Broadens service deliver management offerings to appeal to multiple industries
Englewood Cliffs, NJ — January 21, 2004 — Indus International Inc., a provider of service delivery management (SDM) solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wishbone Systems Inc., a provider of workforce management (WFM) and optimization software.
Indus said the acquisition would deepen its reach in the SDM market, making it the only company to offer customer information systems/customer relationship management (CIS/CRM), enterprise asset management (EAM) and workforce management solutions.
More than 150 organizations, most of which are Fortune 1,000 companies, use Wishbone Systems' workforce management solutions. Its worldwide user base includes companies in industries such as cable, finance, high-tech, manufacturing, medical, pharmaceuticals, power, transportation, utilities and wireless.
Indus said it agreed to acquire Wishbone for approximately $6.65 million in cash, subject to certain purchase price adjustments contained in the definitive agreement. Indus will account for the acquisition as a purchase and expects to complete the acquisition in January.
"The acquisition of Wishbone Systems complements our core strategy for implementing service delivery management, which expands the traditional definition of asset management to include resources other than physical assets — such as a client's customers, workforce, spare parts inventory, tools and documentation," said Indus Chairman and CEO Tom Madison. "Collectively managing these 'assets' creates value in terms of cost savings and improved customer satisfaction by optimizing the critical interactions between the customer, the physical assets and the workforce."
Indus cited industry experts agree that said there is a growing market opportunity for comprehensive service management solutions, as these solutions can provide a competitive differentiator for organizations over the next few years.
According to a recent Gartner report, "The view of customer service as a separate business function will evolve into a view of service as an integral part of key business processes." The report further stated that, "By 2007, an enterprise's skill in leveraging and integrating its communications tools into key business processes and workflows will be a competitive differentiator (0.8 probability). ... From 2004 to 2007, enterprises that have prioritized investments in customer service and support optimization will grow their market share 10 to 35 percent over the industry average (0.7 probability)."
With the addition of Wishbone Systems, Indus' SDM solutions will applications from optimized workforce management, to expanded Web and wireless communication channels, to enterprise reporting and metrics utilities. The company said its Wishbone ServiceSuite includes a number of features that will enhance Indus' SDM solution, including a workforce optimization module, a Web-based order entry and management module, a real-time graphical intelligence portal for dispatchers, interactive wireless applications and an executive dashboard.
