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‘One Truth’ Leads UNICOM to Astea’s AllianceEnterprise Suite for Professional Services AutomationThe Astea software will replace four internal systems at UNICOM, enabling the company to share ‘one version of the truth’ enterprise-wide, increase productivity and expand service offerings to customers.Horsham, PA, October 29, 2001—Astea International Inc. (Nasdaq: ATEA) announced today that UNICOM, Inc., the only New England company on Microsoft’s Core E- Business Infrastructure Partner Advisory Council, has selected Astea’s AllianceEnterprise Suite to manage sales and delivery of its IT solutions. UNICOM is a computer technology consulting company that specializes in networking and Internet solutions for corporate, government and educational clients.“AllianceEnterprise will substantially increase the efficiencies of our existing services and enable UNICOM to expand service offerings to customers,” said president Marc Davis. “Return on investment will be measured both in lower operating costs from streamlining our business processes and in top-line revenue growth from new capabilities to extend UNICOM’s competitive differentiators in the IT services marketplace.” “UNICOM is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in both E-Commerce Solutions and Enterprise Systems. Their dual certification and acting partnership on the Microsoft Advisory Council underscores their competence in the latest Microsoft technologies and emergence as a leading IT services provider. Astea also has the distinction of being a Microsoft Certified Partner, and we are particularly pleased with UNICOM’s selection of AllianceEnterprise for their own enterprise applications,” said Jim Kirby, Astea’s vice president of sales and marketing. The Astea software will integrate and automate UNICOM’s business processes for sales force automation, project management, contract management, customer service, field service, logistics and depot repair. Capabilities include remote system access initially for 130 mobile sales and service employees and integration with back-office applications. “AllianceEnterprise will replace at least four internal systems now in use at UNICOM and consolidate our ‘applications and database silos’ into one system,” explained Davis. “Everyone will be working from ‘one version of the truth’ and that truth will include the latest customer interaction regardless if the data entry to the customer record comes from sales, a consultant in the field, or our customer service desk.” Enterprise-wide data sharing is just one way UNICOM will use AllianceEnterprise to reduce overheads, improve cash flows and expand service offerings to customers. The system integrates Microsoft Project and Project Central with CRM functions, automating many processes that once required duplicating data entries into multiple systems. Experiencing growth and seeking to push standards for delivering IT services to business customers, UNICOM assessed the work involved with upgrading their proprietary systems for call center, service dispatch, logistics and billing versus implementing a new commercial software package. After evaluating products from a number of leading vendors, AllianceEnterprise was found to be the most functional and cost-effective solution for the company’s objectives. With AllianceEnterprise, UNICOM will be able to plan, cost, propose, deploy, manage and bill professional services engagements. There is new flexibility to define, track and bill new services; creatively price products and services; differentiate between consulting and field services; and manage internal, external or a mix of resources. About Astea International Astea International Inc. (www.astea.com) specializes in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions for companies that sell, service and support equipment. Astea solutions integrate, automate and streamline business processes for sales and marketing, customer contact centers, field service, professional services and mobile CRM, and integrate with back-office systems. Astea’s solutions are used in multiple industries to improve productivity, customer satisfaction, profitability and top-line revenue growth. Astea offers over twenty years of CRM industry experience and supports a global client base. About UNICOM UNICOM is a computer technology consulting company specializing in networking and Internet solutions for corporate, government and education clients throughout New England. UNICOM, in business for more than 60 years, is privately owned and employs more than 200 technical professionals including vendor certified systems engineers who can deliver Internet security solutions and provide secure and seamless Internet connectivity between networks, systems, applications and users across the Internet, intranets and extranets. Visit UNICOM on the Web at www.unicom-inc.com. © 2001 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, 2000, 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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