Click Commerce Ships Business Suite 7.5

Latest release offers upgraded order management, returns, warranty functionality

Latest release offers upgraded order management, returns, warranty functionality

Chicago  October 19, 2004  Partner relationship management (PRM) specialist Click Commerce has released version 7.5 of its Business Suite solution, integrating a range of capabilities intended to make it easier for businesses to leverage their partner relationships and improve pre-sales, sales and after-sales service.

Click said that Business Suite provides an end-to-end solution that can help reduce channel costs and allows customers to empower their partners to function more efficiently and more profitably. Supported business processes include partner recruitment and profiling, lead distribution, market segmentation, order management, warranty and returns, training and certification, channel forecasting and point-of-sale analysis, and marketing funds management.

New to version 7.5, which is available immediately, are the integrated ordering and after-market services processes, along with business process improvements, such as multi-threaded workflow and cycle-time reporting to help customers drive continuous improvements in their channel operations

Specifically, the new functionality in 7.5 includes:

  • Order Management: New quote-to-order and lead-to-order functionality were designed to improve order capture and lead conversion rates and allow companies to close more business and extend their reach. The pricing flexibility and configurable approval, shipping, and fulfillment options provide a distributed order management solution, Click said.


  • Funds Management: Newly integrated with Promotions and Campaigns, the Funds Management application helps companies calculate overall campaign and partner-specific return on investment (ROI) and account for payments made to partners for marketing activities, according to Click. With full support for marketing and co-op funds and configurable approval processes for different fund types, Funds Management was designed to provide flexibility in automating and documenting the distribution of marketing funds, the solution provider said.


  • Returns: With configurable business rules for approving and routing return requests based on product line and type or amount of return, Returns is intended to reduce the administrative effort and cycle time inherent in processing return requests. Integration with Warranty and Product Catalog means users can create return requests that are synchronized with order and invoice numbers, helping to reduce manual touch points and processing times and eliminate incomplete or unresolved returns.


  • Warranty: Integrated with Product Catalog and Returns, Warranty enables companies to create multiple warranty programs online and tie them to specific product lines, Click said. In addition to automating the process of warranty registration and claims, automated return material authorizations (RMAs) created during online claim submission provide bar-coded shipping documents for faster processing and accurate handling, according to the solution provider.


  • Workflow Engine Enhancements: Improvements to the Click Commerce workflow engine put more functionality into the hands of business users, the solution provider said. Multi-threaded workflow enhancements were designed to give companies greater flexibility in tailoring the solution to match their business processes, and the new delegated administration features are intended to ensure better management of tasks across complex business units and partner structures. New cycle-time reporting gives companies low-level visibility into their business and positions them to react quickly to process bottlenecks, Click said.
"With this release, Click Commerce brings to the market the first fully-integrated PRM/e-commerce solution," said Nancy Koenig, vice president of product operations for Click Commerce. "These next generation applications are a direct response to the collaborative challenges our customers are facing and their need for greater visibility and greater efficiency. Using 7.5, companies can create closer links with their partners, capture more orders, and react more quickly to shifting partner needs and market demands."

Click Commerce's customer include such companies as Microsoft, Delphi, Honda, Citibank, FedEx, Carrier and Hitachi.
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