See press release below - it looks like the company is indeed reinventing itself focusing on growth areas - this looks like a complete Service solution to me, including reverse auction feature, which is a key element of B2B
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Astea International Inc.
Astea International Unveils e-Business Strategy
True to Its Mission, Astea Brings Service-Centric Focus to New Suite of
e-CRM Products
HORSHAM, Pa., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Astea International Inc. (Nasdaq: ATEA - news), the
leading provider of service-centric Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, today
announced plans to extend their product portfolio by producing and marketing a comprehensive
suite of e-CRM products. The e-CRM suite will consist of three portals that give access to eight
new e-CRM products for users of the Company's AllianceEnterprise(TM) suite. The new products
will be released over time starting this summer with capabilities for customer self-service, self-sales
and mobile employees. Other products to follow as part of the e-CRM suite will add capabilities for
channel management and suppliers of goods and services, and will be enabled with an XML-based
B2B server for unattended e-Business. Astea's traditional focus on service delivery and service
sales will be a key market differentiator. Astea will be releasing a White Paper on its vision of
service-centric e-CRM later this month.
Bruce R. Rusch, president and chief executive officer of Astea International, said: ''Our clients view
service as mission-critical to their success. Our products have always emphasized the same service
criticality. Our e-CRM suite will combine Astea's 20 years experience in service-centric CRM with
the latest e-Business technologies. Our solutions will include service-oriented functions lacking in
other e-CRM applications. We will work with partners for their Internet technology and leverage
our own expertise for the applications that will bring unique business value to customers.''
Avoiding the pitfalls of wrapping HTML around existing products, Astea will offer true e-Business
application solutions. An e-CRM server platform will be used for the new products that conduct the
e-Business transactions. Astea's ServiceAlliance® and SalesAlliance(TM) software will source
management, distribution and delivery of information and services requested by the e-Business
products. ''Our e-CRM suite will enable users to leverage their investments in our CRM solutions
and cost-effectively deploy e-Business tailored to their sales and service strategies,'' said Rusch.
Astea is also considering the e-CRM suite for its legacy systems.
Service-Centric e-CRM
Astea's e-CRM suite will enable its users to provide portals to their customers, employees,
suppliers and resellers. All standard features expected in e-Business offerings-such as,
personalization, self-service, ordering, multiple price books, catalog and configuration capabilities,
push technology, collaboration, etc.-will be included. However, the focus will be on adding service
business value.
''For example,'' explains Rusch, ''customer self-service will process end-user warranty
registrations; warranty and service claims from resellers; and, customers' interactive responses for
identifying, locating, ordering and replacing parts. We will include processing for return material
authorizations (e-RMA) to ship and track merchandise returned for exchange or repair-to make
returning merchandise as easy as placing an order over the Web. This is the type of functionality that
will help to define 'service-centric e-CRM.' Instead of lengthy phone calls to the service desk,
self-serve customers will be provided with an RMA and instructions to ship return merchandise or
arrange for pickup at their location. If customers still need assistance from a service agent, all they
need to do is click a 'call me' button.''
Employee and reseller portals will dramatically improve upon Astea's existing e-Service solutions for
managing and planning service delivery, distributing work, and creating efficiencies which raise the
quality of field service at reduced costs. New applications of collaboration software-including
e-mail, chat, Web meeting, voice over IP and CTI-will increase levels of remote support to field
agents from a company and its business partners. ''Field workers will gain easier access to more
useful data and the means to share interpretations of the data in real-time with people who may be
more knowledgeable regardless of where they may be located,'' said Rusch.
Astea also is paying considerable attention to Partner Relationship Management (PRM) applications
in its e-CRM suite. Among features of planned PRM products are partner recruitment, sales training
and certification, service training and certification, lead management, sales support and productivity
tools, sales forecasting and performance tracking, technical assistance, warranty and service claims
processing, and spare parts management. In addition, a reverse auction function is planned to
shorten the RFQ process with suppliers for batch repairs, inventory replenishment and other
purchases.
''Our CRM products already begin to create e-Business value in front and back office processes,''
said Rusch. ''Our e-CRM products deliver the enabling solutions that link the data of
ServiceAlliance, SalesAlliance and integrated systems with partners, suppliers and customers. By
leveraging their investments in our CRM products, Astea users figure to pay less to implement
e-Business and realize a faster return on investment.''
About Astea International
Astea International specializes in Customer Relationship Management software solutions for
organizations in which customer service is considered mission critical. Astea has over twenty years
of customer service automation experience and supports a global client base. Clients include leading
companies such as Groupe Bull, NCR, Johnson Controls, WM-Data, Polaroid, Siemens
Networks, Bell Atlantic and Toshiba. Astea markets its products through direct and indirect sales
and services networks throughout North America, Europe, Israel, Asia, Australia and New
Zealand. Astea can be reached by phone at 800-878-4657 and 215-682-2500, by fax at
888-757-7775 and 215-682-2515, by e-mail at info@astea.com, and on the Web at
astea.com.
Astea and ServiceAlliance are registered trademarks and Sales Alliance and AllianceEnterprise are
trademarks of Astea International Inc. All other company and product names contained herein are
trademarks of the respective holders.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made under the ''safe harbor''
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties that could materially affect future results. Among these risk factors are possibilities that
the companies mentioned in this press release may not purchase licenses for ServiceAlliance, the
continuing acceptance of Astea's products, general competitive pressures in the marketplace, and
continued overall growth in the customer relationship management solutions industry. Further
information regarding these as well as other key risk factors and meaningful cautionary statements
that could affect the Company's financial results are included at length in the Company's Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE: Astea International Inc. |
