December 16, 2004

CUSTOMER WINS Cincom Systems has announced that Milacron, a plastic-processing technologies and industrial fluids supplier, has chosen Cincom's Synchrony customer-experience management solution to enhance its ability to manage field service representatives who install and repair plastics machinery. Milacron will be able to intelligently route calls and track how well it is servicing its customers. The manufacturer expects increases in productivity and customer service levels by using the Universal View functionality, which allows agents to see customer data from front- and back-end systems in a single view. This is not Milacron's first experience with Synchrony. The company's Servtek division, which includes inventory planning, warehousing, and shipping, implemented Synchrony in June 2000. Since implementation the Servtek division has experienced a 73 percent reduction in its call abandonment rate. Convergys has announced that Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has gone live with a convergent billing and CRM solution based on Convergys's Infinys software, which supports operations in Arabic and English. Qtel's customers will have the option to receive consolidated monthly or individual bills for the services they subscribe to. Additionally, the integrated Web self-care feature allows customers to make payments, manage account details, order new services, and view bills and unbilled usage. KnowNow, an event-driven integration-solutions provider, has announced that it has donated software to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) to create an online hotline for sexual assault victims. The rollout is scheduled for fall 2005. KnowNow's publish-subscribe technology allows victims to connect automatically with a counselor and to chat anonymously over secure connections. This will also allow counselors to help hearing-impaired victims. RAINN counselors will now be locatable wherever there is an Internet connection instead of just in RAINN's center locations. NEW PRODUCTS Omniture has announced the latest version of its Web-analytics tool, SiteCatalyst 11. The upgrade brings disparate data into a common framework and delivers a single view of relevant data to everyone in the enterprise. Users can now access SiteCatalyst from desktop shortcuts or the Windows Start menu. Additional features include integration of Web-analytics data into Microsoft Excel featuring a one-click refresh of live data, desktop integration supporting executive workflow, and customizable KPI-based dashboards. The solution can also differentiate between natural and paid search, offer that data in reports, and pull out information about the context of a sale to better merchandise a site. ON THE MOVE AccuData America has announced that Jim Montague has been appointed director of sales for the travel, retail, and hospitality markets in the Premier Division, which focuses on midsize to large users of data and data solutions. Montague has more than 10 years of experience in the direct marketing industry, and has worked for Network Applications, Acxiom, and TeamOne Advertising. Related articles: Daily Dispatch: November 30, 2004