New Customer-Centric Software Unveiled To Boost Insurer CRM

While security products stole much of the spotlight at therecent Comdex technology exposition in Las Vegas, at least twoexhibitors were touting products designed to help companies be more“customer-centric.”

Atlanta-based Navision announced the release of a new productand the upgrade of another.

The new product is “Navision Attain,” whichthe company says provides financial management, manufacturing anddistribution, customer relationship management, sales, marketingand service “integrated into one solution to provide mid-sizedcompanies with tools they need to grow their businesses.”

According to Navision, the new software allows users tostreamline daily administrative tasks and to use the Internet torespond to new revenue opportunities. It also helps users identifynew revenue generating opportunities via “market and customerinformation that is fully integrated with business and financialinformation.”

The software enables users to personalize relationships, and tohave simultaneous access to continuously updated online data, thecompany said.

According to Navision, Attain includes new financial managementtools that help customers tailor the application to their specificneeds. Other features include improvements in fixed assets andcosting for advanced requirements. The software offersmulti-language capabilities, as well as functionality that supportssupply chain collaboration, e-commerce, CRM and service management,the company noted.

A Navision representative said the average price for Attain is$30,000 to $35,000, plus $25,000 in implementation services.

Navision also announced an upgrade of “Navision Axapta 2.5″ inthe U.S. market. The product's new features include “ProductBuilder,” a “product configurator” with Web enablement, fixedassets and “other new functionality that capitalizes on existingadvanced technology for improved CRM, sales automation and commercemanagement.”

Axapta is an enterprise resource planning tool. ERP refers to anintegrated information system that serves all departments within acompany or “enterprise.” According to Navision, “by connectinginformation throughout the aspects of an enterprise, Axapta isincreasing business efficiencies and enabling better businessdecisions.”

New features in the upgraded Axapta include CRM that enablesautomated marketing campaigns, faster and more preciseconfiguration of product offerings to customers and vendors via theInternet, and enhanced tools to manage all types of fixed assets,including tangible, intangible and financial fixed assets, saidNavision.

Other new features include a new extendible commerce businesslanguage incorporated into transactions, and instant compatibilitywith international currency and language requirements, the companyadded.

“Axapta is a complete integrated business solution that helpsusers manage finance, trade, logistics, production, products, humanresources, knowledge management, CRM and e-business within oneapplication,” said Navision.

Average pricing for Axapta is $50,000, with implementation feesrunning from 1 to 1.75 times the software pricing, a Navisionrepresentative said.

Further information on both Navision products is available atwww.navision-us.com.

Meanwhile, Arbitrel Inc. announced “Orange eCampaign,” “anintelligent e-mail based messaging and marketing platform.”

Orange eCampaign is a Windows-based automated e-mail marketingmanagement application that uses a system to keep track of whoreads messages and when, as well as the number of times anassociated Web link is clicked, said Santa Ana, Calif.-basedArbitrel. This helps increase the effectiveness of Internetcommunication and marketing campaigns.

“Respondent data is collected and summarized in an easy-to-readgraphical report generated by eCampaign,” the company noted, addingthat no programming background is required, “thus reducing the timeto market for developing new e-messaging and e-marketingcampaigns.”

“eCampaign is so easy to deploy and learn that anyonecomfortable with sending e-mails can learn it in an hour,”according to Steve Lee, president and CEO of Arbitrel. “If youre insales [or] marketing, or in a customer management/service function,you can deploy and send your first eCampaign in a day. That is amajor step forward for the eCRM technology evolution.”

ECampaigns Java-based technology entails rapid e-mail deliveryand a tracking engine that can deliver up to 100,000 messages in anhour, said Arbitrel. The application enables businesses to create,send and monitor e-mail and newsletter campaigns and to personalizeeach message via easy-to-use editing tools.

An Arbitrel representative said pricing for the EnterpriseEdition of Orange eCampaign begins at $15,000, but may range up tosix figures, depending on the amount of customization required.

Further details are available at www.arbitrel.com.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property &Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, January 14, 2002.Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serialpublication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as anindependent work may be held by the author.

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