ON!contact Software Corporation To Introduce eCMS in Q4, 1999 For A Complete e-Customer Relationship Management Application Suite

Business Wire, July 13, 1999

CEDARBURG, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 1999--

ON!contact Software Extends Front-Office by Integrating e-Business

with Customer Relationship Management for Mid-Market Companies

ON!contact Software Corporation, a leading provider of mid-market front-office software applications, today announced it will be adding eCMS, an integrated web-based e-CRM application solution to complement the award winning Client Management Software (CMS) front-office application suite. eCMS will employ robust web-based functionality throughout a company for managing customer and prospect relationships for sales, marketing, and customer service representatives of mid-market companies.

eCMS will be 100% accessible through a web browser and will consolidate all customer and prospect information in a single, unified web-based format. By combining the award winning and robust functionality of the existing CMS application suite with the many technical benefits of the Internet, eCMS is a browser-based front-office solution that both end users and information technology professionals will agree is the best solution for the future.

With eCMS, mid-market companies have an extremely robust and affordable e-CRM solution for sales, marketing, and customer service professionals with all customer and prospect information accessible in a single solution through any web browser. Further, with eCMS, mid-market companies have a web-based solution that can be easily upgraded from the existing client/server CMS application suite without losing screen customizations or having to re-purchase any software components.

Clear e-CRM Vision for Mid-Market Companies

Today's innovative and growing mid-market companies are looking for pioneering technologies to advance their customer relationship management strategies. As mid-market companies continue to invest in the finest technologies available for managing their customers and prospects successfully, the Internet becomes an extremely efficient and cost effective medium to collaborate the execution of their customer relationship management strategies on a company-wide level.

eCMS has been developed specifically for the needs of mid-market companies. Mid-market companies seek an extremely robust and full-featured front-office application suite to automate the sales, marketing, and customer service functions on a company-wide basis at an affordable price. eCMS fulfills the soaring demands and needs of mid-market companies by providing the following:

-    eCMS is a full-featured front-office application suite that can
     be implemented quickly and maintained easily with limited
     information technology resources.
-    eCMS is designed for companies that require a flexible solution
     that can be easily customized, without programming, to meet their
     unique business goals.
-    eCMS can adapt rapidly to mid-market companies that are growing,
     innovating, and changing for their unique competitive advantage.
-    eCMS is designed for mid-market companies to realize the vast
     importance of an effective customer relationship management
     strategy to build long-term relationships and provide a
     competitive advantage to take better care of their customers and
     prospects.

"Our vision and focus in our ongoing front-office development efforts is to provide today's innovative and growing mid-market companies with an extremely strong and affordable solution that can be accessible anytime, anywhere through a web browser so companies can achieve their advanced customer relationship management goals", said George Kofman, president of ON!contact Software Corporation. In regards to ON!contact Software's critical focus on allowing existing customers to be able to utilize eCMS without large resource investments necessary, Sam Vaynshtok, vice president of technology stated, "eCMS will run seamlessly and interchangeably with our existing CMS product family, provide a consistent user interface regardless of platform, and CMS users can upgrade their current screen customizations to the eCMS solution."

eCMS is accessible anytime, anywhere through a web browser with no software downloading necessary. Further, disconnected CMS field users can access and utilize the entire CMS application suite offline with a consistent look and feel and synchronize databases quickly and easily.

eCMS: Architected for the Internet

Users of eCMS access the web-based application in a Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser. eCMS users have an easy upgrade path from the existing CMS application and no repurchase of the software is required to take advantage of the technology advancements in the web with the eCMS application. Further, all screen customizations made to previous versions of CMS are compatible with eCMS and users have a single, unified, and consistent look and feel with the application suite.

Key Technology Architecture Includes:
-    Easy deployment of eCMS with no software installation necessary
     on the client.
-    Integration to a company's home page for familiar look and feel.
-    True n-tier architecture
-    Companies can continue to use the same familiar CMS Tools for
     customizations. This will allow one development tool to be used
     for client/server and eCMS users. This also means that existing
     CMS users will have any customizations instantly available in the
     eCMS application.
-    eCMS application server provides native connectivity to Oracle,
     Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, and Informix database engines.

The eCMS application employs the following technology tools:
-    Web Browser: JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, Cascading Style Sheets,
     and Active X Components
-    Web Server(s): Active Server Pages, Server Side Scripting, and
     Active X Components.
-    CMS Application Server(s): Transaction Servers (mts, etc.) -
     COM/DCOM architecture will be utilized between the CMS
     Application Server(s) and the Web Server(s).
-    DBMS: oleDB and native drivers to Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
     Sybase, and Informix Engines.

     The eCMS application will include four components to include the
following functional specifications for a complete web-based e-CRM
solution:

eCMS Information Management
-    Capture prospect, lead, and customer service information and
     automatically route information from a company web site to eCMS.

-    Use CMS Tools to determine information that is to be captured.

-    Create a familiar look and feel with a company web site.

-    Use CMS Tools to build automated workflow for lead assignment,
     customer service inquiries, and automated business rules.

eCMS
-    Similar functionality as found in award winning client/server CMS
     application suite.
-    Consistent look and feel between CMS and eCMS.
-    CMS and eCMS can both be rolled out into the same organization to
     the appropriate users.
-    Instant access to the CMS customer database from any Internet
     connection.
-    Use CMS Agent Designer to build workflow for automated business
     rules.
-    Integrate eCMS into your existing home page.
-    Screen design is stored in the database as metadata, both CMS and
     eCMS user will have access to the same screens and the same
     information.

eCMS Administrator
-    No client administration necessary since all transactions takes
     place on the server.
-    Use CMS for centralized eCMS system administration.
-    CMS Form Painter provides complete customization capabilities for
     both CMS and eCMS.
-    CMS screens developed with the CMS Form Painter toolkit are
     instantly available and accessible in eCMS.
-    Use standard Internet firewalls for a secure environment.
-    Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, and Informix are natively
     supported as back-end database engines.

CMS Partner.Net
-    Gives resellers, distributors, and partners access and update
     specified information through the Internet.
-    Quickly distribute desired lead, opportunity, and customer
     service information.
-    Allow customer service to provide an immediate response to
     inquiries via the Internet.
-    Provide resellers, distributors, and partners with the same
     customer relationship advantage that eCMS gives your company.

Requirements
-    Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later
-    Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or later
-    Microsoft Internet Information Server 3.0 or later