Sidebar: Siebel Expands Its Business Intelligence Apps

Computerworld - LOS ANGELES -- In addition to its other Chapter 2 initiatives, Siebel is rolling out a more extensive set of business intelligence offerings.
At a Business Intelligence Summit that was held concurrently with Siebel User Week, the software vendor announced the release of 20 analytical applications. The offerings include a tool that will deliver industry-specific customer analysis functions spanning call center, sales and marketing operations. Also being added is financial analysis software for optimizing the use of corporate assets, a tool to help evaluate suppliers and another product for measuring employee performance.
Siebel said the business intelligence applications will use data integration technology from Informatica Corp. to pull in data from multiple systems and deliver it in real time to end users.
Larry Barbetta, general manager of Siebel analytics, said the new software will let IT managers "democratically" distribute information throughout their companies. For example, call center workers might not need to run complex reports but could use the business intelligence tools to quickly see whether a caller is a valued customer and then treat him accordingly.
The customer analysis software sounds "cool," said Debra Domeyer, chief technology officer at CarsDirect.com Inc., an online automobile retailer in Sherman Oaks, Calif., that uses Siebel's call center and sales applications.
The analysis tool could make it easier to deliver real-time information to vehicle makers about the configurations that shoppers are seeking when they order cars online, Domeyer said, adding that such a capability could help the manufacturers improve their inventory management processes. She said the software could also make it possible for CarsDirect.com staffers to rapidly analyze the results of sales promotions and assess variables such as regional factors.

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