Optos Goes with Astea for CRM

Horsham, PA  November 27, 2002  Optos plc, an emerging global company in retinal diagnostics technology, has selected a customer relationship management (CRM) solution from Astea International to automate its processes for customer support, equipment service and sales operations.

Optos will implement Astea's AllianceEnterprise Suite to at its North America facility in Marlborough, Mass., and will integrate the suite with financial and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems at the company's headquarters in Dunfermline, Scotland.

The Scottish company offers ultra-wide-field retinal imaging equipment that can play a key role in the early detection and prevention of many eye conditions. Since placing its first system in August 1999, Optos has grown its base to hundreds of customers, and by design most of those customers are in the United States.

Optos provides the equipment and support services to eye care professionals through a pay per patient fee system.

"The service-oriented nature of Astea AllianceEnterprise CRM reflects Optos' commitment to true partnership with its customers," said Jane Naish, the company's technical manager. "Using AllianceEnterprise, Optos' clinical, technical and marketing support representatives will have a complete understanding of each customer's circumstances and needs."

"Astea's global presence and AllianceEnterprise deployments at other FDA regulated companies perfectly aligned with Optos' CRM selection criteria," said John Reed, Astea vice president of sales. "Also, their pay-per-use strategy versus outright equipment sales heightens their reliance on strong customer partnerships and the 'service lifecycle management' direction that Astea has taken with AllianceEnterprise."

The Astea solution calls for integrating AllianceEnterprise CRM with Optos' existing manufacturing ERP and corporate financial systems so that all operate synergistically to maximize business metrics such as customer loyalty, revenue opportunities, profit and market share.