Latest CRM Software Industry News

SageCRM and Sage SalesLogix continue annual recognition within intensive CRM product evaluation program
Scottsdale, AZ – March 30, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that SageCRM/SageCRM.com and Sage SalesLogix have been selected by ISM Inc., Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and eCustomer strategic advisors, as Top 15 CRM Small & Medium Business Software Award winners for 2007. SageCRM received the ISM award for a fifth consecutive year, while Sage SalesLogix received the award for a ninth straight year.

“The Top 15 CRM Awards, which serve as the standard for comprehensive CRM software, have evolved since 1990—when ISM began the Awards—to be the industry benchmark,” said Barton Goldenberg, founder and president of ISM. “The Top 15 winners represent the best and most comprehensive CRM software serving internal and external customers with features ranging from predictive modeling to Web 2.0 to access to handheld/wireless devices.”

The Sage Software CRM Solutions were chosen after intensive testing by the ISM Software Lab at its Bethesda, Md.-based headquarters. Each product tested during ISM’s evaluation program was rated according to 217 selection criteria, including 103 business functions, 52 technical features, 36 implementation capabilities, 9 real time CRM criteria and 17 user support features.

“The comprehensive criteria used by ISM to evaluate product quality speaks volumes about our ‘freedom of choice’ philosophy,” explained Joe Bergera, senior vice president and general manager for Sage Software Global CRM Solutions. “Small and mid-sized businesses require flexible CRM solutions that can evolve as organizations mature. These latest ISM awards continue to demonstrate the value that Sage Software, its products, services, people and expertise offer to customers who need CRM solutions that work the way they do.”

The 2007 Top 15 CRM SMB selections are featured in ISM’s 15th edition of The Guide to CRM Automation and in their Top 15 CD available at www.ismguide.com.

SageCRM/SageCRM.com
SageCRM is an easy to use and feature rich CRM solution that integrates vital sales, marketing and customer support information for small and mid-sized businesses. SageCRM provides flexible deployment options and is available as an on-demand CRM solution at SageCRM.com, or as an on-premises CRM system. SageCRM also includes a remote data synchronization client and support for wireless devices.

Sage SalesLogix
With more than 300,000 users at over 7,300 companies, Sage SalesLogix is the CRM leader for small to medium-sized businesses. Sage SalesLogix delivers easy-to-use and integrated sales, marketing, customer service and support automation solutions that can be tailored to an organization’s unique customer acquisition, retention and development processes.

SageCRM and Sage SalesLogix are part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call (800) 643-6400.

Scottsdale, AZ – March 29, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that Atlanta Nisseki CLAF, Inc. (ANCI), a manufacturer of CLAF, a non-woven, engineered fabric used in packaging and to reinforce other materials, is using the Sage SalesLogix CRM solution to automate sales processes and centralize data for its global offices. The Sage SalesLogix system, implemented and customized by Sage CRM Solutions business partner Extremely Productive, Inc., has increased visibility of ANCI sales opportunities among executives, management and sales representatives. Using Sage SalesLogix, ANCI has significantly reduced data processing and preparation time for its monthly sales meetings and bi-annual board meetings, saving a total of 42 business days per year through automation.

“Previously, we did not have an easy way to look at budget versus sales performance. We spent three days on average manually compiling data in advance of each meeting. Having a CRM system allows us to focus on decision making rather than data gathering. The expanded sales data in Sage SalesLogix has been integrated with our custom ERP system by Extremely Productive, Inc., which has transformed the way we do business. The true value is in the information that integrated systems can provide.”

ANCI has grown to serve customers in ten countries since beginning operations in 1992. The company initially used Microsoft® Outlook® to facilitate communications between its offices. The issue of not having a centralized database for global team viewing was critical for ANCI when determining which step of the sales process each of its customers was in. The lack of real-time data slowed communications and sales.

To address this challenge, ANCI implemented Sage SalesLogix in 2002 to provide all offices with a shared opportunity management process and updated inventory, shipping, invoice and payment history for each customer.

Extremely Productive designed a key performance indicator (KPI) system within Sage SalesLogix to help ANCI track calls, meetings and sales activities on a scoreboard-style monitor visible to all employees. The customization has increased ANCI’s sales productivity by providing each sales rep with up-to-the-minute operational data and visibility across all accounts.

ANCI currently has 14 Sage SalesLogix users, including each member of its executive team, who use the system to manage an open sales environment. The profit potential and required actions for each opportunity are shared with every sales team member.

“The key for ANCI is leveraging business intelligence so management can spend more time focusing on strategic development,” said Josh Ovett, Extremely Productive, Inc. president. “For example, we built special reports designed to be so automated and informative that they actually save ANCI executives from needing to compile data, affording them more time to act upon it. All planning, trending and analysis that previously took hours now takes only minutes using the Sage SalesLogix system we implemented.”

Going forward, ANCI plans to expand its use of analytic functions within Sage SalesLogix to enable additional data analysis with its sister companies owned by the Nippon Oil Corporation of Japan.

Sage SalesLogix
With more than 300,000 users at over 7,300 companies, Sage SalesLogix is the CRM leader for small to medium-sized businesses. Sage SalesLogix delivers easy-to-use and integrated sales, marketing, customer service and support automation solutions that can be tailored to an organization’s unique customer acquisition, retention and development processes.

Sage SalesLogix is part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage, SageCRM and SageCRM.com. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call (800) 643-6400.

Simplified sales, marketing and accounting functionality aids global organization’s remote employees
Scottsdale, AZ – March 26, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that Quest TruTec, a provider of advanced measurement, performance modeling and process solutions is using SageCRM.com and Sage MAS 200 ERP to increase information sharing among remote sales, marketing and customer support employees. With SageCRM.com and Sage MAS 200 ERP, Quest TruTec has tracked a 20 percent increase in the number of sales opportunities that the company closes and increased revenue per technical advisor.

“Our sales team is dispersed around the world to support a global client base,” said Marc Braun, director of technical advisors for Quest TruTec. “Prior to using SageCRM.com, we had five separately managed databases that made information sharing cumbersome. SageCRM.com unifies our process and makes everything transparent so we can monitor all activities across our entire team and serve our clients more efficiently.”

Sage Software Solution Provides 360° Business Process Visibility

In 2006, Quest TruTec identified a need to transition from its various in-house databases to a more powerful CRM system that could automate the company’s global sales, marketing and reporting efforts. After evaluating options such as Salesforce.com and Goldmine, Quest TruTec selected SageCRM.com for its easy to use interface, strong customer support functionality and ability to integrate with the company’s existing Sage MAS 200 ERP system; enabling a complete view of critical front- and back-office business processes.

Quest TruTec’s sales cycle is now completely automated within SageCRM.com. Alerts notify technical advisors about new leads and changes in opportunity status. The automated processes allow Quest TruTec to begin tracking opportunities earlier and more accurately than previously possible, and help identify reasons why specific deals may not be successful. Quest TruTec incorporates this knowledge into employee training.

Sales and support employees can also view each customer’s transaction history, service level agreements and maintenance contract status using Sage MAS 200 ERP.

Additionally, Quest TruTec employees use SageCRM.com to increase reporting efficiency. Reports that previously required a few hours of manual effort to produce are now completed in minutes, freeing more time for sales activities.

Quest TruTec also facilitates e-mail marketing efforts from within SageCRM.com. When the company is hosting a seminar, e-mail invitations are sent to specific groups and contacts based on location, industry and business need. Contacts receive marketing materials specific to their decision making roles, which has yielded a higher quantity of successful sales opportunities.

“The Quest TruTec implementation is a prime example of how a global organization can affordably increase the collaboration and productivity of remote team members,” said Bill Hoffman, Sage CRM Solutions director of hosted services. “The company is not only increasing its number of accounts sold, but is also likely to see strong organic growth from the improved marketing and administrative capabilities the integrated Sage Software system has enabled.”

SageCRM
SageCRM is an easy to use and feature rich CRM solution that integrates vital sales, marketing and customer support information for small and mid-sized businesses. SageCRM provides flexible deployment options and is available as an on-demand CRM solution at SageCRM.com, or as an on-premises CRM system. SageCRM also includes a remote data synchronization client and support for wireless devices.

SageCRM and SageCRM.com are part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage and Sage SalesLogix. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call (800) 643-6400.

Sage MAS 200 ERP
Sage MAS 200 ERP is one of the company’s most feature-rich and easy to use mid-market ERP solution, offering all the functionality of the popular Sage MAS 90 ERP in a scaleable thin client/server platform. Sage MAS 200 automates core accounting, financial reporting, distribution, manufacturing and e-commerce plus includes powerful business intelligence tools. The solution provides award-winning CRM, HR and fixed asset functionality through tight integration with Sage CRM solutions, Sage Abra HRMS and Sage FAS Fixed Assets to deliver a comprehensive business management solution. For pricing and additional information, contact the Sage Software Sales Department at 800-854-3415, your local Sage MAS business partner, or visit www.sagemas.com.

Canadian-based printing and publishing company’s direct mail campaign facilitated by ACT! generates 74 percent response rate
Scottsdale, AZ – February 12, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that the Catalog and Magazine Group of Transcontinental Printing, the largest Canadian and seventh-largest North American printing company, is using the ACT! by Sage Premium for Workgroups contact and customer management solution to manage its direct marketing campaigns. A recent direct mail campaign managed using ACT! generated a 74 percent response rate, significantly exceeding typical response rates, which were 2.6% or less for lead generation direct marketing campaigns in 2006, according to data from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The results won Transcontinental Printing the DMA’s 2006 International ECHO Award for strategy, creativity and results in the business-to-business marketing category.

“For our award-winning “Get the Right Combination” campaign, we mailed 200 lock boxes to prospects matching very specific criteria organized in our ACT! database,” said Bruce Jensen, Transcontinental Printing vice president of sales. “Two years ago, we could not have generated targeted lists with this level of precision in such a short time, but using ACT! we did it all in a day.”

Adopting An Easy Approach To Contact And Customer Management

Transcontinental’s Catalog & Magazine Group had minimal results with an alternative contact management system prior to implementing its ACT! solution. The company’s previous system was not well adopted among employees, resulting in fragmented use, inconsistent lead tracking methods and no central location for customer information. The Catalog & Magazine Group has since used ACT! to standardize its sales and marketing processes and cites a cost-effective rollout and easy to use features as key benefits.

Fifty-five employees in Transcontinental’s Catalog and Magazine Group including vice presidents, sales directors, sales representatives and business development coordinators now share a centralized ACT! database.

ACT! by Sage
ACT!, first introduced in 1987, is the number-one selling contact and customer management solution and preferred choice of over 2.5 million registered users and more than 35,000 corporate customers to organize, access and manage their critical customer information. ACT! delivers powerful contact and customer management capabilities with flexible deployment and customization options to help individuals, selling professionals and corporate workgroups improve productivity and increase sales.

ACT! by Sage is part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and mid-sized businesses that also includes Sage CRM, SageCRM.com and Sage CRM SalesLogix. For more details, visit  www.sagecrmsolutions.com  or call (888) 855-5222.

New built-in training features accelerate user productivity and encourage user adoption; enhanced territory management and field-level security simplify administrator tasks
Scottsdale, AZ – February 01, 2007 – Sage Software announced today the latest version of its award-winning customer relationship management (CRM) solution, SageCRM v6, for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). SageCRM delivers a feature-rich and customizable suite of sales, marketing and customer support capabilities through a Web-based architecture that allows users the freedom to choose flexible deployment options including on-premises, on-demand and wireless. Version 6 introduces new user training tools including instructional feature tours and on-screen coaching, new data management features including expanded search queries and grouping functionality, and enhanced system administration capabilities.

“Meaningful user experiences and tangible results guide CRM adoption,” said Elvin Monteleone, senior vice president and general manager for Sage CRM Solutions. “SageCRM remains true to this philosophy by applying a special focus on user and system administrator productivity in this latest release. Sage Software continues to deliver affordable and flexible CRM solutions that provide the multiple deployment options, feature configurations and integration capabilities our customers require to operate their businesses successfully.”

SageCRM also enables bi-directional front- and back-office integration with Sage Software accounting and business management solutions including Sage Accpac ERP, as well as integrations with Sage Pro ERP, Sage MAS 90 ERP and Sage Timberline Office, in addition to a variety of third-party back-office systems.

“The topic of CRM user adoption is always present,” noted Denis Pombriant, Beagle Research managing principal. “Retaining a focus on usability and training tools within CRM systems as they mature from version to version is a wise approach. Additionally, continued focus on business system integration, as evident with the Sage CRM Solutions product offerings, helps ensure that organizations have the necessary options to align their front- and back-office systems for data sharing.”

SageCRM v6 User Enhancements

A new Quick Start tab provides access to on-screen training and coaching tools including instructional videos, user preference setup wizards, feature summary captions and quick tips that assist users as they navigate SageCRM.

An advanced search engine includes a redesigned interface that can now search for keywords within communications such as e-mails and phone logs. Advance query building supports “and/or” searches and allows users to specify search fields and values.

New data segmentation capabilities allow users to create static or dynamically updated groups that can contain people, companies, opportunities and other data categories to better organize and automatically update records based on common characteristics.

Enhanced Microsoft® Outlook® integration allows SageCRM to be used within the Outlook folder navigation pane or via a SageCRM toolbar in Outlook. A new company record can be created in SageCRM when adding a contact to Outlook, while also checking for duplicate records. Users can file individual e-mails or batches of e-mails sent from Outlook in SageCRM and attach global documents in new Outlook e-mails.

SageCRM v6 Administration Enhancements

Enhanced SageCRM v6 system administration capabilities include an improved territory tree for moving records from one sales territory to another and for merging sales territories. Shared data fields and multiple records can be updated in a single step.

Simplified field-level security throughout the product requires no coding and can be applied using checkboxes for granting or restricting data access for individual users, specific user type profiles and teams.

SageCRM v6 also adds support for the telephony server application programming interface (TSAPI) and for computer-supported telecommunications applications (CSTA).

About SageCRM
SageCRM is an easy to use and feature-rich CRM solution that integrates vital sales, marketing and customer support information for small and mid-sized businesses. Sage CRM provides flexible deployment options and is available as an on-demand CRM solution at SageCRM.com, or as an on-premises CRM system. SageCRM also includes a remote data synchronization client and support for wireless devices.

SageCRM is available for $595 per user for on-premises licensing and $69 per user per month for on-demand SageCRM.com deployment. SageCRM offers rent-to-own investment protection that allows customers to apply 50 percent of their first year SageCRM.com subscription costs towards migration to a SageCRM or Sage SalesLogix solution.

SageCRM and SageCRM.com are part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage and Sage SalesLogix. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com  or call (800) 643-6400.

New York, NY – January 31, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that its Sage SalesLogix Mobile CRM (customer relationship management) solution has been selected by Armstrong World Industries, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors, ceilings and cabinets. Company representatives are participating in the Sage Software Mobile CRM Seminar at The Westin New York at Times Square today.

The Sage Software Mobile CRM Seminar is free to interested attendees and will continue Thursday, February 1, at the Hyatt in Rosemont, Illinois and Wednesday, February 7, at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. The seminar runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon local times.

“Armstrong’s use of Sage SalesLogix can be a model for rolling out CRM in a large enterprise,” said Dave Batt, senior vice president and general manager for Sage Software Global CRM Solutions. “Working with Infinity Info Systems, one of our top business partners, the company is integrating Sage SalesLogix into their key sales and business processes and taking advantage of the system’s flexibility to test mobile CRM live with plans for a gradual rollout.”

Sage SalesLogix and Sage SalesLogix Mobile
With more than 300,000 users at over 7,300 companies, Sage SalesLogix is the CRM leader for small to medium-sized businesses. Sage SalesLogix delivers easy-to-use and integrated sales, marketing, customer service and support automation solutions that can be tailored to an organization’s unique customer acquisition, retention and development processes.

Sage SalesLogix Mobile enables full-featured and customizable CRM functionality on a robust platform that supports both BlackBerry® and Pocket PC handheld devices. Sage SalesLogix Mobile users can manage accounts, contacts, opportunities and customer support tickets, among other activities, with the real-time convenience and productivity of wireless CRM data.

Sage SalesLogix is part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage, SageCRM and SageCRM.com. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call 800-643-6400.

ACT! by Sage Premium for Real Estate (8.0) and Real Estate Promoter products enable turnkey prospecting-to-sales solution for agents and brokers
Scottsdale, AZ – January 22, 2007 – Sage Software today announced a marketing partnership with Real Estate Promoter, a leader in search engine marketing technology and lead capturing services, to offer real estate professionals the ACT! by Sage Premium for Real Estate contact and customer management solution with Real Estate Promoter’s online lead conversion services. The products, now being offered together as a discounted bundle by Real Estate Promoter, enable higher volume online lead capturing and efficient sales opportunity management for real estate agents and brokers.

“Whether in fast or slow markets, real estate agents need easy access to customer information as well as support to efficiently find leads and turn them into sales,” said Joe Bergera, ACT! senior vice president and general manager. “The partnership between Sage Software and Real Estate Promoter brings cost-effective productivity advantages that will help agents and real estate firms automate sales and marketing processes and accelerate their sales results.”

Real Estate Promoter’s search engine marketing and lead capturing services generate top Website placement and qualified traffic via the top 20 search portals including Yahoo®, Googleâ„¢ and MSN®, and are capable of delivering thousands of highly-targeted, early-market home buyer and seller leads for agents. Real Estate Promoter also offers Hybrid Websiteâ„¢ services that allow agents to promote themselves in their local marketplace and also effectively market their services online. Visitor-to-lead conversion rates on the Real Estate Promoter Hybrid Websitesâ„¢ range from 12 to 18 percent, further elevating users’ needs for contact and customer management capabilities.

“Our customers’ success hinges on their willingness to stay in constant contact with the leads they receive while using our services,” explained James Grierson, vice president of business development for e-Harbor Inc., parent company of Real Estate Promoter. “Contact and customer management is crucial for every real estate professional and we recommend ACT! Premium for Real Estate as the ideal solution for tracking appointments and managing all elements of the sales process.”

Real Estate Promoter is offering tiered discounts on the purchase of ACT! Premium for Real Estate when purchased with one of its Real Estate Promoter traffic building services or Hybrid Websiteâ„¢ systems. For details, visit www.realestatepromoter.com or call (800) 665-7495.

ACT! by Sage
ACT!, first introduced in 1987, is the preferred choice of over 2.5 million registered users and more than 35,000 corporate customers to organize, access and manage their critical customer information. ACT! delivers powerful contact and customer management capabilities with flexible deployment and customization options to help individuals, selling professionals and corporate workgroups improve productivity and increase sales.

ACT! by Sage is part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and mid-sized businesses that also includes Sage CRM, SageCRM.com and Sage CRM SalesLogix. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com

or call 888-855-5222.

Sage CRM Solutions selected for technology advancements and commitment to quality
Scottsdale, AZ – January 12, 2007 – Sage Software announced today that Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®)’s Customer Inter@ction Solutions® magazine (www.cismag.com) has named Sage SalesLogix and SageCRM/SageCRM.com 2006 Product of the Year Award winners. TMC editors recently issued the results of their product evaluations citing product technology advancements and vendor vision, leadership and commitment to quality as award selection criteria.

“We are honored to receive this recognition not only for our product capabilities, but also for the strategic vision we have developed for our entire range of CRM solutions on behalf of our small and mid-sized business and enterprise level customers,” said Elvin Monteleone, senior vice president and general manager for Sage CRM Solutions. “By offering deployment options that include on-premises, hosted and mobile CRM capabilities, we provide our customers the flexibility to implement, customize and scale solutions as their needs require. The Customer Inter@ction Solutions awards are yet another validation of our ability to deliver a range of best-in-class solutions based on our customer-connected business model.”

Customer Inter@ction Solutions is featuring its Product of the Year Award winners in both its January and February 2007 print issues.

Customer Inter@ction Solutions is proud to bestow upon Sage Software these 2006 Product of the Year Awards. Each year, Customer Inter@ction Solutions magazine recognizes companies that have demonstrated excellence in technological advancement and application refinements,” said Nadji Tehrani, Executive Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Customer Inter@ction Solutions. “Sage Software has proven they are committed to quality and excellence in solutions that benefit the customer experience as well as ROI for the companies that use them. I am pleased to honor their hard work and accomplishments and look forward to more innovative solutions from them in the future.”

Sage SalesLogix
With more than 300,000 users at over 7,300 companies, Sage SalesLogix is the CRM leader for small to medium-sized businesses. Sage SalesLogix delivers easy-to-use and integrated sales, marketing, customer service and support automation solutions that can be tailored to an organization’s unique customer acquisition, retention and development processes.

SageCRM/SageCRM.com
SageCRM is an easy to use and feature-rich CRM solution that integrates vital sales, marketing and customer support information for small and mid-sized businesses. SageCRM provides flexible deployment options and is available as an on-demand CRM solution at SageCRM.com, or as an on-premises CRM system. SageCRM also includes a remote data synchronization client and support for wireless devices.

Sage SalesLogix and SageCRM are part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call 800-643-6400.

ACT! contact and customer management system also eases transfer of critical client details during employee transitions.
Scottsdale, AZ – January 09, 2007 – e Software announced today that Design North, Inc., a brand strategy and design firm, is using ACT! by Sage Premium for Workgroups to manage its ongoing direct marketing campaigns and provide employees with historical information regarding key contacts and customer relationships. Since implementing ACT!, Design North has automated marketing activities such as targeted mailings and follow-up activity scheduling that historically took several hours to complete, converting them into simple tasks that now take only a few minutes each. “ACT! provides our company with the data organization and activity coordination that is necessary to drive business growth,” said Lee Sucharda, president, Design North. “For example, using the Lookup feature within ACT!, we are able to target specific groups of customers such as food or beverage manufacturers with the most appropriate information. After a marketing activity is entered in ACT!, follow-up activities are automatically scheduled for each of our team members ensuring that we are communicating with clients and prospects on a regular basis.”
Simplified Daily Tasks And Eased Employee Transitions

Prior to implementing ACT!, Design North’s client and prospect information was stored in an outdated database and miscellaneous employee files. The company needed to streamline its business processes and reduce the amount of time needed to complete them. It was also critical that client details remained within the organization during times of employee transition.

Design North worked with Muskus Management Corporation, an ACT! Certified Consultant, to implement a customized version of ACT! Premium for Workgroups and train employees. Muskus Management used intuitive design and customization capabilities in ACT! to automate workflow, aid employee adoption and create simple procedures for securing and transferring valuable client data.

“ACT! is the perfect solution for Design North because of its easy customization capabilities, and its integration with Microsoft® Outlook® helps make managing multiple direct mail campaigns simple and cost-effective for small businesses,” said Cheryl Muskus, president of Muskus Management Corporation.

ACT! by Sage
ACT!, first introduced in 1987, is the preferred choice of over 2.5 million registered users and more than 35,000 corporate customers to organize, access and manage their critical customer information. ACT! delivers powerful contact and customer management capabilities with flexible deployment and customization options to help individuals, selling professionals and corporate workgroups improve productivity and increase sales.

ACT! by Sage is part of Sage CRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and mid-sized businesses that also includes Sage CRM, SageCRM.com and Sage CRM SalesLogix. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com or call 888-855-5222.

Human Process Management solutions provider leverages Sage Software end-to-end functionality and quick learning curve to generate sales forecasting and account management efficiencies
Scottsdale, AZ – December 13, 2006 – Sage Software announced today that PeopleCube, the leader in on-demand Human Process Management solutions, is using an integrated SageCRM (customer relationship management)/Sage Accpac ERP (enterprise resource planning)/Sage Accpac Insight system to provide sales forecasting and customer account visibility for its employees located throughout the U.S. and Europe. PeopleCube has achieved significant time and resource reduction in sales forecast and account status reporting since implementing their integrated Sage Software system this past July.

“Using our integrated Sage Software business management system, we can gather information for our monthly sales forecasts in a few minutes as opposed to the previous eight or more hours,” said Rick Boyink, PeopleCube vice president for North American sales. “From there, running a variety of reports is similarly just a matter of minutes. The automation our Sage system provides has replaced the manual number crunching that was necessary with our former system.”

PeopleCube has experienced exponential revenue growth over each of the past three years through organic development and four successful acquisitions. With thousands of leads in an aging database, the company earlier this year decided to evaluate business management solutions. PeopleCube, itself a provider of hosted services, expected that it would deploy a hosted CRM system. The company evaluated a variety of hosted CRM offerings and found that SageCRM.com’s on-premises implementation option would be most beneficial for its business operations.

“SageCRM offered us a choice of deployment options,” continued Boyink. “The system’s open API’s led us to a blueprint for tightly integrating the on-premises version of SageCRM with Sage Accpac ERP to also obtain the improved accounting capabilities we were seeking at the time. We have traditionally captured customer information from our Web portal and fed it into our master sales database. The hosted environment does not support our sophisticated method of data capture and transfer, but a SageCRM customization achieved this easily.”

PeopleCube chose Times Business Solutions of Tucson, Arizona, a Sage Software business partner, to help implement both systems. PeopleCube had planned for two weeks of reduced productivity while the systems were being installed but Times Business Solutions and PeopleCube IT staff completed the project over the Fourth of July weekend. PeopleCube also found that the integrated system’s ease of use allowed training to be conducted in house. Boyink, for example, provided SageCRM training for sales representatives in weekly 20 minute segments during an eight week period.

Using the integrated SageCRM/Sage Accpac ERP system also allows PeopleCube employees to eliminate double entry of order information and provides the ability to handle multicurrency transactions, schedule reccurring transactions and track account information efficiently and accurately using the Sage Accpac Insight reporting tool, another Sage Software end-to-end business management application that integrates with Sage Accpac ERP.

“PeopleCube was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the power and ease of deploying an ‘end-to-end’ Sage Software business management solution,” said Patricia Tronstad, Times Business Solutions president. “The company’s growing business and sales processes required systems that could grow with them, and an implementation schedule that would minimize impact on daily operations. PeopleCube’s involvement was integral in the roll-out of the applications across their multi-national departments. We were able to assist their knowledgeable IT staff with our business process insights, resulting in the company’s effective transition from their previous system.”

SageCRM
SageCRM is an easy to use and feature-rich CRM solution that integrates vital sales, marketing and customer support information for small and mid-sized businesses. SageCRM provides flexible deployment options and is available as an on-demand CRM solution at SageCRM.com, or as an on-premises CRM system. SageCRM also includes a remote data synchronization client and support for wireless devices.

SageCRM and SageCRM.com are part of SageCRM Solutions, the only family of CRM products designed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that also includes ACT! by Sage and Sage CRM SalesLogix. For more details, visit www.sagecrmsolutions.com  or call (800) 643-6400.

Sage Accpac ERP
Sage Accpac ERP is an advanced, Web-enabled accounting, business management and enterprise resource planning solution that is the foundation for integrated, end-to-end business management applications, including customer relationship management (CRM), point-of-sale (POS), human resources (HR), and warehouse management, among others. It can be deployed either on premises, or hosted online at www.accpaconline.com.

Sage Accpac ERP can be run on both Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems, including the ability to run Linux and Windows clients in parallel against the same database. Sage Accpac ERP also continues to provide small enterprises with the freedom to choose from a variety of industry leading databases, including IBM® DB2® (a 3-user DB2 license is included free of charge with a license of Sage Accpac ERP), Pervasive.SQL®, Oracle®, and Microsoft SQL Server.

Sage Accpac Insight
Sage Accpac Insight is an enterprise-wide reporting, budgeting, and consolidations application, ideal for employees in remote offices and disparate departments who need to manage, distribute, and collaborate from a single, unified source. It allows you to quickly capture and integrate information into meaningful reports and securely distribute them across your entire enterprise on demand.

Sage Accpac Insight enhances a company’s business intelligence with sophisticated, customizable budgets, analytics, and reports.