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Astea Announces Multi-Lingual Wireless CRM ApplicationsAstea Alliance Pocketpc Applications for Sales and Service are Now Available in Multiple Languages. Toshiba (Australia) is the Latest to Deploy the New Mobile SolutionsHORSHAM, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002-- Astea International Inc. (Nasdaq:ATEA - News), the global provider of CRM solutions for equipment and service companies, announced the availability of multi-lingual versions of Alliance PocketPC wireless applications that extend the capabilities of Astea AllianceEnterprise CRM Suite solutions to personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Astea mobile solutions can be deployed in any European language including English, French and German, and double-byte Asian languages including Kanji, Mandarin and Thai. Toshiba's Australian Electronic Imaging Division is the latest to adopt Astea Alliance PocketPC, and is the using the AllianceEnterprise sales and service applications on Toshiba e740 Pocket PCs as distributed by Toshiba (Australia) Pty Limited Information Systems Division.Astea's mobile CRM solutions on PDAs and laptops have found acceptance with companies in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Japan as well as Australia, as more organizations look to integrate mobile workforces into their overall CRM strategies. According to Paul Rahme, general manager of Astea Asia Pacific operations, whose Sydney, Australia office consummated the deal with Toshiba, "The benefits of Alliance PocketPC for businesses include the smaller size, lower cost and portability of PDA devices. Sales and service staff can process important information at the point of service and send data back to the head office for immediate invoicing. The reduced time to invoice has a substantial and positive impact on a company's cash flow." Astea Alliance PocketPC allows sales and service staff to use CRM applications in areas without mobile phone coverage to record information, and then later send the data directly to their company's infrastructure. The mobile devices can communicate with the Astea AllianceEnterprise Server hosting network via wireless or wire line Internet, intranet, RAS, LAN or WAN connection. Astea Alliance PocketPC benefits include: Faster Revenue Recognition: Sales personnel enter sales orders directly, so orders can be immediately placed and uploaded to financial systems. Service personnel capture billing information at the time service is rendered, thus minimizing disputes and accelerating time to money. Operational Efficiency: Data is captured and entered only once--in the field, at the point of service--reducing manual processes, paper reporting, and back-office administrative costs. PDA displays step service personnel through the sequence of posting service/problem/repair codes, materials used, time and travel details, and other reimbursable expenses. Superior Sales and Service Performance: Easy, convenient access to sales, service and product data shared through the Astea AllianceEnterprise solution enables fast, ad hoc data lookup from the field, promoting higher levels of service and improved capabilities to recognize and close new sales opportunities. "PDAs are easier and more convenient for mobile staff to use," emphasizes Rahme. "Record access and data entry are more immediate than with laptops, which are less portable and require time to boot. Astea Alliance PocketPC represents a new era in CRM technology that affords companies an unprecedented ability to work electronically, share information and optimize service and sales opportunities without being tethered to a company's technology infrastructure." About Astea International Astea International Inc. (www.astea.com) is a global supplier of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions that provide equipment and service companies with a rapid return on their technology investment. Astea's flagship product, AllianceEnterprise CRM Suite, integrates, automates and streamlines sales and service business processes, thereby increasing productivity, competitive advantage, customer focus, top-line revenue growth and profitability. The full module set integrates marketing, sales, customer contact centers, field service, professional services and mobile CRM. Astea offers over twenty years of domain expertise in improving business processes at equipment and service companies and a worldwide sales and service network. (c)2002 Astea International Inc. Astea is a registered trademark and AllianceEnterprise Suite is a trademark 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 AllianceEnterprise, 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, 2001, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Editorial Contact: Joe Mitchell Gregory FCA 610 642 8253 joe@gregoryfca.com top of page |
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