JDA Software Group selects involve sales knowledge automation software to support global sales effort

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, June 20, 2005

Involve Technology Inc., a leader in sales knowledge automation, announced today that JDA Software Group Inc. has chosen StreetSmarts to help JDA operations around the world share sales-related best practices, expertise and information. An international market leader delivering integrated software and professional services for the retail demand chain, JDA will utilize StreetSmarts software across all JDA organizations that touch the company's sales efforts, including executive management, sales, product management, consulting services, information technology and customer support groups.

JDA will access the Involve Technology software through a hosted "software-as-a-service" (SaaS) model, and has signed an annual subscription for more than 1,000 seats. JDA executives and associates can utilize StreetSmarts from within e-mail, any Web browser, or any mobile device, at any time, from any place around the globe.

"With over 4,600 customers around the world using over 60 different solutions from JDA, management of information is a key competence for our organization," said Hamish Brewer, CEO of JDA Software Group Inc. "After piloting StreetSmarts within our sales organization, it became clear that this valuable tool can scale to assist virtually anyone in JDA who touches the sales cycle. We plan to make StreetSmarts an integral part of our global information sharing infrastructure."

"We are delighted to add JDA Software to the growing list of companies that recognize the enterprise-wide value of StreetSmarts," said Lisa Cramer, president and chief operating officer of Involve Technology Inc. "The popularity of our software-as-a-service approach continues to build and makes StreetSmarts an attractive option for companies of all sizes and market reach who are looking to optimize their sales operation and maximize their sales impact."

Serving thousands of retail and wholesale customers across 60 countries, JDA sales representatives often undertake complex retail demand chain projects that affect multiple channels and cross international lines. JDA is armed with a vast store of product, competitive and industry knowledge to support sales, and the company has highly trained analysts and support personnel with broad functional knowledge, specific product expertise and detailed technical insight into the inner workings of JDA's Portfolio applications. The challenge is to expedite and direct this vast knowledge resource in ways that are truly useful to JDA's sales efforts.

By utilizing StreetSmarts from e-mail, any Web browser or mobile device, all JDA associates that face the customer can quickly access the specific information they need, and tap the knowledge of the right company expert at the right time. "This is an easy-to-use tool designed for the information challenges we face," said David Tidmarsh, JDA senior vice president, Customer Success. "StreetSmarts will help us harness the value of our global knowledge base and propel our entire organization to the next level of efficiency and effectiveness."

StreetSmarts is a Web-based sales knowledge automation technology that works through e-mail to locate, manage and deliver essential advice and insights for sales teams anytime, anywhere--whether it's finding competitive information, updated references, know-how from other reps and experts, objection handling tips and more.

An embedded incentive system motivates sales representatives and subject-matter experts to use and contribute sales knowledge to improve the performance of the entire sales team. StreetSmarts captures insights throughout the enterprise whether from sales and marketing or other departments in order to help sales reps sell more effectively. StreetSmarts delivers a completely different, yet complementary set of features and functions from SFA/CRM and intranets.