Partner Relationship Management Solutions Web-Enable Channel Partnerships; Aberdeen Group White Paper Examines Nascent PRM Market

Business Wire, Jan 25, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000

In a white paper released today, Aberdeen Group states that the converging technologies of Web-architected applications and customer relationship management (CRM) have spawned partner relationship management (PRM) -- a new breed of software that addresses the unique needs of channel partners and accelerates channel productivity.

&uot;Partner relationship management addresses the needs of one of the largest segments of sales professionals in the industry -- the distributors, resellers, and value-added resellers (VARs) that almost all companies depend on to represent their products and services,&uot; said Christopher Fletcher, Managing Director of Aberdeen's Customer Relationship Management practice. &uot;PRM embraces these extended sales organizations and provides them with the tools they need to be effective,&uot; notes Fletcher.

The Aberdeen White Paper, entitled Partner Relationship Management: Building Stronger Channels in a Web-Architected World, identifies PRM as a new solution that addresses the challenges of channel-dependent organizations. Aberdeen believes that PRM solutions will optimize channels, strengthen customer relationships, reduce partner turnover, and increase productivity through the channel. The White Paper also examines the market dynamics driving the need for these technologies, outlines the core components of PRM solutions, and provides an overview of key PRM specialists and other contenders in the space.

Karen E. Smith, author of Partner Relationship Management: Building Stronger Channels in a Web-Architected World, is a Senior Research Analyst in Aberdeen's CRM practice -- monitoring market and technology trends, user needs, and key suppliers. Working closely with Fletcher, Smith advises enterprises on current developments in the CRM space, including PRM, sales force automation (SFA) software, e-mail management, personalization applications, and e-Support and help desk solutions. Smith can be reached at smith@aberdeen.com.

For information about this White Paper, visit: www.aberdeen.com or call (800) 577-7891 or (650) 330-3124 (West Coast).

About Aberdeen

Founded in 1988, Aberdeen Group provides IT consulting and market strategy advice to the IT supplier community. Steeped in technology and armed with end-user field research, Aberdeen focuses on answering clients' critical business and technology questions in the context of the Internet economy and across the product life cycle. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Aberdeen Group has offices in Palo Alto, California, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Aberdeen is located on the Web at www.aberdeen.com.