Siebel Systems Inc is set to roll out a new integrated version of its front office application suite including, for the first time, call center and workflow modules from Scopus Technology Inc, which it bought earlier this year (CI No 3,414). The latest release, Siebel 99, will also include new sales, service and marketing functionality, a new field service module, support for thin clients and custom-tailored versions for different industries. The software is now in beta and is due to be released on December 2 at the DCI Sales-Force automation show in Boston. Paul Rosenblum, Siebel’s director of product marketing said the company’s new field service module – effectively a mobile version of the software – was the first of its kind in the market. We’re the first vendor to offer it, he said, it’s crazy that up till now there’s been software designed for service people but it’s been totally unusable by anybody out in the field! The new module, designed to work on Windows CE handheld computers, will enable remote workers to download inventory data, repair information and so on while on the road. And support for thin clients means that channel partners, VARs and OEMs can access data via a browser, regardless of their whereabouts, Rosenblum said. Other new features include automatic presentation creation, which the company has added to its sales enterprise application and a new expense reporting capability that allows users to draw up expense claim forms at the touch of a button, the company said. It’s also introduced a new sales assistant module which is designed to ‘learn’ users’ input patterns and use them to draw up a series of automatic prompts for subsequent stages of the sales process. Siebel has included a new feature to its service application called entitlement verification, which is designed to work alongside a company’s call center. When customers call in, the software automatically calls up information about their service entitlements; what response time they require, what level of service they’ve signed up for and so on. In addition it has expanded the capabilities of its workflow software, Smart Script, to enable dynamic and intelligent configuration of telephone scripts for marketing campaigns. It’s marketing application has also been updated with a new, pre-built data mart and OLAP tools to enable users to carry out on the spot analysis of data. Siebel 99.0 is due by the end of this year, Rosenblum said. Handheld functionality will come with the next update, version 99.1, he added. The company will also roll out additional customized versions of the software, alongside the existing versions released for finance, banking and brokerage, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods some time next year.
