Touted as its most ambitious CRM offering to date, J.D. Edwards and Co. released Tuesday CRM 2.0, the latest addition to its J.D. Edwards 5 application suite.
The Denver-based midmarket enterprise software provider said the solution offers 175 new features, notably tighter integration with its (enterprise resource management) ERP and supply chain management (SCM) applications and improved back-office and customer service management capabilities.
CRM 2.0 also targets the growing needs of mobile professionals – though a recent partnership with Alpharetta, Ga.-based mobile/wireless infrastructure provider Synchrologic Inc. the offering features technology which allows mobile workers to access CRM data “offline” and synchronize with an company’s core network.
The release of CRM 2.0 is the fourth update of the CRM suite since J.D. Edwards jumped into the CRM market in mid-2001 through its acquisition of CRM software maker YouCentric Inc.
The offering targets midmarket enterprises seeking a low total cost of ownership CRM solution, said, Karl Johnson, former YouCentric co-founder and now vice-president of strategic marketing at J.D. Edwards. In terms of CRM, both Canadian and American enterprise needs are similar, Johnson noted. Canadian companies specifically are being more cautious and more conservative in terms of rolling out new things – sales cycles are longer than they used to be, Johnson said.
Since the YouCentric acquisition, J.D. Edwards has signed 108 new CRM deals, according to Johnson. About half of those buyers are existing customers using other J.D. Edwards software. In winning new business, J.D. Edwards finds itself competing most often against Siebel Systems Inc., Oracle Corp. and SAP AG, he said.
“The release is focused on service automation and integration and management…we view ourselves as being on par with the other ERP vendors from a functional perspective,” he added.
The new offering is also part the company’s recent partnership with IBM Corp. (please see ‘J.D. Edwards aligns with IBM middleware’) and will be shipped with IBM’s middleware.
Pricing was not disclosed – Johnson noted CRM 2.0 will be sold on a per-user, modular basis based on enterprise size.
J.D. Edwards is at www.jdedwards.com.
– With files from IDG News Service