Motive Communications Forms Alliance With Calico Commerce to Integrate Commerce and Service Networks
Leading e-Business Application Provider Embraces Motive's e-Service Network Solution to Tackle Online Service Challenges
AUSTIN, Texas, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Motive Communications
(www.motive.com), a leader in online customer-care solutions, today announced
a strategic partnership with Calico, an e-business application innovator.
This relationship will enable progressive companies to compete and win through
superior online customer care.
Calico Commerce, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLIC) is a leading provider of e-business
applications that enable corporations to sell products and services via the
Web, through existing channels and in net markets.
Motive's e-service network software solution addresses complexities
associated with e-business transactions and business processes, which demand
highly specialized, domain-specific answers and connections with multiple
human touch points to resolve questions and problems. Throughout the
progression of the business process or transaction, Motive's e-service model
supplies users with responsive and targeted answers and experts simply with
the click of a button.
The marriage of Calico's and Motive's technologies will give online
businesses a competitive advantage in retaining customers and solidifying
customer relationships. The alliance will enable online businesses to
increase their browse-to-buy ratios of complex products by offering targeted
assistance at the point of friction in the online transaction.
"Calico's alliance with Motive will further support our focus on bringing
together best-in-class applications in powering online businesses," said Alan
Naumann, president and CEO, Calico Commerce. "As a critical infrastructure
component for e-businesses, Motive's e-service network solution uniquely
provides a context-intelligent online customer care solution which not only
accelerates revenue, but also the flow of transactions between businesses and
exchanges."
"Our alliance with Calico further enables Motive to aggressively deliver
unprecedented service for online businesses," said Scott Harmon, CEO of Motive
Communications. "Forming an alliance with an e-business applications leader
such as Calico clearly underscores the recognized importance of high-touch
customer care as a critical driver of success in e-business."
This is the latest in a series of e-business partnership announcements
from Motive that involve joint sales and marketing activities in conjunction
with product integration. Previously, Motive announced it was working with
Tradeum, Trilogy and webMethods to provide a high-touch service and support
offering for online initiatives based on their products.
e-Service Networks Accelerate Revenues
For immediate resolution of issues or questions within e-business
transactions, Motive's e-service network, in conjunction with Calico's
applications, automatically connects online users to specific answers and
qualified experts to immediately resolve issues or questions within e-business
transactions or business processes.
In providing service as a natural extension of the online computing
experience, Motive complements Calico's e-business applications by building
upon their content and transaction management strengths to empower companies
with innovative online business strategies to maximize each customer
encounter. Companies implementing Motive's service and support model can
significantly improve the overall service experience and provide tangible
competitive differentiation to attract and retain customers.
As a component of a Calico implementation, Motive's technology addresses
questions or difficulties associated with a highly complex business process or
transaction and ensures that the customer can progress through the multi-step
online purchasing process. Motive's solution prevents "out-of-band"
interruptions within the transaction, such as sending an email or making a
phone call. Instead, Motive's "in-band" service delivery keeps users housed
within the application by enabling the user to simply click a button to access
the Motive-powered e-service network. Additional information or service can
be instantly requested by customers from both online and offline channels --
including the Internet, call center and bricks and mortar -- to facilitate
their purchasing experience.
Motive's intuitive e-service network solution immediately identifies
in-depth contextual information about the user, specific business rules
associated with the user or company, and the exact location within the process
where the user encountered problems; this information is then used to deliver
customized, automated self-service solutions.
A second phase of high-touch support is automatically provided to the user
if issues are not resolved in self-service. The user is connected to a
qualified expert for assistance and has access to a distributed network of
experts and service content. In this collaborative form of problem solving,
any expertise that exists internally within an organization or at an external
business partner can be offered as part of the e-service network in resolving
the user's dilemma.
About Calico Commerce, Inc.
Calico Commerce, Inc. provides an eBusiness application suite that enables
leading corporations to sell products and services via the Web, through
existing channels and in Net Markets. Calico's open-standards eBusiness
applications match unique customer needs to products to drive revenue growth,
increase customer satisfaction and achieve competitive advantage. Calico
customers include leaders in high-technology hardware, manufacturing,
telecommunications services, financial services, home furnishings, chemicals,
agriculture and retail. Calico Commerce, Inc., headquartered in San Jose,
Calif., can be found on the World Wide Web at www.calico.com.
About Motive Communications, Inc.
Motive Communications, a leader in online customer care, offers software
solutions that automatically connect online users to a company's answers and
experts when they have problems. These products are used to build unique
e-service networks that help companies foster customer loyalty, drive revenue,
supercharge service capacity, and increase market share. Motive's software
solutions are used by leading companies in many industries including all.com,
Compaq, Target Corp., Dell, EDS, Gateway, General Electric Information
Services, Hewlett-Packard Company, Intuit, Kmart, Merrill Lynch, Netscape,
pcsupport.com, PeopleSoft, Peregrine, SAIC, and Visa.
Motive was founded in May 1997 and is backed by $31.2M in funding from
leading venture capital firms. Motive can be reached at (512) 339-8335 or on
its Web site at motive.com. Motive employment opportunities can be
found at jobs.motive.com.
The Motive logo, Motive Communications, Inc., Motive Solo, Motive Duet,
Motive ActiveLink, Motive AnswerWeb, MotiveNet Server and all other Motive
product and technology names are trademarks of Motive Communications, Inc.
All other products or services mentioned herein are trademarks of their
respective companies.
For more information, contact:
Stephanie Leonard Loren Stalcup
Motive Communications Blanc & Otus
512/339-8335, ext 1071 512-343-4539
sleonard@motive.com lstalcup@bando.com
SOURCE Motive Communications
CO: Motive Communications; Calico Commerce, Inc.
ST: Texas, California
IN: CPR MLM
SU: JVN
06/14/2000 11:55 EDT prnewswire.com |
