San Mateo, CA August 27, 2002 Blue Martini Software this week rolled out the latest version of its customer relationship management (CRM) solution, which adds functionality to automate CRM processes for manufacturers who sell direct to accounts or through distribution channels.
The provider said that Blue Martini 5 for Manufacturers manages the complete set of selling processes typical to manufacturers: marketing, lead management, needs assessment, configuration, quoting, order management and service.
Key enhancements in this release include:
" Lead management. New functionality includes automatic lead distribution based on characteristics of the lead, opportunity management for tracking opportunities through the sales cycle and expanded business intelligence to track the conversion of leads to orders.
" Configuration and quoting. New functionality includes an enhanced ability to apply complex pricing policies to quotes, automatic generation of custom proposal documents and expanded business intelligence to track the conversion of quotes to orders. In addition, the configuration products now offer model collaboration, which allows manufacturers to swap new sub-components into their product catalog with minimal effort.
" Order management. New functionality includes Blue Martini Multiparty Selling, which uses Web services to allow manufacturers to ship in-process orders via XML to the customer's preferred reseller for processing. In addition, customers will now be able to schedule field service and use graphical tools to identify and order spare/replacement parts.
"Manufacturers have already invested millions of dollars in back office systems like [enterprise resource management] and supply chain management," said Chip Overstreet, vice president of marketing at Blue Martini Software. "For a fraction of that cost, Blue Martini 5 for Manufacturers can extend those investments, leveraging critical information from the back-office, to enable customer and partner-facing applications that make it easy for customers to buy."
"Our company deployed Blue Martini solutions to manage our full set of customer transactions," said Chris Meyer, director of e-business strategy at Lanier Worldwide. "Lanier could differentiate its brand and accelerate sales with the capability to offer personalized assisted buying at both our Web site and through e-procurement platforms."
Because Blue Martini 5 for Manufacturers is modular, manufacturers may implement point solutions while retaining the option to add pre-built and pre-integrated functionality as needs evolve.
Blue Martini 5 for Manufacturers is available immediately from Blue Martini Software.
