The new release includes enhanced predictive analytics, built-in advanced scripting that is contact sensitive, and integration tools from Amdoc's acquisition of the Xchange portfolio. Oracle this week released updates to its Oracle Service CRM solution. The company says the software includes better email integration between Oracle eMail Center and Oracle TeleService, which allows service agents to create and resolve customer requests within a single application. Also, iSupport, a self-service, Web-based service application included with Oracle Service, now offers enhanced configuration and branding capabilities, allowing organizations to more seamlessly integrate Web self-service capabilities into existing Web sites. Oracle says the solution also includes improved billing automation software and upgraded mobile field-service features that help to resolve customer problems on the first call. Onyx Tuesday unveiled Portable CRM. With it mobile professionals can access the Onyx Enterprise CRM application through a range of portable computing and wireless devices, enabling them to manage customer interactions, sales opportunities and service and support incidents while away from the office. Onyx says its Portable CRM products do not require added software on the device. The products feature thin, browser-based clients that can be automatically deployed and updated from a standard URL. Onyx also announced the general availability of Onyx Employee Portal--Offline Edition 4.5, a solution that provides mobile professionals access to critical customer information via their laptops. KANA has announced the availability of KANA Service 8 software, its application for multichannel contact center management. Product highlights include multichannel interaction management and secure messaging; support for global access to information (with capabilities for localized user interfaces); enhanced capabilities to execute and view reports for customer service and knowledge-management analysis; the ability for managers to create and schedule new reports; and the ability for all reports to be executed across various parameter-based options. Chordiant Software has released Chordiant Enterprise Marketing; a suite focused on the campaign management and marketing execution requirements of large, service-oriented, enterprises. The solution includes four new and updated products: Chordiant 5 Field Marketing Director, Chordiant 5 Marketing Director, Chordiant 5 Mobile Marketing Director, and Chordiant 5 Online Marketing Director. The solution is designed to support collaborative marketing processes between corporate marketing and the marketing and selling functions throughout the wider organization; provide a graphical view of campaign schedules to help manage the impact of scheduling constraints; enhance event-driven campaigning; and enhance support for wireless messaging. Deerfield.com has released VisNetic MailFlow Version 2.0, aimed at helping small to midsize enterprises better manage their inbound customer email. Features include ticket lifecycle tracking, new per-agent and global custom dictionaries, and revamped reporting capabilities.