November 23, 2004

WebTrends and ExactTarget announced a technology partnership designed to give customers insight into the performance of their email campaigns. The ExactTarget--WebTrends integrated solution aims to provide email marketers with a comprehensive view of how respondents react to email and Web sites. The combined solution will use a visual overlay solution in WebTrends 7 called WebTrends SmartView. It will enable click-throughs, cart additions, conversions, Web-analytics data, and revenue to be superimposed on every email. Also, the combined solution should make it easier for marketers to target marketing campaigns based on past visitor behavior. The solution allows marketers to view email results side-by-side with other marketing channels. "This is not just for the largest direct marketers in the world, but also for the small and medium-size business," says Peter McCormick, cofounder of ExactTarget and vice president of products and strategy. Witness Systems announced the appointment of Bill Robinson to senior vice president of the Americas. Robinson will be responsible for all operations in North and Latin America, which include sales, channels, customer support, alliances, and field marketing. Robinson comes to Witness Systems with almost 20 years of experience in technology, including his most recent term as vice president of North American operations for Actuate Corporation. Witness also announced that Continental Airlines is deploying its speech analytics solution in the company's Florida-based reservation center. Continental will use eQuality CallMiner to automate call segmentation. The system will help classify incoming calls into more than 50 separate categories for analysis, including sales calls, flight information, and seat assignments. Indus, a provider of Service Delivery Management solutions, announced that Atmos Energy has signed a multimillion-dollar contract to implement Indus's Customer Suite software solution. Atmos will implement the software with more than 3 million customers across 12 states. The company's customers will have a new online resource, which will enable them to automate paying bills online, reviewing their account, and requesting services. On-demand CRM provider Salesforce.com announced that Yamaha, a provider of musical instruments, professional audio, and computer-related products, has begun using Salesforce.com to manage several contact management systems and databases, as well as customer support and service applications. Yamaha will also use Salesforce.com to manage interactions with channel and distribution partners, along with tracking sales and marketing promotions to dealers and artists. Nextance, a provider of solutions for enterprise contract management, announced the launch of Nextance Revenue Optimization Suite. It focuses on basic business imperatives like increasing revenue, reducing business risk, and improving speed-of-execution. The application manages and automates all processes surrounding contract initiation, execution, and analysis. The suite is a fully XML-based architecture that will enable businesses to harvest both structured and unstructured data contained in contracts. The new suite was designed to improve revenue generation, cash flow, financial reporting accuracy, and compliance management. Marqui, a provider of communications management services, announced the launch and opening of its U.S. headquarters in Portland, OR. Additional offices will be located in Silicon Valley and Vancouver. Marqui also announced that The Thomas C. Wales Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes leadership and civic engagement, selected Marqui's services to help manage its campaign communications. AVST introduced CallXpress 7.5, the latest version of its unified communications solution. The new version is designed to maximize employee productivity by providing workers with real-time access to corporate voice and data infrastructure. The new program will offer anytime-anywhere communications for the workforce and 24/7 access to an enterprises' entire communications infrastructure. Some of the key features include Centigram TUI emulation that mimics the Centigram commands and eliminates the need for companies using Centigram voice mail systems and better integration with AVST's speech module, Seneca 4.5. Related article: What Is the Best Strategy for Small Businesses Focused on Improving Service and Sales?