Sequent Computer Systems Inc, which like most of the major hardware vendors is now into selling software as well, yesterday added the final component in its customer relationship management system with the launch of Contact Advantage for call centers and the internet. Contact Advantage is aimed at companies wanting to exploit a customer’s contact with a call center, by enabling the call center to cross sell products or gather more information about the customer. Due to its design, it is also suitable for use over the internet. Contact Advantage puts a transaction server layer in between the call center client and the company’s individual operational systems, enabling automation of call center processes. It also speeds up the access to operational data by providing a staging for data, and enabling transaction to be performed on the Sequent server before being disseminated back to the operational systems. The system is based on Sequent’s NumaQ 2000 servers, which run both Unix and Windows NT in one box, and which form the beginning of the company’s NumaCenter concept that will culminate with Intel Corp Merced-based servers which fully integrate Unix and NT to the point of enabling data sharing and simple migration between the two operating systems (CI No 3,363). According to the company’s Contact Advantage product manager David Harper, Contact Advantage uses Sequent’s methodology built up from its experience in datawarehousing, the other string to its customer relationship management bow, with its Decision Advantage warehousing system. On the software front, Contact Advantage is apparently open and can use any contact management software, but the first release will include NT-based enterprise relationship management software TeamPoint, from Sequent partner Point Information Systems Inc. Contact Advantage in combination with Decision Advantage enables information from the datawarehouse to be used in the call center in real-time. It is available now, but the first real push for it will be in Europe, where Sequent says it has already built a good track record in datawarehousing. Harper says there has been a lot of interest in the offering, although no customers have actually signed up yet. Sequent will initially target existing call center operations, particularly in the finance, telecommunications and utilities markets.
