Calico Commerce Introduces Order Manager to Allow Corporations and Trading Partners to Manage Electronic Orders After Submission
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2000--
Calico(R) Market Maker Order Manager Extension(TM) Accelerates Time to Money by Creating a Compelling and Effective Collaborative Ordering Process
Calico Commerce (Nasdaq:CLIC), a leading provider of software that enables corporations to sell over the Web, today announced the availability of Calico(R) Market Maker Order Manager Extension(TM). This solution is an extension to Calico(R) Market Maker(TM), the company's one-to-many and many-to-many marketplace solution, and enables corporations to manage the entire electronic order process.
Calico Market Maker Order Manager Extension was jointly developed by Diamond MarketSpace Solutions (DMS), the solutions delivery practice of DiamondCluster International, Inc. (Nasdaq:DTPI) and Calico to meet the demands of leading corporations that need visibility into the entire commerce chain (see today's press release, "Diamond Technology Partners and Calico Commerce Form Strategic Alliance Aimed At Managing Electronic Order Process"). Calico Market Maker Order Manager Extension is already being implemented for a leading European-headquartered construction products company.
"Calico understands that harnessing the Internet to drive value for corporations requires more than a product catalog, more than transaction capabilities and more than business relationship management," said Alan Naumann, president and CEO, Calico Commerce, Inc. "Today's announcement, and the extension to Market Maker, provides the rich functionality needed to put businesses online and manage the full order process."
After-sale collaboration between buyers and suppliers and among business partners is key in the new economy. Corporations need to track order status, gain visibility into the fulfillment process, confirm the receipt of goods, process returns, ensure that transactions are properly accounted for and enable appropriate financial settlement. Most eCommerce solutions today end when the customer hits the "order" button. The new Market Maker Order Manager Extension manages the order process and provides much more, including alternative payment methods, returns management, work queue management, order fulfillment, accounting entries and quote/order history by line item.
Alternative Payment Methods Are Critical to The Order Management Process
Business-to-business transactions often occur via an open account, with the seller managing trade credit. In this situation, a buyer will provide a unique or blanket purchase order number. However, in some instances companies may want to provide alternate forms of payment, to not take on trade credit risk. Several alternative forms of payment, which can be set up with transaction processing and financing partners, can provide a menu of options that allow corporations to conduct business without the administrative overhead and credit risk associated with trade credit. These options include credit and procurement cards, as well as lines of credit, all managed by a third party, but integrated to corporations' eBusiness solutions, for a completely seamless experience for their customers.
Calico's Order Manger Extension enables corporations to offer these methods of payment beyond purchase orders. For example, Aceva allows customers to set up lines of credit, which they can draw upon to make purchases. Aceva then manages both the credit line and invoicing and collection, while corporations receive full payment upon shipment. (See today's press release, "Calico and Aceva Partner to Deliver Accelerated B2B Commerce"). Both services are accessed through Market Maker for a completely seamless experience for customers. Moreover, these integrations are generic and can support other payment partners.
Highlights of Calico Market Maker's Order Manager Extension
Since the sales process has barely begun when an order is placed, Calico Market Maker's Order Manager Extension facilitates this process:
-- Procurement cards, credit cards, and lines of credit: Order
Manager enables corporations to offer methods of payment
beyond purchase orders.
-- Order fulfillment: Order Manager also facilitates the flow of
fulfillment and logistics information, including partial
shipments and cost information, between the various parties in
the fulfillment process, seller, buyer, and logistics
providers, in a fully Web-based interface.
-- Returns Management: Order Manager facilitates the returns
process, by enabling customers to view order information and
request RMAs. Corporations can set up rules to automatically
authorize returns, or forward requests to the appropriate user
for review.
-- Work Queue Manager: Calico's Work Queue Manager, part of Order
Manager, enables corporations to set up processes for dealing
with any events that require routing and user intervention. It
is used for the other processes already set up out-of-the-box,
and is easily extended to capture corporations' additional
requirements.
-- Accounting Entries: Order Manager creates a record of any
transaction with accounting implications, and this information
is available for corporations and their trading partners to
import into existing enterprise financial systems.
Availability
Calico Market Maker Order Manager Extension will be available starting in January, 2001. It is fully integrated with Calico Market Maker, a part of Calico's standards-based eBusiness application suite, which also includes Calico Advisor(TM), Calico Price Point(TM) and Calico Loyalty Builder(TM). For more information about Order Manager Extension and Calico's next-generation eBusiness application suite call Calico at 800/717-9077 or send email to info@calico.com.
About Calico Commerce, Inc.
Calico Commerce, Inc. provides software that enables corporations to sell in Net markets, direct over the Web or through existing channels. Calico's 100% Java, application server-based eBusiness application suite meets the performance, reliability and scalability needs of any business while allowing customers to handle complex products, pricing and relationships via the Web through the entire customer life cycle. As a result, organizations are able 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.
This press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Calico Commerce, Inc. that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. The forward looking statements contained in this press release address a variety of subjects and should be considered in the context of the risk factors disclosed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Registration Statements on Form S-1 and Form S-4, as amended, and its reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, as amended, available online at sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Calico on the date hereof, and Calico assumes no obligation to update such statements.
Note to Editors: Calico is a registered trademark of Calico Commerce, Inc.
CONTACT:
Calico Commerce Inc.
Katie Belding, 408/808-7655
kbelding@calico.com
or
Horn Group Inc.
Nina Runstein, 415/905-4027
nrunstein@horngroup.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
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