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Epicor Ships First .NET-based Self-Service Portal SolutionCustomer Self-Service Portal Helps Small and Midmarket Enterprises Minimize Customer Calls, Maximize Support EfficiencyIRVINE, Calif., November 18, 2002 — Epicor Software Corporation (NASDAQ: EPIC), a leading provider of integrated enterprise, eBusiness and collaborative commerce software solutions for midmarket companies, today announced the immediate availability of the Clientele Self-Service Portal. The first release from the Clientele Portal.NET Suite, the Clientele Self-Service Portal is designed to dramatically reduce the number of first-level calls made to the support department, enabling support staff to concentrate on solving more complicated problems while reducing support costs. Self-service can provide a competitive advantage to small and midmarket enterprises by providing customers with access to account information and answers to questions, at their convenience. According to a recent Gartner research report, “Self-service could provide a cure for the growing concern of increased staffing to handle all customer interactions. It could also provide decreased costs of customer maintenance and even increase revenue for an enterprise.” (Is Self-Service the Panacea?, by E. Kolsky, March 11, 2002) The Clientele Self-Service Portal is a robust, fully integrated application that works with common Internet browsers to give enterprises in the small to midmarket a global support presence. Customers can use the Clientele Self-Service Portal to submit support calls as well as check on the status of existing calls, view their detailed product information and returned merchandise authorizations, or drill down into the usage and adjustment details of their service agreements directly over the Web. Customers can also personalize the look and feel of their online support experience including layout, content and theme, using simple configuration tools. Epicor customer Leupold & Stevens, Inc., a manufacturer of precision optical products for sports and recreation, places high priority on customer support and views the Clientele Self-Service Portal as an effective tool for delivering superior service. “By implementing self-service we are able to offer our customers enhanced service while reducing support center overhead,” said Mike Schumacher, application developer at Leopold & Stevens, Inc. “The convenience of self-service combined with the stability and scalability of the .NET Platform makes the Clientele Self-Service Portal an incredibly powerful CRM tool.” Create Cohesive Self-Service The Clientele Self-Service Portal is a companion product to the recently released Clientele Customer Support 8.0, the first CRM solution completely architected on the Microsoft .NET Platform and Epicor’s first solution from the Clientele CRM.NET suite. The two solutions work in sync allowing information to be captured and exchanged between the online self-service module and the full-scale customer support solution in real-time, so service representatives are always up-to-date on customer accounts and issues. When a new service call is initiated by a customer through the Clientele Self-Service Portal, the information is immediately available in the Clientele CRM system. “The flexibility of having the two applications working in sync further extends the quality of service small and midmarket companies are able to deliver their customers,” said Doug Berry, vice president and general manager of Epicor’s Clientele Group. “The integration of the Clientele Self-Service Portal with the Clientele CRM.NET suite facilitates cohesive end-to-end management of the entire customer lifecycle.” The Clientele Self-Service Portal also offers a customizable knowledge base with advanced searching capabilities available to customers right on the Web. The AnswerBook feature, an online store of answers to the most frequently asked questions, allows customers to help themselves to information at anytime of the day, from anywhere in the world. Web Services Architecture The Clientele Self-Service Portal takes advantage of the benefits of the Microsoft .NET Platform in order to further increase customer satisfaction and enterprise efficiency. A browser-based solution, it uses the Internet to reuse XML Web services from Clientele Customer Support 8.0 providing complete access to data while processing information according to specified business rules. By utilizing the Microsoft .NET Platform, the Clientele Self-Service Portal delivers extensive flexibility, scalability and customization capabilities as well as quick and easy integration. Pricing and Availability The Clientele Self-Service Portal runs on the Clientele Portal Server and is available immediately as a companion product to Clientele Customer Support 8.0. Pricing for the portal server and self-service components starts at $10,000, with enhanced portal servers available. About Epicor Software Corporation Epicor is a leading provider of integrated enterprise and eBusiness software solutions for midmarket companies around the world. Founded in 1984, Epicor has over 15,000 customers and delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions that enable companies to immediately improve business operations and build competitive advantage in today’s Internet economy. Epicor’s comprehensive suite of integrated software solutions for Customer Relationship Management, Financials, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Professional Services Automation and Collaborative Commerce provide the scalability and flexibility to support long-term growth. Epicor’s solutions are complemented by a full range of services, providing single point of accountability to promote rapid return on investment and low total cost of ownership, now and in the future. Epicor is headquartered in Irvine, California and has offices and affiliates around the world. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.epicor.com. Epicor is a registered trademark and Clientele is a trademark of Epicor Software Corporation. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation. Editorial Contact: Lisa Preuss Epicor Software Corporation 949-585-4235 lpreuss@epicor.com top of page |
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