New Product Spotlight: October 1, 2003

SAP AG was busy this week rolling out two new programs, its partnership with Accenture to develop and deliver CRM solutions for banking and insurance firms on a global scale, as well as its Powered by NetWeaver campaign. The new campaign is aimed at enabling SAP partners and independent software vendors with the SAP NetWeaver technology platform to build new business applications. Teradata has released a new version of its analytics product for the retail industry, Demand Chain Management 3.1. Upgrades include the new Order Forecast Optimizer, which provides retailers and suppliers with an optimized order forecast based on predictive consumer demand down to the level of store/SKU/day, and the allocation module, which has been enhanced to provide eight robust allocation methods for store-level product fulfillment. Witness Systems this week made available its new product eQuality Producer, a customized contact center e-learning solution that leverages real-life scenarios agents encounter on a daily basis to create company-specific content. Contact centers can now use the best examples of customer support captured through Witness's recording applications as "role models" for newer agents to quickly get ramped up. Once produced, the content is readily available, creating a dynamic learning environment in which CSRs simulate customer contacts, according to Witness. Interface Software Monday announced the availability of InterAction 5.1, the latest version of its relationship intelligence solution for professional services firms. The company also announced the introduction of a new professional services offering, Data Quality Services, and a new optional module, InterAction Contact Verifier. Combined, the InterAction 5.1 release and the related module and services can provide higher data quality and application usability. Rockwell FirstPoint has expanded its SMB call center solution to include its Multi-Site Monitoring, Advanced Intelligent Router, Queue Optimizer, and Web Powered Agent applications, which were previously only available in the company's enterprise-level version. Deltek, a provider of ERP solutions for project-based businesses, has announced the rollout of a new Web-based customer service portal that provides new online support functionality for its 8,000 clients. The new e-support customer service portal supports all eight categories of Deltek products, including client relationship management and proposal automation, employee time and expense, project and resource planning, budgeting and control, accounting and billing, procurement and materials management, human resources management and business intelligence. Made2Manage Systems, a provider of enterprise software for small and midsize manufacturers, has released version 5.5 of the Made2Manage Enterprise Business System. The latest release includes more than 200 customer-driven enhancements built directly into the core product to improve production, financial, and supply chain functionality, the company says. In addition, several new standalone and vertical industry-specific features have been added to help small manufacturing organizations streamline operations and optimize their enterprise software investment.