Top 3 Article in Siebel CRM Materials 2009

During 2009 we have posted a lot of article related to CRM, especially Oracle Siebel CRM in this blog. In the end of this 2009, we would like to list the best of the best article according to user pageview. Here's the top 3 article in the Siebel CRM Materials blog:

1. Siebel CRM Main Modules
Siebel CRM Systems as main player in CRM Industry provides basic modules generally used in the CRM industry. Such modules involves general business process in CRM. Those modules are

- Siebel Sales Module
- Siebel Marketing Automation Module
- Siebel Service Module

2. Siebel CTI
What is Siebel CTI? Siebel 7 CTI integrates the Siebel Web Client with the CTI middleware and the telephone switch through the Siebel Communications Server infrastructure. The telephone switch provides notification of telephony events through the CTI middleware to the Siebel Communications Server, then The Siebel user interacts with the telephone system with the Siebel Web Client.

3. Siebel EAI (Enterprise Application Integration)
Siebel EAI provides components for integrating Siebel Business Applications with external applications and technologies within your company and is designed to work with third-party solutions such as those from IBM, TIBCO, WebMethods, and others.

Top 10 Open Source CRM Solution

Going into 2010, companies have more options than ever for free and open-source CRM software. The CRM software solutions is dominated by huge players such as Oracle Corp. and SAP, and the open-source model is perhaps the easiest way into the CRM market for new companies. There are at least 10 open-source products in the market, with some more mature than others, following are 10 open-source CRM solutions have risen to the top of the list.

1. SugarCRM Inc. is the 800-pound gorilla in the open-source CRM category. Founded in 2004 by John Roberts, Clint Oram and Jacob Taylor, the Sugar open-source code has been downloaded more than 3 million times. The company has received $26 million in venture financing and employs more than 100 people. More than 12,000 companies use SugarCRM including Honeywell International, Starbucks Corp., First Federal Bank and BDO Seidman LLP. SugarCRM is written in PHP and is compatible with the MySQL database.

2. SplendidCRM Software Inc.'s development team formed in November 2005. The application is built on the Microsoft platform (Windows, ISS, SQL Server, C# and ASP). Designed for system integrators, SplendidCRM allows administrators to add user-customizable features such as .NET 2.0’s Themes, Web Parts and AJAX. SplendidCRM is positioned as a competitor to SugarCRM, as the two applications share many of the same features. For instance, both offer an Outlook plug-in and the ability to add custom fields.

3. CentricCRM has been around for seven years and has achieved a great deal of stability and robustness. In June 2007, CentricCRM (renamed Concursive as of December 2007) received investment funding from Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of Intel Corp. CentricCRM is aimed at the small-business market, although it has scaled up within Fortune 500 companies. Its more complex features can be turned off if they are not needed, and the administrative console allows for a great deal of customization. The free version comes with five user licenses. Centric CRM is written in Java and is compatible with MySQL databases.

4. Hipergate bills itself as “the most complete open-source Java CRM and groupware.” That’s a lot to pack into a single package, but this enterprise-class application seems to have it all. Its functional modules include collaboration and groupware; contact management; project management and support-issues tracking; an e-shopping module with multiple catalogs and payment processing; a content -management module; mass email distribution and tracking; a corporate library; roles-based security; queries and reports; and more. Written in Java and JSP, hipergate is operating system-independent. Databases with which it is compatible include Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL.

5. Compiere Inc. offers a complete ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM application with support for marketing and sales, human resources, inventory control and more. There is even a full business-accounting package, something often seen in open-source software. Compiere received a $6 million injection of venture capital in June 2006. Compiere is written in Java, JavaScript and PL/SQL, and it is compatible with JDBC and Oracle databases.

6. Vtiger CRM is built upon the LAMP/WAMP (Linux/Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP) architecture, with the main development team based in Chennai, India. Vtiger CRM includes SFA (Sales Force Automation), customer-support and -service, marketing automation, inventory-management, multiple database support, security-management, product-customization, calendaring and email-integration features. It also offers add-ons (Outlook Plug-in, Office Plug-in, Thunderbird Extension, Customer Self-service Portal and Web Forms) and support for other add-ons. Vtiger is written in JavaScript, PHP and Visual Basic. It is compatible with ADOdb, MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.

7. CentraView Inc.'s offering is a combination of contact management, SFA and CRM functions. Its source code is J2EE-based and builds on the MySQL database. The first version of CentraView was released in November 2004, for the Linux and Windows 2000/XP platforms. Today, the software is offered in both hosted and downloadable forms. Centraview CRM is written in Java and JSP and is compatible with MySQL databases.

8. XRMS CRM is a Web-based application suite that incorporates human-resources management, SFA and CRM. It is an on-premise solution for the small to midsize company. XRMS CRM includes computer telephony integration and the ability to add plug-ins for programs such as Outlook. XRMS CRM is operating-system independent, and it is written in an interpreted language (PHP). Compatible databases include ADOdb, SQL-based, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and other network-based DBMS.

9. Cream CRM is a multilingual application designed for media organizations. The application tracks sales orders, payments, shipments, services, online and print subscriptions, and the effectiveness of promotional campaigns. Modules allow communication with customers via newsletters, email and a Web interface. Cream CRM is an initiative of the Media Development Loan Fund's Center for Advanced Media in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Cream CRM runs on FreeDSB, Linux and Windows 2000/XP. It is written in Java and JavaScript.

10. Tustena CRM is a Microsoft-centric application written for enterprise-class organizations. It comes in three solutions: On Demand, Business and Open Source. On Demand is the hosted version, while the Business version is installed on clients' site and features tech support. Users who opt for the Open Source version get the source code and can modify it as they wish, relying on the community for support. Tustena CRM is written in C#, ASP.NET and JavaScript. It is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server.

Siebel CTI features

Siebel CTI provides integrated inbound, outbound, and transfer call routing based on comprehensive information about the customer, agent, channels, and service level agreements, ensuring optimal productivity for each customer interaction. Siebel CTI helps decrease call times and improve customer intimacy. It supports off-the-shelf integration with popular CTI middleware providers to provide integrated call handling, call tracking, and automated screen pop capabilities with a broad variety of Automated Call Distributors (ACDs). Siebel CTI includes Siebel Adaptive Communications API, a framework that supports the ability for middleware vendors, systems integrators, consultants, and customers to integrate additional third-party middleware applications and leverage the features of Siebel CTI.

Product Requirements Siebel CTI does not include any Siebel developed Adaptive Communications API drivers. The customer may purchase Siebel CTI Connect, which includes the Siebel developed, tested, and validated Adaptive Communications API driver and CTI middleware server software.

Siebel SmartScript and CTI Siebel SmartScript accelerates agent effectiveness with a workflow-based, dynamically generated user interface that helps guide every interaction with a customer. Siebel SmartScript can be invoked automatically several ways, such as based upon business rules, through screen pops, by Siebel CTI, or programmatically. By providing agents with a complete set of call script tailored to their customers needs, businesses ensure the quality of calls, prevent data-entry errors, and reduce training times.

Siebel Communications Server Siebel Communications Server is modules that supports communications features for Siebel Call Center, Siebel Email Response, and other Siebel Business Applications.

Communications channels supported for Siebel Business Applications include voice, email, Web collaboration (including Web chat and voice-over-IP), fax, page, and wireless message. This section describes email server, fax server, and CTI middleware support for Siebel Communications Server, and email server support for Siebel Email Manager.

The following modules or features use the infrastructure provided by Siebel Communications Server (communications drivers and profiles, communications templates, and Communications Outbound Manager and Communications Inbound Manager server components) to send outbound email, fax, or other types of messages, or to receive inbound email and inbound wireless messages:

1. Send Email (outbound email)
2. Send Fax (outbound fax)
3. Send Wireless Message (outbound wireless message)
4. Siebel eMarketing (outbound email, fax)
5. Communication requests (outbound email, fax, page, wireless message)
6. Siebel Workflow (outbound email, fax, page, outbound and inbound wireless message)
7. Siebel Email Response (inbound and outbound email)
8. Siebel Wireless Messaging (enables SMS and other message formats)

The following modules or features use or extend the infrastructure provided by Siebel Communications Server (communications drivers and profiles, and Communications Session Manager server component) to support agents using the communications toolbar for the voice, email, or Web collaboration channels:

1. Siebel CTI
2. Siebel CTI Connect
3. Siebel Universal Queuing
4. Siebel Email Response

Siebel CTI Connect server (based on Dialogic CTI middleware modules) runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 & Windows 2003 Server/Advanced Server (CTI refers to computer telephony integration). When you are using Siebel CTI with Siebel CTI Connect, any application server machines running.

Siebel Server with Communications Server components that support Siebel CTI must also run on Microsoft Windows 2000/2003 Server/Advanced Server.

My New Blog Problem

This month I created new blog for my Internet marketing niche and online business. I've tried to create as many post as possible, but it turned out that this new blog not yet being indexed by big G.

Although I have own the domain since 2007, but it seems that big G see the content not the main domain. My new blog is mainly talk about Simple Extra Money Idea in Internet that could be used by anyone. Some of my post also talk about how to make your web had enough visitor to sell you stuff.

This marketing is done by link building or traffic management.

What is Siebel CTI?

What is Siebel CTI?

CTI is stands for Computer Telephony Integration. Basically CTI is call routing based on customer profile in the related software, usually the CTI will display screen pop-up with customer information in the application user interface. CTI also used as controlled call transfers with customer data, campaigns, predictive dialing and call blending.

Siebel CRM Software integrates the CRM Siebel Web Client with the CTI middleware and the telephone switch through the Siebel Communications Server infrastructure. Siebel CTI enables an integrated context sensitive “softphone” application. The telephone switch provides notification of telephony events through the CTI middleware to the Siebel Communications Server. Then, the Siebel user interacts with the telephone system with the Siebel Web Client.

Siebel CRM Software gives a validated out-of-the-box integration with Siebel CTI Connect for telephony switch manufacturers, such as Avaya, Nortel Networks and Siemens. Siebel CTI also gives the Siebel Adaptive Communications API programming layer. Siebel CTI may be used with all Siebel eBusiness base applications.


Siebel CTI Features

Multi-channel Communications Toolbar, agents may be associated with multiple Communications configurations and multiple ACD queues. Better hold/resume support for Multiple Lines, enhanced Not Ready provides the ability to select Reason Codes. Communications elements may be routed by an intelligent queuing engine such as Siebel Universal Queuing. Zero-Install, Highly Interactive Web Client. Unified Communications Control, Persistent Customer Dashboard, Global Time Zone, Search Center, Audit Trail and SmartScript Enhancements.

Siebel CRM On Demand vs Salesforce.com

Nowadays, the cloud computing had becoming new trend in the CRM software market, starts with salesforce.com and followed by Siebel CRM On Demand. Siebel CRM On Demand it self is a new software developed by the Siebel based on the original Siebel CRM Software that already lead the CRM market in the world. So, what is exactly the Siebel CRM On Demand? we take this from the www.exforsys.com,

Siebel CRM OnDemand is an innovative, low-risk, flexible, hosted customer relationship management (CRM) solution brought you by the company that invented CRM –Siebel Systems.

With Siebel CRM OnDemand, you can you can easily evolve your customer relationship strategy using the industry’s premier CRM solution – with little or no up-front IT investment. More robust deployments can take advantage of Siebel’s extensive services offerings – based on leading CRM best practices — to assist with custom implementation and integration requirements.

The result is that Siebel CRM OnDemand provides businesses of all shapes and sizes with a centralized repository of customer data and a real-time snapshot of all customer interactions. So no matter what your CRM requirements are, Siebel CRM OnDemand accelerates business value and lowers overall Total Cost of Ownership.

This is quite same with the salesforce.com main service,

Sales force automation (SFA) software is a type of program that automates business tasks such as inventory control, sales processing, and tracking of customer interactions, as well as analyzing sales forecasts and performance. Businesses may have a custom version developed specifically for their needs, or choose from among the increasing number of sales automation software products, such as Interact Commerce's ACT! and GoldMine Software's GoldMine. Sales automation software is sometimes called sales automation software software, and sometimes called customer relations management ( CRM ) software.

SFA packages typically include a Web-ready database, an e-mail package, and customizable template s. A three-tiered architecture is typically used to separate the database, server, and application to reduce programming demands on clients. A module-based design is generally used, to allow users to customize the package to suit their needs.

Partner Applications Module in Siebel CRM 7

Siebel Partner Portal

Robust web application enabling partner users to access critical information and tools to transact business with the brand owner (vendor) and common customers. Siebel Partner Portal provides a comprehensive, web-based partner portal designed to support all partner activities. The Siebel Partner Portal allows partners to access critical information and tools necessary to transact business with the brand owner and their customers.

Siebel Partner Commerce

Commerce add-on to Siebel Partner Portal enables partners to access critical information and tools to transact business with the brand owner (vendor) and common customers.

Siebel Reports for Partners

The Siebel Reports allows partners to schedule, run in batch and interactive modes, and distribute reports using an easy to use and intuitive user interface. Partner users can choose to queue reports to run periodically at a pre-determined time, or to better utilize computing resources by having particularly long reports run at off-peak times. They may also share the reports within the organization and with external organizations.

Siebel SmartScript for Partners

Siebel SmartScript for Partners gives partners a way of walking through structured questions to arrive at answers.

Siebel Reports for Partners

Intended Audience:
Sales organization employees, call center employees, field sales and service employees, channel partners, channel managers, purchasing department, and management.
Unit of Measure: Registered User

Product Description:
The Siebel Reports allows partners to schedule, run in batch and interactive modes, and distribute reports using an easy to use and intuitive user interface. Partner users can choose to queue reports to run periodically at a pre-determined time, or to better utilize computing resources by having particularly long reports run at off-peak times. They may also share the reports within the organization and with external organizations. Siebel Reports Server 7 can be deployed in Windows, Solaris, and AIX platforms.

Product Requirements, Restrictions and Dependencies
• Siebel Reports is required for the Web Client users. Pricing Requirements
• Siebel Reports is an integration of Actuate eReporting Server, which is a royalty bearing third-party product. Therefore, this product may not be discounted more than 80%.
• Can only be sold with Siebel Partner Portal
Key Functionality
• Generate and view pre-built reports interactively from Siebel Application views. Run reports interactively or schedule them to run at off-peak times. Users can access reports via the web browser and grant others permission to view. The report viewer supports navigation, search, and email functions. Administrative users may create new reports and customize pre-built reports.

Siebel SmartScript for Partners

Intended Audience:
Partner Sales, Service and Marketing representatives
Unit of Measure: Registered User

Product Description:
Siebel SmartScript for Partners gives partners a way of walking through structured questions to arrive at answers. By providing partners with a complete set of script tailored to specific situations, businesses ensure the quality of data capture, prevent data-entry errors, and reduce training times.

Product Requirements, Restrictions and Dependencies
This partner options requires, at a minimum, one license of the corresponding “Named User” (i.e., employee-facing) program for administration and set-up of the partner-facing programs. For example, if the customer licenses Siebel SmartScript for Partners, then the customer must license at least one Named User of Siebel SmartScript.

Siebel Partner Portal

Intended Audience:
Partner users, employed by partner: Partner Sales agents / managers, Partner Marketing agents / managers, Partner Service agents / managers, Partner Alliance managers

Product Description:
Robust web application enabling partner users to access critical information and tools to transact business with the brand owner (vendor) and common customers. Users are partner, broker, dealer, agent, distributor, reseller or OEM employees.
Siebel Partner Portal provides a comprehensive, web-based partner portal designed to support all partner activities. The Siebel Partner Portal allows partners to access critical information and tools necessary to transact business with the brand owner and their customers.
Siebel Partner Portal enables channel partners to conduct business effectively with their brand owner organizations by providing out-of-the-box functionality for real time information sharing, such as news and message updates, and access to relevant literature, along with comprehensive set of collaborative tools for market development funds management, opportunity and account management, eCommerce selling tools (optional modules) and service request management. Siebel Partner Portal provides partners with an intuitive, easy-to-use, web-based interface to communicate, collaborate, and conduct business effectively with its brand owner organization.
Designed to work in collaboration with Siebel Partner Manager, commerce and order management functionality are extended with Siebel Partner Commerce.

Product Requirements, Restrictions and Dependencies
• Requires, at a minimum, of one Partner Manager license.
Key Functionality
Siebel Partner Portal includes the following:
• Browse the anonymous partner portal as an unregistered user
• Partner recruitment and registration
• CHAMP joint planning with brand owner
• Self and company profiling
• Manage Activities
• Track and manage certifications
• Register as individual or register as a company
• Browse and download marketing and product content through information catalog
• Receive news and personalized partner messages
• Receive web/email offers and eNewsletters (Requires Siebel WebMarketing)
• Generate reports and charts (Requires Siebel Report Server)
• Track account, competitor, industry news and product information (Requires Siebel Briefings)
• Manage accounts and opportunities
• Create quotes (Requires Siebel Partner Commerce)
• Place orders (Requires Siebel Partner Commerce)
• Log service requests
• Submit MDF requests
• Search and find partners - for customers or other partners
• Add and manage user accounts
• Shop for self or on behalf of customer (Requires Siebel Partner Commerce)
• Personalized pricing (Requires Siebel Dynamic Pricing)
• Online training (Requires Siebel Training)

Siebel Partner Commerce

Intended Audience:
Partner Sales Agent, Partner Sales Manager
Unit of Measure: Registered User

Product Description:
Commerce add-on to Siebel Partner Portal enables partners to access critical information and tools to transact business with the brand owner (vendor) and common customers. Users are partner, reseller, dealer, distributor, broker, reseller or OEM employees. The Partner Commerce add-on module provides rich online commerce capabilities to partners, including product catalog, shopping cart, quotes and orders.
Product Requirements, Restrictions and Dependencies
• Requires Siebel Partner Portal
• Siebel Partner Commerce requires, at a minimum, one Named User license of Siebel Quotes & Order Capture for administration and set-up of the partner-facing programs.

Key Functionality
Siebel Commerce includes:
• Allows partners to shop for themselves or on behalf of end customers
• Multimedia catalog and online-ordering
• Distributed catalog administration
• Shopping cart, quotes and orders
• Integrated product and pricing configuration available (requires optional Siebel Configurator Runtime and Siebel Dynamic Pricer)
• Product comparisons
• Customizable checkout process
• Shipping and tax calculations

Siebel CRM On Demand

Siebel CRM On Demand is a comprehensive, strategic CRM solution that goes far beyond any other software as a service offering to help you bring clarity to your sales processes; build loyal, long-term customer relationships; accelerate productivity; boost call centre efficiency; and derive comprehensive, real-time customer intelligence.

• Complete and comprehensive: Get everything you need for your sales, marketing, and service teams—and an optional, virtual call centre.
• Superior usability: Drive higher adoption among workgroups.
• Industry-specific functionality: Get value sooner with solutions tailored to your industry.
• Embedded contact centre: Get agents up and running anywhere they have access to an internet connection and a phone.
• Award-winning analytics: Take advantage of the hosted CRM industry's only embedded analytics offering.
• Easy customization, integration, and expansion: Focus high-value resources on your business, not your IT infrastructure.
• Prebuilt integration to Oracle back-office applications: Dramatically increase sales agent productivity while ensuring your customer data is consistent and accurate.
• Low, predictable costs: Forecast IT costs effectively with pricing starting at only US$70 per user per month.
• Global: Enhance global teamwork: Siebel CRM On Demand easily supports multiple languages and currencies.

The Siebel suite of On Demand products provide the following functionality:-

• Sales - Automate, simplify, and manage all the information your sales organization needs with one comprehensive set of tools.
• Service - Build and retain customer satisfaction by resolving issues efficiently, thanks to consistent access to up-to-date information from across your organization.
• Marketing - Transform the way you market to your customers with an integrated solution that makes your marketing team work more efficiently, more effectively, and with greater accountability.
• Call Centre - Make your agents more productive and your customers happier and more loyal with the only hosted multichannel support application that can be deployed in days, not months—without upfront capital expenditures or integration costs.
• Analytics - Make informed, intelligent decisions based on deep insight into your business, thanks to the only on-demand CRM solution with a prebuilt data warehouse that allows you to combine real-time intelligence with deep historical and comparative trend analyses.
• Integration - Focus high-value resources on your business, not your IT infrastructure, thanks to the only CRM on demand solution that provides Web Services support as well as prebuilt integration to Oracle and other business applications.
• Industry Solutions - Only Siebel CRM On Demand Industry Editions provide organizations with CRM solutions tailored for specific industries. Unlike other hosted CRM solutions, Siebel CRM On Demand Industry Editions are built upon Oracle's deep industry expertise-providing organizations in the automotive, high technology, insurance, life sciences, and wealth management industries with tangible business value from the start. Siebel CRM On Demand Industry Editions feature out-of-the-box business processes, data models, object models, and business logic designed to support the unique requirements of these industries.

Siebel Remote Client

Siebel Remote enables true mobile computing by providing a complete bi-directional exchange of information between laptops and corporate servers. Using Siebel Remote, mobile users can access the power of Siebel eBusiness Applications, and later synchronize to upload local changes to the server. Mobile clients can also initiate requests for information and download any new information from the corporate server. Siebel Systems’ patented synchronization architecture minimizes communication time and allows users to continue working while synchronization occurs in the background over LANs, WANs, and dial-up connections.

Siebel Remote manages all information exchanges with all mobile users. It provides comprehensive conflict detection and resolution facilities to ensure the integrity and synchronization of both server and client databases. Siebel Remote embedded two mobile database engines: Sybase SQL Anywhere and Microsoft SQL DE. Customers may use either one of these for their deployment.

Users
Field Sales, Field Service, Professional Services, Channel Partner Management

Key Functionality
• Provide complete, bi-directional data synchronization between mobile client and servers
• Scale up to support thousands of mobile users
• Include simple and robust conflict resolution
• Replicate net-change to minimize communication time
• Support the industry's first Mobile Web Client
• Is simple to setup and deploy

Siebel Reports Server

The Siebel Reports Server allows users and partners to schedule, run in batch and interactive modes, and distribute reports using an easy to use and intuitive user interface. The Siebel Web Client users can choose to queue reports to run periodically at a pre-determined time, or to better utilize computing resources by having particularly long reports run at off-peak times. They may also share the reports within the organization and with external organizations. Siebel Reports Server 7 can be deployed in Windows, Solaris, and AIX platforms.



Product Requirements
Siebel Reports Server is required for the Web Client and Dedicated Web Client users. In the disconnected mode, reports can only be run interactively in the Dedicated Web Client.




Users
Sales organization employees, call center employees, field sales and service employees, channel partners, channel managers, purchasing department, and management

Key Functionality
Generate and view pre-built reports interactively from Siebel Application views. Run reports interactively or schedule them to run at off-peak times. Employees, and partners can access reports via the web browser and grant others permission to view. The report viewer supports navigation, search, and email functions. Administrative users may create new reports and customize pre-built reports.

Siebel Encyclopedia

Siebel Encyclopedia, Professional Edition is a multimedia and Web-enabled repository of all company marketing materials that a sales professional needs. It includes rich details on pricing, discounts, competitors, and company products including detailed comparisons, object handling tools, and sales literature. Service professionals can view linked problem categories for suggested diagnostic tips and access related technical information. Siebel Encyclopedia, Professional Edition information can be published by marketing and made available to all end users of the system. Built-in communications allow users to immediately send information to customers via the Internet, email, fax, or automated correspondence and fulfillment.

Users
Sales professionals, marketing managers and customer service agents

Siebel EAI (Enterprise Application Integration)

Siebel EAI provides components for integrating Siebel Business Applications with external applications and technologies within your company and is designed to work with third-party solutions such as those from IBM, TIBCO, WebMethods, and others.



Siebel EAI provides bidirectional real-time and batch solutions for integrating Siebel applications with other applications as well as the tools for cross application integration through UAN.
Siebel EAI is designed as a set of interfaces that interact with each other and with other components within Siebel application. These interfaces:

• Allow a flexible service-based architecture, built on top of configurable messages using XML and other formats.
• Are compatible with IBM MQSeries; Microsoft MSMQ, BizTalk, and OLE DB; Sun Microsystems Java and J2EE; XML, and HTTP, and many other standards.
• Expose internal Siebel Objects to external applications.
• Take advantage of prebuilt adapters and enterprise connectors, and are compatible with third-party adapters and connectors.
• Allow for data transformation.
• Integrate external data through Virtual Business Components (VBCs) and External Business Components (EBCs).
• Provide a graphical business process designer, programmatic interfaces, and a high-volume batch interface.

Users
Siebel implementation specialist, integration developers

Siebel Audit Trail

Audit Trail creates a history of the changes that have been made to data in Siebel applications. An audit trail is a record showing who has accessed an item, which operation was performed, when it was performed, and how the value was changed. Therefore, it is useful for maintaining security, examining the history of a particular record, and documenting modifications for future analysis and record keeping. Audit Trail logs information without requiring any interaction with, or input from, your users.

Audit Trail can be used for a variety of purposes. In a simple example, a call center uses an audit trail to track the status change of a service request, who changed it and when. Audit trail capabilities can also be used to track the time needed to change the state of an item, such as a service request from open to closed. A calculation of the time difference can help the call center manager measure and improve service quality. Audit trail can also be used to reproduce a record at a given point in time to maintain regulatory compliance by looking at the audit trail records of changes and the current state of the record.

For any audit trail deployment, the combination of the number of fields audited and the number of audit records created by a given business process has performance implications. Auditing a large number of fields on a business component or auditing fields in a large number of business components may produce unacceptable performance that is counter to the overall business requirement.

Audit trail works for replication and synchronization. For Siebel Remote and Siebel Replication users making changes to records, Audit Trail records successfully committed transactions and also transactions that did not get synchronized to the server because of conflicts.

User
Siebel Administrators

Siebel Assignment Manager

Siebel Assignment Manager is a rules engine that allows sales and service organizations to assign the most qualified people to specific tasks. Assignment Manager accomplishes this function by matching candidates to predefined and user-configurable assignment objects. To assign the most qualified candidate to each object, Assignment Manager applies assignment rules that you define. For you to define assignment rules, you select:

• Objects to which each assignment rule applies
• Rule Groups to which each assignment rule applies (optional)
• Criteria for each assignment rule
• Values for each assignment criteria
• Skills to match assignment rules, objects, organizations, employees, and positions
• Expertise to weigh skill scores
• Scores for each assignment rule, criteria, and value
• Candidates that are scored using the assignment rule
• Workload rules to balance work across your organization

For example, in a sales organization, you can create an assignment rule that scores positions (candidates) based on territory definitions (criteria) for an opportunity (object). In a service organization, you can create an assignment rule that scores employees (candidates) based on product expertise (criteria) for a service request or product defect (object). Using the sum of scores for each assignment rule, Assignment Manager assigns the best candidates for each object.

User
Siebel Administrators

Siebel Anywhere Features

Siebel Anywhere manages and distributes Siebel software components for Siebel mobile clients, dedicated clients, and replicated Regional nodes. Siebel Anywhere ensure that all distributed notes are operating with the proper configurations by performing version check and distributing upgrade kits containing SRF, client configuration changes, database schema changes, and software patches.

Users
Field Sales, Field Service, Professional Services, Channel Partner Management

Key Functionality
• Distribute and install upgrade kits
• Distribute SRF changes
• Distribute database schema changes
• Automatically install and configure client software

Siebel Advanced Search

Siebel Advanced Search enhances the ability of agents to easily locate information from the corporate knowledge base. Using Siebel Advanced Search enhances the base Siebel Search capabilities by locating documents using term proximity, word stemming, advanced thesaurus, term inflection, fuzzy searching, and other advanced searching features. Siebel Advanced Search uses the Fulcrum search engine (included with Siebel Search in each named license of Siebel Sales, Siebel Service, and Siebel Call Center).



Users
Employees using an Employee-facing application (like Siebel Sales, Siebel Call Center, etc.)

Siebel CRM Service Module

Siebel CRM Service, Professional Edition enables service agents of small and midsized companies to solve customer problems in a highly efficient and effective manner with comprehensive service request and solution management, as well as asset tracking. Complete customer service is made possible with integrated account and contact management. Powerful workflow technology helps managers track and improve service performance trends, resulting in greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

With Siebel CRM Service, Professional Edition, customer agents interact quickly and consistently across a broad range of communication channels, such as telephone, email, fax, and page. Service representatives become productive faster, supporting a broader range of products and services, resulting in higher satisfaction levels in each customer interaction.

Users
Service agents and support professionals in small and midsized companies

Key Functionality
• Service Requests
• Service Assistant (activity plan templates for Service Requests)
• Executive Information System (pre-built charts for Service Requests, Accounts, Contacts)
• Accounts
• Activities
• Contacts
• Literature
• Products (basic product catalog with pricing)
• Notes and Attachments
• Advanced Search (adv. search algorithms including term proximity, word stemming, term inflection, etc.)
• Anywhere (software tools to streamline and automate management of Remote Client)
• Assignment Manager (configurable rules engine to automate assignment of leads and opportunities)
• Audit Trail (logging capabilities to maintain a history of changes made to Siebel records)
• EAI (interfaces for enabling real time integration of Siebel to 3rd party systems)
• Remote Client (fully functional disconnected client)
• Reports and Reports Server (library of pre-built reports and report scheduling and generation)
• Sync (client-based synchronization of Activities, Calendar and Contacts to Outlook, Notes and Palm)
• Workflow (configurable workflow engine to automate execution of business processes)
• Siebel Server Sync for Exchange
• Siebel Encyclopedia

Siebel CRM Marketing Automation Module

Siebel CRM Marketing Automation, Professional Edition provides the campaign management, customer management and marketing communications functionality that small and midsized businesses need to promote and market their products and services. Users can design and manage outbound campaigns through direct sales, call centers, and channel partners. Siebel CRM, Marketing Edition also provides list management capabilities to develop internal lists and load external list files and prospect management with promotion of prospects to contacts. Siebel Marketing's response management enables marketers to track customer responses and evaluate campaign effectiveness.

Siebel CRM Marketing Automation, Professional Edition includes the following modules:
• Marketing (including Campaigns)
• Marketing Resource Manager (best practices and automation of a marketing department’s planning tasks; includes Project Management and Collaboration for Marketing teams and Marketing Calendar functionality – see entry in General Options section of this document for more information on this module.)
• Marketing Development Funds (functionality to automate the creation, management and administration of marketing development funds for partners – see MDF entry in General Options section of this document for more information on this module.)

Users
Marketing personnel in small and midsized companies

Key Functionality
• Campaigns (Functionality to create and manage marketing campaigns and monitor associated details)
• Executive Information System (pre-built charts for Opportunities, Accounts, Contacts)
• Accounts
• Activities
• Contacts
• Literature
• Products (basic product catalog with pricing)
• Notes and Attachments
• Advanced Search (adv. search algorithms including term proximity, word stemming, term inflection, etc.)
• Anywhere (software tools to streamline and automate management of Remote Client)
• Assignment Manager (configurable rules engine to automate assignment of leads and opportunities)
• Audit Trail (logging capabilities to maintain a history of changes made to Siebel records)
• EAI (interfaces for enabling real time integration of Siebel to 3rd party systems)
• Remote Client (fully functional disconnected client)
• Reports and Reports Server (library of pre-built reports and report scheduling and generation)
• Sync (client-based synchronization of Activities, Calendar and Contacts to Outlook, Notes and Palm)
• Workflow (configurable workflow engine to automate execution of business processes)
• Siebel Server Sync for Exchange
• Siebel Encyclopedia

Siebel CRM Sales Module

Siebel CRM Sales enables small and midsized companies to grow revenues more quickly, predictably and profitably by providing a focus on the right deals at the right time. Organizations using Siebel CRM Sales, Professional Edition achieve unparalleled visibility into the sales pipeline – enabling sales professionals to “see” the big opportunities.

With Siebel CRM Sales, selling representatives are enabled to respond more effectively to sales opportunities. Contact and opportunity management within Siebel CRM Sales enables sales professionals to find the right piece of information that is most relevant to the sales situation. By having the right information at the right time, the sales professional can be more effective in front of the customer and maximize valuable customer-facing activities. By providing a common repository of customer information, Siebel CRM Sales allows sales teams to understand how customers buy, enabling them to respond to opportunities with a multi-channel sales strategy.

Siebel CRM Sales, Professional Edition provides up-to-the-moment, proactive intelligence to maximize sales revenue. With Siebel CRM Sales, Professional Edition all levels of the selling organization can access the facts required to confidently pinpoint problems and deploy resources. Siebel CRM Sales allows managers to monitor sales pipelines and evaluate the performance of the entire sales distribution network. Siebel CRM Sales enables sales professionals to identify critical trends in sales cycle length, win rates, discounting, and competitive engagement. This level of visibility is vital to any organization deploying a high-performing sales force.

Users
Sales professionals in small and midsized companies that would include: telesales reps, field sales reps, sales managers, sales directors, VPs of Sales

Key Functionality
• Opportunities and Pipeline
• Sales Assistant (activity plan templates for Opportunities)
• Executive Information System (pre-built charts for Opportunities, Accounts, Contacts)
• Accounts
• Activities
• Contacts
• Literature
• Products (basic product catalog with pricing)
• Notes and Attachments
• Advanced Search (adv. search algorithms including term proximity, word stemming, term inflection, etc.)
• Anywhere (software tools to streamline and automate management of Remote Client)
• Assignment Manager (configurable rules engine to automate assignment of leads and opportunities)
• Audit Trail (logging capabilities to maintain a history of changes made to Siebel records)
• EAI (interfaces for enabling real time integration of Siebel to 3rd party systems)
• Remote Client (fully functional disconnected client)
• Reports and Reports Server (library of pre-built reports and report scheduling and generation)
• Sync (client-based synchronization of Activities, Calendar and Contacts to Outlook, Notes and Palm)
• Workflow (configurable workflow engine to automate execution of business processes)
• Siebel Server Sync for Exchange
• Siebel Encyclopedia

Siebel CRM Main Modules

Siebel CRM Systems as main player in CRM Industry provides basic modules generally used in the CRM industry. Such modules involves general business process in CRM. Those modules are:

Siebel Sales Module
Siebel CRM Sales Module provides up-to-the-moment, proactive intelligence to maximize sales revenue. With Siebel CRM Sales all levels of the selling organization can access the facts required to confidently pinpoint problems and deploy resources. Siebel CRM Sales allows managers to monitor sales pipelines and evaluate the performance of the entire sales distribution network. Siebel CRM Sales enables sales professionals to identify critical trends in sales cycle length, win rates, discounting, and competitive engagement. This level of visibility is vital to any organization deploying a high-performing sales force.

Siebel Marketing Automation Module
Siebel CRM Marketing Automation Module provides the campaign management, customer management and marketing communications functionality. Users can design and manage outbound campaigns through direct sales, call centers, and channel partners. Siebel CRM Marketing also provides list management capabilities to develop internal lists and load external list files and prospect management with promotion of prospects to contacts. Siebel Marketing's response management enables marketers to track customer responses and evaluate campaign effectiveness.

Siebel Service Module
Siebel CRM Service module enable customer agents interact quickly and consistently across a broad range of communication channels, such as telephone, email, fax, and page. Service representatives become productive faster, supporting a broader range of products and services, resulting in higher satisfaction levels in each customer interaction.

Choosing Best CRM Software

Introduction to the development of CRM software. Recently there have been many changes occurring within marketing organizations due to changing technology and the improvement of marketing strategies. CRM software is one of these changes that has helped to make marketing easier and finding the Best CRM Software is important. More quality in marketing leads and in customer management technologies demands the Best CRM Software. Finding the Best CRM Software can help your company meet the task that is at hand. There is much pressure to make marketing techniques more profitable and finding the Best CRM Software can help ease that pressure. It is important that each company understands how important having the Best CRM Software is as well as the benefits that purchasing the Best CRM Software can provide. It is also important that companies are aware of what to look for in CRM software so then can find the Best CRM Software.

The Best CRM Software is valuable to your company and will increase sales. No matter what size your company may be you will find that finding the Best CRM Software will be invaluable to your company. When you find the Best CRM Software it will help your staff, no matter the size, to be able to more effectively build customer relationships as well as bring in more sales. The Best CRM Software will enable you to organize all of your customer information in one database. Using the Best CRM Software to organize your customer information will also result in the development of better leads as well, which will lead to more profit for your company.

Implementing the Best CRM Software can provide your company with a variety of benefits. When you find the Best CRM Software and implement it into your company you will be provided with multiple benefits. You will be able to use the Best CRM Software to help keep organization, to help increase sales, and help you build a stable future for your company. You will be able to increase the amount of sales made using the Best CRM Software since all your customer information will be centrally located and organized and many will be able to access it at once. You will be able to keep you customer information organized with the Best CRM Software, which will enable you to encourage great customer relationships and will help you build up and encourage the loyalty of your current customers. Loyal customers will return to you over an over again resulting in more profit for your company.

CRM software will help keep your sales process smooth and effective. You will also find that finding the Best CRM Software for your company will help keep the sales process rolling in a smooth and effective way. You will be able to keep track of not only your existing customers but also your existing leads with the Best CRM Software. The Best CRM Software will help your sales teams make sure that no customer or lead is forgotten. Many times you will also find that using the Best CRM Software to keep in touch with your clients will cause them to refer other customers to your company since they have experienced such great customer service.

The Best CRM Software is valuable to your company and will increase sales. It is always a good idea to have long-term goals and to build your company looking towards the future and the Best CRM Software can help you accomplish those goals for your company. The Best CRM Software will be able to be customized to fit the particular needs of our company. Usually the Best CRM Software will also be able to be upgraded so you can expand it as your company grows. It is helpful to have the Best CRM Software, which can grow as your company grows.

There are a few things you should know when you looking for the Best CRM Software. If you are going to purchase CRM software and want to ensure buying the Best CRM Software there are a few things you should be aware of when looking. It is very important that the Best CRM Software be cost effective for your company. The Best CRM Software can help to reduce other money spent in other areas but you want to be sure it is worth the money they are asking. You should only purchase what you need when you are purchasing the Best CRM Software.

Be aware of your companies needs when you are looking for the Best CRM Software so you can be sure to buy only what is needed instead of spending more money on software capabilities you may not currently need. The Best CRM Software should be easy for you to implement into your company and should not be too complex. You want to ensure that everyone on your staff will feel comfortable using the Best CRM Software. Be sure that it is compatible with what you already have so you will not have any problems importing current information into the Best CRM Software that you purchase. When you are spending so much money on the Best CRM Software you want to be sure that tech support comes included with your software in case there are any problems.

Benefit CRM Software

Every business has customers, which is why every business needs a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. At its core, CRM involves three basic steps: finding and developing customer relationships, keeping customers happy, and growing these relationships to enhance your business profitability.

It is imperative to a businesses success to know your customer and cultivate a loyalty to your product/service. CRM allows you to do this through its unique features and components that can help your business become more responsive to your customer's needs. CRM helps organizations of all sizes, within all industries to build more fruitful, productive relationships with current customers, and forge relationships with new ones. With CRM, you can quickly centralize customer information and streamline business processes with a solution that offers unmatched user adoption and business productivity.

Since the mid-1990s, businesses, government and other large organizations have poured billions of dollars into implementing customer management systems, such as Siebel, in hopes of achieving a 360 view of the customer, and driving profits through stronger customer relationships. Many customers found that the systems were difficult to deploy, and once deployed, were difficult to adapt as business needs changed. CRM can solve these problems.

Siebel CRM System vs Microsoft CRM System

Siebel is traditional CRM market leader, however Siebel lost sizable portion of CRM market to new tiger, such as Microsoft CRM. Microsoft CRM attempt top get market share from traditional vendors: Oracle Siebel CRM and Onyx. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. It is tightly integrated with other Microsoft Business Solutions products such as Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon, Navision (the last two in progress).

Microsoft CRM nowadays could advanced in this particular field:

What is your industry – how strange it may look – close to 40% of our clients or so-called orphan clients – who needs help with Microsoft CRM customization are freight forwarding, transportation companies, who needs either improvement in Exchange-CRM connector or MS CRM integration with their freight forwarding system, where they would like to see on the fly resent shipment info. And also to mention freight forwarding companies are usually large (more than 50 CRM users.

How comfortable you are with Microsoft technology in-house support – The old-days idea of Apple computer was to make computer absolutely intuitive and working for housewife. Now we know that this is not realized so far. If you compare MS CRM with Siebel CRM– you will see that MS CRM requires y0u to have Microsoft Certified people in staff. Everyone knows that Microsoft is “so innovative” that each product requires daily service packs and patches

Do you have Great Plains, Solomon or Navision – CRM is usually integrated with ERP system and if you are looking at MS CRM – you should benefit if you have ERP from Microsoft Business Solutions (Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, Axapta or Small Business Manager - SBM)

Operating System Philosophy - Microsoft likes clients who have no UNIX/LINUX/IBM/Apple etc inclination and staked on Microsoft Windows 2003/2000/XP/Longhorn, preferably staying on Intel platform (No AMD Athlon 64)

What is CRM?

CRM, or customer relationship management, can be defined simply as a strategy that focuses on how you interact with your customers. But there's much more to it than that. And to put your CRM strategy into action, you'll need software tools that track the responses and actions of customers, employees and others involved in your business relationships.

Good customer relationship management also requires the broader process of monitoring and analyzing the data that these tracking tools record. By obtaining valuable feedback on transaction behavior and how customers and employees think and interact, you can develop relationships and increase repeat business through greater customer satisfaction. Thus, not only will CRM save you money through increased staff efficiency, it will also bring you more money through increased business.

Traditionally, only larger enterprises could think about implementing customer relationship management. But nowadays, all businesses are realizing the importance of this technology. With the internet revolution changing the options for businesses like yours, CRM has become more accessible. You now have access to Web-based customer relationship management tools and packages that allow you to easily organize your client data.

Another option available to you is hosted CRM solutions. With these, the data resides with your service provider and is hosted in a well-protected environment. In effect, this does away with the need for IT infrastructure development costs and allows you to save money by transferring that cost to the provider.

Major names to look out for in the customer relationship management market include Siebel CRM, Salesforce.com, Microsoft, RightNow Technologies, NetSuite and open-source player Sugar CRM. You'll hear terms like operational, analytical, collaborative, hosted, on-premises and CRM on demand. This probably sounds rather overwhelming, which is why we've created this buy guide to help you make the right choices.

Siebel CTI

What is Siebel CTI?

Computer Telephony Integration
Call routing based on customer profile
Screen pop with customer information
Controlled call transfers with customer data
Campaigns and predictive dialing
Call blending

Siebel 7 CTI integrates the Siebel Web Client with the CTI middleware and the telephone switch through the Siebel Communications Server infrastructure

Siebel 7 CTI enables an integrated context sensitive “softphone”

The telephone switch provides notification of telephony events through the CTI middleware to the Siebel Communications Server

The Siebel user interacts with the telephone system with the Siebel Web Client

Siebel 7 CTI provides a validated out-of-the-box integration with Siebel CTI Connect for the following telephony switch manufacturers:

Avaya
Nortel Networks
Siemens

Siebel 7 CTI provides the Siebel Adaptive Communications API programming layer

Siebel 7 CTI may be used with all Siebel eBusiness base applications


Siebel CTI Features

Multi-channel Communications Toolbar

Agents may be associated with multiple Communications configurations and multiple ACD queues

Better hold/resume support for Multiple Lines

Enhanced Not Ready provides the ability to select Reason Codes

Communications elements may be routed by an intelligent queuing engine such as Siebel Universal Queuing

Zero-Install, Highly Interactive Web Client

Unified Communications Control

Persistent Customer Dashboard

Global Time Zone

Search Center

Audit Trail

SmartScript Enhancements