IMA Offers ChannelEDGE to Provide Comprehensive Management of Customer Interactions
SHELTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1999--
The First Component Extending IMA's Internet Component
Architecture (iCA), Which Effectively Manages All
Incoming Customer Interactions From Phone Calls
To Internet Chat, Is The Hub Of Demand
Chain Management Vision
IMA (NASDAQ:IMAA - news), a leading provider of synchronized, multi-channel e-business solutions, today introduced the first component of its Demand Chain Management (DCM) vision, ChannelEDGE(TM). ChannelEDGE is a Java-based solution that captures telephony, fax, e-mail, imaging, Internet (including chat), and other user-defined channels and interactions emanating from outside the company and intelligently distributes them to the appropriate employee through an evaluation of skill sets and security profiles.
Built on IMA's Internet Component Architecture (iCA), ChannelEDGE integrates current front- and back-office system applications, providing businesses with a single tool for managing all interactions between any source to any employee. ChannelEDGE is the interaction highway within the enterprise; it acts like an ''off ramp'' to the digital-based demands generated from outside the company. It enables enterprises with the ability to track and manage these interactions by utilizing technology to empower both employees and customers. ChannelEDGE is the industry's only true, object-oriented Java channel management offering.
''ChannelEDGE offers a real and open solution to a business problem facing all executives - how to manage the communication effectively between your enterprise and your customers,'' said Al Subbloie, IMA President & CEO.'' The core of Demand Chain Management is placing the customer at the center of the business process. Today that means being able to manage the myriad of communication channels that customers use. ChannelEDGE gives companies the ability to respond quickly and cohesively to their customers no matter what medium they utilize, from phone calls to e-mails, faxes to the Web.''
Built on the industry's only DCM Java-based, e-business application architecture, ChannelEDGE can run on any Java-based platform. Because of its future-proof standards, ChannelEDGE has avoided the problems of current proprietary channel management offerings, using a rules engine that can support all business functions regardless of channel. The use of IMA's iCA framework also facilitates the quick integration of a business' current Call Center applications with ChannelEDGE, regardless of the vendor.
Since its inception in 1984, IMA has assisted organizations around the globe in growing their businesses through the process of acquiring and retaining customers. In response to the rapid e-commerce evolution, IMA developed its concept of Demand Chain Management which focuses on creating demand via the Web from new sources such as enterprise web sites, third party aggregated web sites, e-mail, and chat. It extends this demand generation capability by managing demand via ChannelEDGE, and responding to demand via its EDGE products or integrating with other CRM applications. DCM takes the core values of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategies to a new level by applying new e-commerce technologies that are rapidly overtaking today's business world. DCM looks at the bigger picture - beyond traditional CRM response - and addresses how demand and delivery channels are changing as technology redefines the relationship between the supplier and the customer.
''We live in a demand-oriented generation, where product and service demands are delivered over multiple channels, many of which are digital,'' Subbloie said. ''These digital channels, like the Internet, are forcing business to present a consistent representation of the customer's demand in digital form. This has resulted in the need for an enterprise-wide, demand-centric architecture to manage and respond to this demand. That is what we are offering with our DCM and ChannelEDGE solution, a way for businesses to interact with customers over any number of channels in a one-on-one manner.''
About IMA
IMA provides world-class customer interaction software solutions and services that enable business success in the form of lasting, rewarding and profitable customer relationships. Gartner Group ranks IMA as a leader in customer service and support systems and as a visionary in sales applications. Over 400 global organizations including Bose Corp., Humana, ICT Group, Lloyds TSB, TXU, U.S. Cellular Corp. and Xerox depend on IMA products and services to help grow their business through the process of acquiring and retaining customers. IMA has headquarters in Shelton, Connecticut and offices and representatives worldwide. Contact IMA at imaedge.com, or request information via e-mail at info@imaedge.com, or by calling1-800-776-0462.
NOTE:
IMA and EDGE are registered trademarks of Information Management Associates, Inc. ChannelEDGE is a trademark of Information Management Associates, Inc. All other trade names are trademarks of their respective companies.
Except for the historical information contained in this announcement, the matters discussed in this announcement are ''forward-looking statements'' (as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involve risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). In particular, IMA draws the reader's attention to the ''Risk Factors'' stated in the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 dated July 30, 1997 and its accompanying Prospectus, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q dated August 14, 1997, November 14, 1997, May 15, 1998, August 14, 1998, November 14, 1998, May 17, 1999 and August 16, 1999, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K dated March 30, 1998 and March 31, 1999, as well as to the Company's periodic and current reports as they are filed with the SEC. |
