Webcom, Inc. Announces New Assets Module for WebSource CPQ
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Innovation Leads to Delivery of Module Addressing the Needs of Aftermarket, Field Service and Entitlements
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 19, 2006 Webcom, Inc., the leader in simplified quote-to-order enablement for the selling of complex products and services, announced today a new module for its award-winning application, WebSource CPQ. WebSource CPQ Assets was designed to drive increased revenue, improved customer satisfaction and increased productivity of sales people, channel partners and back-office personnel by addressing the needs of aftermarket, field service, entitlements and assets. The new module allows someone to easily quote, propose and sell additional products and services that are pertinent to a specific asset created via the WebSource CPQ quote-to-order processing or imported into WebSource CPQ if it was created prior to deployment.
By selecting an asset, the user will automatically see the product and commercial characteristics associated with the asset. Based upon those attributes, the user will be guided to offer, select or restrict relevant service and product offerings. "We have always had customers quoting renewals, upgrades, aftermarket service, add-ons and the like," said Aleks Ivanovic, CEO and founder of Webcom, Inc. "The ease with which users will now be able to address these areas will enable our customers to really leverage the after-sales area, which many studies show can have markedly higher profit margins," added Ivanovic.
Client-specific input, industry best practice and the personal experiences of the Webcom product and delivery teams has led to a very robust module, comprised of a number of key features:
o Asset properties convey product, installation and commercial characteristics, including customer information
o Asset attributes affect the behavior of that product via product rules, dependencies and triggers, guiding the user
o Workflow and permission mechanism governs who can make changes and the timing of such changes
o Searched and sorted via a number of fields, including attributes identified as "key" attributes
o Updated manually or through the quotation process via revision control
o Side-by-side asset revision comparison identifying lifecycle changes
o Automation of repetitive processes such as annual, quarterly and monthly services like warranty, service contracts and maintenance
o Automated processes link output document templates (such as quotes, invoices) to assets
o User-defined groupings for quotation and invoicing purposes are provided
o User-defined selection parameters for automated processing, such as all assets with warranties expiring in 60 days, are provided
o Optional linkage to CRM systems for opportunity creation
o Forecast revenue from automated processes
o Batch import of existing assets eases module implementation and creates greater value
"In industries that sell capital equipment such as medical devices, telecommunications, instrumentation, information technology (IT) hardware and other complex equipment, companies are starting to significantly increase their focus on services revenue. For some companies this is a strategic move to increase the top line, while others are looking to replace revenue from slower new product sales in the current economic conditions", stated Predrag Jakovljevic, principal analyst with TechnologyEvaluation.com (TEC). "Solutions such as WebSource CPQ Assets can play a role in capturing this revenue and profit", added Jakovljevic.
WebSource CPQ is designed to help drive increased revenues and margins, increased customer satisfaction, reduced costs and improved productivity. Requiring nothing more than a web browser, WebSource CPQ allows sales people, channel partners and consumers to easily and skillfully configure, price, quote and propose products/services. "Anything that furthers automation of upgrades and renewals merits investigation", stated Linda Higdon, senior director of sales operations at COPAN Systems, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent, enterprise-class MAID storage solutions that unlock the value of long-term data. "The more we can automate this process, the more we can increase our productivity and profitability", added Higdon.
WebSource CPQ Assets is in delivery to early-ship customers. Scheduled for general availability in October, 2006, the solution supports Windows 2000 server or better, IIS 5.0 or better and Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or better.
About Webcom, Inc.
Webcom, Inc. provides software solutions that simplify the quote-to-order process for the selling of complex products and services. Requiring only a browser, WebSource CPQ allows customers to configure, price, quote and propose their offerings across multiple sales and distribution channels, anytime, anywhere. WebSource CPQ not only handles the traditional bill of material, routing and diagram generation tasks frequently associated with product configurators, but also addresses the guided selling, proposal generation and multi-level channel management tasks associated with sales configurators. The solution helps drive increased revenues and margins, increased customer satisfaction, reduced costs and improved productivity. Companies utilizing Webcom's products and services include Rockwell Automation, Danfoss, Corning Cable Systems, Verity, Grayhill and GE Industrial Systems. Founded in 1997, Webcom is a privately held corporation headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with offices in the USA and Europe. For more information, visit Webcom at www.webcominc.com or call 414-273-4442 (toll free 877-508-6323).
Media Contact:
Webcom, Inc.
Chris Lesar
(262) 617-8231
clesar@webcominc.com
