Latest CRM Software Industry News

Hong Kong-based supply chain service provider also selected Ross Enterprise for advanced food traceability, operational visibility and inventory optimization
ATLANTA, BEIJING, January 30, 2007— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that Hong Kong-based HFG Procurement, Ltd. has chosen the Ross Enterprise suite of software applications to improve visibility and control throughout its manufacturing operations and supply chain.

Using the Ross Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, HFG Procurement’s management will have a central view of the inventory levels in each of its outlets and the tools they need to optimize inventory levels in each location to avoid the risk of stock-outs and the high cost of emergency orders, while keeping overall inventory investments to a practical minimum. The system, designed specifically for food processors, will also help HFG Procurement synchronize internal information on materials consumption with point-of-sale data. HFG Procurement is a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Systems accredited company and will also use the Ross ERP solution to provide end-to-end traceability of all ingredients received from suppliers all the way to finished goods sold to customers.

HFG Procurement, Ltd. is the supply chain service provider to Maria’s Bakery and Yoshinoya in Hong Kong, a chain of fast-food restaurants which has 30 retail outlets in Hong Kong that will continue its expansion plans in coming years. The company owns its central production and distribution facility which distributes to its retail outlets.

“The control and traceability capabilities of Ross Enterprise were important criteria in our section process,” said Keith Chan, chief supply officer, HFG Procurement Ltd. “We chose Ross Enterprise because of its track record in the food and beverage industry and the company’s reputation as a strong technology partner. With the implementation of Ross Enterprise, we look to become more efficient in our manufacturing processes, address the visibility and control needs of our evolving business, and at the same time, provide the brand assurance that is increasingly sought by consumers.”

“At CDC Software, it is our mission to fully understand the industry-specific challenges of our food and beverage customers,” said Beth Berndt, director of Industry Solutions at CDC Software, focused on the food and beverage sector. “With a proven technology foundation, we deliver cost-effective solutions to growing companies such as HFG Procurement, providing them with the tools necessary to become customer-driven market leaders.”

Pivotal CRM
Provider of Employers’ Defined Contribution Plans to Implement Pivotal CRM to Optimize Operational Efficiency, Improve Information Access and Analysis, Promote Better Employee Collaboration, and Enhance Customer Service
ATLANTA, January 16, 2007— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that The 401(k) Company has chosen the Pivotal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite of software applications because of its industry-specific functionality which will allow its employees to develop deeper insight into their clients’ needs, preferences, and influencers, accompanied by tools that will help improve team collaboration, track performance, and continue to provide exemplary client service.

With more than $21 billion in assets under administration, The 401(k) Company is focused on employers’ defined contribution plans. The 401(k) Company provides clients with a full range of services, including recordkeeping, plan consulting and compliance, customized employee communications, and trustee services.

The 401(k) Company will use the Pivotal CRM for Financial Services application to create a single view of client information, minimize multiple silos of information, facilitate managerial insight, and improve cross-departmental communication and coordination, while ensuring exceptional customer care. Using Pivotal CRM, the company will be able to effectively manage, escalate, and resolve client service requests as well as institute a “corporate memory” to easily understand historical information and improve operational efficiency by streamlining manual processes.

“We chose Pivotal CRM because it offers a robust solution that fits the unique requirements of the financial services industry, right out of the box, while also offering the flexibility to customize to our unique needs,” said Michelle LeCates, senior vice president, Plan Consulting, The 401(k) Company. “The dedication and focus of the entire CDC Software team was also very impressive to us. Rather than searching for just a software vendor, we sought a true partner that would have a vested interest in our success. In CDC Software, we’ve found that partner with a thorough understanding of our industry and our unique requirements. We are dedicated to delivering the highest level of customer service, and we’re confident that Pivotal CRM will help us accomplish that goal.”

“The 401(k) Company is an industry leader when it comes to its commitment to client service and providing quality defined-contribution plans and services,” said Jason Rushforth, global vice president, Financial Services, CDC Software. “We are excited with the opportunity to help them implement a long-term strategy for proactively managing customer information. With Pivotal CRM, The 401(k) Company now can better manage relationships with clients and third-party contacts through a single centralized corporate data repository for information.”

Leading financial services and investment management firm deploys Pivotal CRM to improve collaboration, optimize efficiency and enhance customer service
ATLANTA, January 09, 2007— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that Calamos Investments has chosen and successfully deployed the Pivotal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite of software applications to enhance interdepartmental collaboration, promote maximum cross-selling and up-selling, and support superior customer service.

Calamos Investments provides investment management services to major corporations, public and private institutions, pension funds, insurance companies, as well as to financial advisors and their clients.

Calamos Investments wanted to replace a CRM system that had been acquired and sunset, and sought a system that would help support its rapid growth. Additional requirements for the new CRM system included multiple distribution channels, company and client-centric contacts, ability to configure contacts as individuals and teams, and finally enhance internal communications. Calamos also needed the ability to track its contacts activities and opportunities separately. The company also chose Pivotal CRM because its out-of-the-box solution was most closely aligned with its financial services business model and technical requirements.

Calamos has over 100 internal and 20 mobile users using the Pivotal CRM application and plans to increase those numbers in the future. Users include executive management, regional sales teams, client relationship managers, institutional services, private client group, client services and marketing staff. With the Pivotal CRM solution, Calamos can now:

Achieve a 360-degree view of the client to uncover new opportunities and deliver better-targeted service
Increase data accuracy and accessibility with a single shared repository of client information
Allow cross-functional account servicing and broader collaboration between departments
Accelerate and streamline time-intensive multi-step processes such as account openings with structured workflows
Increase client satisfaction by delivering exceptional, personalized client experiences using efficient tools that lower service costs
“We evaluated a wide variety of CRM alternatives, including open source and on-demand,” said Carolyn Stuart, vice president and head of business analysis for Calamos Investments. “Through this extensive review process, we determined that the other CRM solutions could not effectively support our financial services industry requirements nor could they be easily tailored to match our unique business practices. In the end, we chose Pivotal CRM because of its focus in the financial services industry and its reputation for success earned with many of our peer companies. Pivotal CRM is now a core system for us that has been quickly tailored to model the business practices that make us unique in the industry. We have seen tremendous user adoption and are very pleased with the results so far.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Calamos Investments,” said Jason Rushforth, global vice president, Financial Services CDC Software. “Forward-thinking financial services firms such as Calamos Investments are looking for strategic client relationship management to help them differentiate their offerings and build client loyalty in a competitive market. “Pivotal CRM for Financial Services offers industry-specific functionality and puts critical relationships at the core of organizational strategy in a way that fits the unique business processes of financial services firms.”

ATLANTA, BEIJING, January 11, 2007— CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) focused on enterprise software applications, mobile applications and online games, today reaffirmed its previously announced guidance for 2006 with total revenues forecast in the range of (U.S.) $303 million to $307 million, an increase of approximately 24 percent from last year and adjusted net income* in the range of $32 million to $33.3 million, an increase of more than 100% from the prior year.

For 2007, CDC Corporation also reaffirms prior guidance with total revenues forecast in the range of $401 million to $411 million, an increase of approximately 33 percent from 2006, and adjusted net income in the range of $55 million to $60 million, an increase of approximately 76 percent from 2006. The company plans to report preliminary earnings estimates for Q4 by early February.

“We are very pleased to reaffirm our Guidance for 2006 and 2007 which reflects continued growth throughout our operating companies,” said Peter Yip, CEO of CDC Corporation. “We expect strong year-end results that stem from both robust organic growth and the successful acquisitions we have made this year. As we look forward to 2007, we expect this trend to continue.”

* Adjusted Financial Measures
To supplement the financial measures prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (”GAAP”), the company uses Non-GAAP financial measures for net income and other line items, which are adjusted from results based on GAAP. These Non-GAAP measures are provided to enhance the user’s overall understanding of the company’s current financial performance and its prospects for the future. The company believes the Non-GAAP results provide useful information to both management and investors. Although the company continues to report GAAP results to investors, it believes the inclusion of Non-GAAP financial measures provides further clarity in its financial reporting. These Non-GAAP financial measures may be different from Non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, and should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP measures.

The Company defines adjusted net income as net income adjusted for certain purchase accounting related charges and restructuring expenses. The purchase accounting related charges are primarily related to the non-cash amortization of acquisition related intangibles and non-cash tax charges related to our utilization of acquired tax net operating loss carry forwards. Restructuring charges typically result as we consolidate acquired companies to achieve operational synergies. The Company cannot at this point in time, without unreasonable efforts, quantify such purchase accounting related charges and restructuring expenses.

A reconciliation of 2005 adjusted net income to GAAP can be found in the Company’s earnings release for the full year 2005 dated April 12, 2006.

The estimates presented in this press release are preliminary and are based on management’s belief and best estimate.

Pivotal MarketFirst helps leading provider of enterprise billing and revenue management solutions increase marketing campaign responses by 4,400 percent
ATLANTA, November 28, 2006— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that Softrax Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise billing and revenue management solutions, has increased its marketing-campaign responses by 4,400 percent in the last five years since implementing Pivotal MarketFirst.

Based in Canton, Mass., Softrax provides software to automate the entire revenue cycle, from complex billing and contract renewals, through revenue recognition, reporting, and forecasting. The company’s clients include businesses that sell software, hardware, business process out-sourcing, e-commerce, information services, research, complex equipment, and other business services.

Despite the company’s growth, Softrax was not using electronic marketing channels and few leads were being generated for the sales force. With a small prospect database and limited means to generate new leads for its sales force, Softrax still wanted to reach a large audience and market effectively within its budget constraints.

Since implementing the Pivotal MarketFirst solution five years ago, the difference in lead generation has been “night and day,” according to Gottfried Sehringer, vice president of marketing for Softrax. In just the first year of using Pivotal MarketFirst, marketing campaign responses increased 1,000 percent with similar high increases in each subsequent year since the implementation. Pivotal MarketFirst also has dramatically increased the number of marketing campaigns and reduced the cost per response for Softrax without any significant changes to their overhead.

“We could not generate this level of responses and the cost per response would be dramatically different without Pivotal MarketFirst,” noted Sehringer. “We also would not run as many programs, nor have as many qualified leads or deals. Without MarketFirst, we would either generate less revenue or require a bigger marketing budget to achieve the same results.”

“The outstanding metrics achieved by Softrax is testament to the personalization and lead management capabilities of Pivotal MarketFirst,” said Bruce Cameron, vice president of Pivotal CRM. “We are very excited how Pivotal CRM has helped position Softrax for aggressive market growth in the coming years.”

Pivotal MarketFirst is a marketing automation and lead management solution that enables marketers to conduct even the most complex, multi-channel marketing campaigns. Using MarketFirst, marketing professionals can profile customers and prospects, target each with a highly personalized and relevant message, deliver the message at the right time via the right channel, and ensure consistent and effective follow-up. Pivotal MarketFirst can help marketers achieve higher response rates and better lead quality with precisely targeted campaigns based on data captured at every point of interaction. It can also help increase lead quality and retention rates with fewer resources, improving return-on-investment (ROI).

Pivotal CRM
Financial Services Holding Company Implementing Pivotal CRM to Increase Operational Performance and Improve Customer Service
ATLANTA, December 20, 2006— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that Davidson Companies has chosen the Pivotal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite of software applications for its Equity Capital Markets practice.

Davidson chose Pivotal CRM because of its financial services industry-specific functionality which will allow its employees to cultivate deeper relationships with their clients and provide exemplary customer service, as well as provide greater insight into their workflow, automate multi-step processes, and track performance.

Davidson Companies, founded in 1935, is an employee-owned financial services holding company based in Great Falls, Montana. Davidson Companies owns D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm based in the region. Also part of the Davidson Companies family are Davidson Trust Co., a wealth management and trust operation; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional money management firm; Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing wealth management and other fixed income services; and Davidson Travel, a full-service travel agency.

Before implementing Pivotal CRM, Davidson’s Equity Capital Markets practice relied on a homegrown system which provided limited reporting and archiving capability and no workflow management. Pivotal CRM will provide Davidson Companies with a comprehensive, integrated, industry-specific application that will increase operational performance, streamline processes across the value chain, and improve responsiveness to client requests. When the Pivotal CRM implementation is complete, Davidson Companies will have approximately 200 users in 20 offices supporting 16,000 contacts.

“As a result of our growth, we determined that we needed a system that would help us ensure a consistent experience for customers in all of our critical touch points,” said Donn Lassila, chief information officer, Davidson Companies. ”We choose Pivotal CRM because of its unique fit to our requirements and CDC Software’s deep understanding of our industry. The application is financial services-specific right out of the box, Microsoft compatible, and has an easy to access web-based interface for our users. Pivotal met all of our criteria for a CRM package.”

“Leading financial services organizations such as Davidson Companies are leveraging CRM to increase sales and marketing effectiveness, and deliver enhanced customer service across all their channels,” said Jason Rushforth, global vice president, Financial Services, CDC Software. “Pivotal CRM is a cost-effective application that provides financial services firms the ability to increase revenue, margins and customer loyalty.”

ATLANTA, October 23, 2006— Pivotal Corporation, a leading Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) solution provider and a division of CDC Software, a subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA), announced today that Boca Developers, one of South Florida’s largest and most successful builders of luxury condominiums, has consolidated, centralized and significantly enhanced its sales process following implementation of the Pivotal CRM solution from CDC Software.

As demand for luxury, multi-family waterfront properties in South Florida flourished, Boca Developers saw its annual sales jump from $400 million in 2004 to $600 million in 2005. However, Boca Developers realized its methods of manually capturing and reporting critical sales data were inconsistent and inefficient. Like many builders, Boca Developers works with numerous sales offices, where each had its own method of capturing and reporting data. The company also works with sales brokers, who aren’t direct company employees and who lack incentive to follow a specific sales methodology or data collection scheme. Boca Developers implemented Pivotal CRM to improve sales processes and create the marketing, sales and data infrastructure that would allow the company to expand and scale quickly and efficiently.

With Pivotal CRM, all of Boca Developer’s customer, prospect and lead information is located in a single, centralized system so that a common, consistent and consolidated view of their data is easily accessible to a variety of different users.

“Using Pivotal across the organization has not only saved time, it has also eliminated a lot of confusion and increased our confidence in terms of understanding our sales activity,” said William Davis, systems delivery manager of Boca Developers. “Pivotal has become a central repository as well as a facilitator of good business practices, which has been very beneficial to the company.”

In addition, Boca Developers has been able to accelerate and simplify a variety of steps in the sales process just by having a clearer process and critical information more readily available. “The ability to access all customer information and pinpoint their stage in the sales cycle – when you need another signature, another deposit, and so on – and being able to control it from a central location has become invaluable,” said Davis. Boca Developers now gathers rich lead information and creates targeted campaigns and incentive programs to upgrade a lead’s stage in the sales cycle.

Davis also cited the scalability and reliability of Pivotal CRM as major benefits. “We knew ahead of time that Pivotal would support our need for scale, and it has proven to be very stable and very thorough in its end-to-end processing,” said Davis.

Leading global securities publication also named CDC Software’s Pivotal division to “Fast Five” as one of the fastest growing companies on global list
ATLANTA, VANCOUVER, October 25, 2006— CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, announced today that its Pivotal customer relationship management (CRM) solution was named to the SecuritiesTech 50, an annual global listing of the top vertical technology vendors providing front-office solutions, published by Securities Industry News. Pivotal CRM was ranked 19th overall and Pivotal, a division of CDC Software, was also listed as part of the “Fast-Five” section, a subset of the Top 50 which categorizes the fastest-growing companies on that list.

For this inaugural listing, Securities Industry News and Financial Insights, an independent research services firm and an IDC company, evaluated front-office technology and solutions providers based on the number of seats or desktops deployed globally across two functional areas; investment management or securities brokerage (institutional and retail). The Fast Five were evaluated by their total two-year percentage desktop growth through the end of calendar year 2005. According to the publication, all solutions share the common characteristics of scalable technologies, customized solutions and responsive customer service.

Pivotal CRM for Financial Services offers comprehensive, industry-specific solutions for the financial services industries that increase insight into operational performance, streamline processes across the value chain, and improve responsiveness to client demands. With discrete CRM offerings for institutional asset management, wholesale asset management (mutual fund wholesaling), capital markets, private banking/wealth management, and commercial banking, Pivotal CRM models the unique business practices of financial services firms and enables them to place client relationships at the core of their organizational strategies.

“We are honored to be listed as the only CRM provider on the list of Top 50 global technology and institutional front-office providers,” said Jason Rushforth, global vice president, Financial Services, CDC Software. “Delivering industry-specific CRM solutions that are easily adapted to unique business practices is a key differentiator for Pivotal in the financial services markets. This recognition is especially rewarding because it is based, in part, on the value we are bringing to our financial services clients. The award not only validates our commitment to ongoing product innovation, but also our commitment to the success of our customers.”

ATLANTA, October 13, 2006— Pivotal Corporation, a leading Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) solution provider and a division of CDC Software, a subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA), announced today the overwhelming success of its Customer Summit 2006, which again drew record attendance. The user conference – themed “Extreme Performance” – was held Oct. 10-12 in Chicago.

Pivotal customers, representing a cross section of industries including financial services, homebuilding, healthcare, manufacturing and business services, converged at this year’s Customer Summit to attend informative presentations, breakout and workshop sessions that were predominantly led or co-led by customers. The agenda also included hands-on test drives of new products and personalized one-on-one consultations with Pivotal professionals. Keynote addresses were delivered by Barton Goldenberg, founder and president of ISM Inc., a recognized authority on premier Customer Relationship Management, Eric Musser, president of CDC Software, and Bruce Cameron, senior vice president of Pivotal.

Customers also learned more about the innovative new version of previously announced Pivotal CRM 5.9, featuring enhanced usability, Pivotal Handheld, a Blackberry® wireless Handheld™ mobile application and Pivotal Call Scripting for automating customer interactions. In the workshops and break-out sessions, customers, including some of the most recognized names in financial services, homebuilding, healthcare, manufacturing and business services, presented their Best Practices and ROI metrics. Presentations and sessions focused on using Pivotal CRM to achieve extreme business performance. The presentations detailed how Pivotal CRM helped them accomplish optimal performance, higher efficiency, reduced costs, improved access to information, better customer relationships and measurable competitive advantages in their industries.

“Its good to come together as a group of customers in this Summit and it’s also valuable because Pivotal listens to us,” said Tom Dobbe, vice president, Farm Credit Services of America. “Pivotal wants to know what their customers think, where we’re going next and what we need in the future. That’s one of the reasons why we selected Pivotal, because they believe it’s all about the customer.”

“We are delighted that we had such a strong showing of customers from our target industries at this year’s user conference,” said Eric Musser, president of CDC Software. “Our entire organization is very proud of our contributions to their accomplishments and measurable successes. Our customers represent some of the most forward-thinking professionals in the area of CRM and their sharing of ideas and best practices through our conferences and forums, is one of the key factors to continually enhancing their overall business performance.”

Mellon Asset Management generates significant financial savings and growth in new and existing business opportunities
NORTHAMPTON, UK, September 26, 2006— Pivotal Corporation, a leading Customer Relationship Management solution provider and the CRM division of CDC Software, the enterprise software company of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA), today announced Mellon Asset Management, a provider of investment management products and services, has achieved significant financial savings estimated by Mellon to be worth £500,000 in infrastructure and software and £250,000 in support following its implementation of the Pivotal Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) solution from Pivotal.

The Pivotal CRM solution is allowing Mellon Asset Management to consolidate its CRM infrastructure, software and support across its 12 asset management subsidiaries* including Standish Mellon Asset Management, Franklin Portfolio Associates and The Boston Company Asset Management. The subsidiaries will be able to manage customers’ investments more profitably, provide enhanced levels of service and enable the organisations to make more informed business decisions.

Stephen Johns, head of eBusiness, Mellon Asset Management, commented: “It was important that our chosen CRM application would support our business and add value in meeting the needs of our asset management groups. We needed a system which would allow us to manage individual clients on an everyday level and also provide a single view of sales opportunities across the entire business.”

He added: “Pivotal has been instrumental in leading such a successful project. Both teams have worked closely to coordinate the first phase of rollout across our sites. It was extremely important to capture the economies of scale in joining up the subsidiaries and consolidating areas such as infrastructure and software in line with compliance regulations.”

Jason Rushforth, vice president, Financial Services CDC Software commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Mellon Asset Management to provide an integrated CRM solution across its subsidiaries. It is a significant project that reaffirms our focus and unique expertise in the financial services sector. We have worked hard to understand Mellon’s business objectives and we demonstrated our ability to deliver with numerous examples of similar financial services companies that are successfully using Pivotal CRM to address their key requirements. Through our knowledge and expertise in financial services, we’ve provided Mellon with a safe and speedy return on its investment.”

Implemented in February 2006, the Pivotal CRM system is currently being used by more than 250 people. As a result of the success thus far, Mellon is in discussions regarding a further rollout to its global sales, marketing groups and investment subsidiaries later this year. Mellon is also planning expansion to include Mellon Global Investments, the international distribution subsidiary of Mellon Financial Corporation.

In addition to the expanded deployments within Mellon, the company is also planning to introduce new additional Pivotal modules and standard functionality to address broader business requirements. These plans include integration with Blackberry devices using the Pivotal Handheld module and the addition of Pivotal MarketFirst, a powerful eMarketing tool that will enable Mellon to streamline the planning, execution, measurement and optimisation of its marketing programs.

* As of 13/09/2006, not including joint ventures and other non-fully owned subsidiaries