TightLink Pushes Collaboration with Service 3.0

A new CRM vendor is bursting onto the scene targeting certain enterprise verticals and touting deeper collaboration capabilities. TightLink Corp. is jumping full force into the CRM application market with the release of TightLink Service 3, officially marking the company's entrance into the CRM space with a software licensing model. TightLink was established in 1997 as a consultant organization and since has morphed into the ASP business. However, the company is charting a new course with the release of TightLink Service 3 and fully embracing a software licensing business model, says Mitch Bishop, vice president of marketing at TightLink. Existing customers currently using its ASP services will remain, however all new accounts going forward will be based on its new model, he says. "We are now focused on selling our packaged applications to Fortune 1000 companies," says Bishop. "Our product is targeting mostly at customer service and help desk functions and collaboration is our secret sauce." TightLink Service 3 will be officially released later this month and the company already has signed up eBay and SITEL Corp. as customers. For eBay, the online auction company choose TightLink to power its collaborative customer service solution aimed at high-value, licensed developers responsible for driving large volumes of merchandise through the trading site, Bishop says. SITEL will use TightLink's technology to provide Cypress Semiconductor with integrated sales support and case management for its field sales organizations and customers, he says. Although TightLink is currently targeting general businesses with Service 3, the company will tailor its application around certain verticals including the semiconductor space and financial services in the coming quarters, Bishop says. Currently, TightLink Service 3 costs $60,000 for a 10-user license and takes approximately a month to implement, Bishop says. This, along with its deeper collaboration capabilities, gives the company a clear benefit when compared with other, larger CRM vendors including Siebel Systems Inc. and PeopleSoft Corp., he says. TightLink, Berkley, Calif., currently has 40 employees and expects its annual revenue to be between $5 million and $10 million this year, Bishop says.