Oracle Streamlines User Experience With the Latest Release of Siebel CRM On Demand

Extending its leadership in the on demand marketplace, Oracle today will preview the latest version of Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand, which continues its rapid pace of innovation with 14 releases in just three-and-a-half years. Siebel CRM On Demand Release 14 is the latest release and combines the industry's most comprehensive CRM functionality with next-generation usability, advanced customization capabilities and comprehensive integration to increase end-user productivity and deliver superior business results for organizations of every size.

Siebel CRM On Demand sets a new standard for productivity and user adoption to simplify user tasks, reduce clicks and page refreshes, and provide powerful page customization features to personalize work environments. At the same time, the enhanced customization capabilities should enable business users to tailor the application without IT intervention for optimal business process support and end-user productivity. Siebel CRM On Demand also plans to enable comprehensive integration capabilities so that customers and partners can easily and quickly establish deep integration between Siebel CRM On Demand and other applications. The new release plans significant functionality enhancements across its sales, marketing, services, analytics, built-in call center, and industry edition capabilities.

"This release marks a major milestone bringing together the best in hosted CRM software with the latest in Web 2.0 technologies," said Anthony Lye, Oracle Senior Vice President, CRM On Demand. "Siebel CRM On Demand introduces a new level of ease-of-use in on demand applications while providing powerful configuration and administration capabilities to business users at the point of attack to make organizations more flexible and agile. And being hosted on Oracle's Grid-based on demand infrastructure with an all-Oracle stack, customers should realize the highest levels of scalability, availability, and security at a cost we don't think any of our competitors can match."

Planned capabilities in Siebel CRM On Demand include the following:

* Next-generation Usability: Leveraging the latest in browser technologies such as Ajax, in-line edit, and Web 2.0 constructs, Siebel CRM On Demand simplifies user tasks, minimizing navigation steps, mouse clicks, and page refreshes. Additionally, Siebel CRM On Demand plans to add powerful homepage customization so users can arrange elements on the page, including lists, history, favorites to suit the way they like to work.

* Advanced Customization Capabilities: Comprehensive process, data and UI customization enables business users to easily tailor the application to support their unique business processes. Organizations can embed best practices, streamline data entry and configure different layouts for different types of records. Includes support for complex, cross-matrixed organizations with features that make it easier to setup the system to model their organizational structure and provide access to the appropriate information.

* Comprehensive Integration: Capabilities provide the ability to easily and quickly establish deep integration between Siebel CRM On Demand with other applications and systems at all levels -- data, UI, and process. Because the solution leverages Oracle Fusion Middleware technology, customers can either use the pre-built integration solutions out-of-the-box or easily extend it to meet their unique requirements.

* Siebel CRM On Demand is supported by a world-class single vendor infrastructure ? from database to UI to hosting data center -- all developed and managed by Oracle to deliver the highest levels of operational excellence. Oracle continues to invest heavily in its infrastructure and offer higher-level service offerings and options for customers that provide unmatched control and flexibility.

"For UTStarcom, it is key that our CRM solution provides a strong integration story with our back end system", said Mark Seymour, Senior Director International Sales Operations. "So much of our success is dependent upon getting the right information at the right time, but how do you tie it all together in the customer facing world? Siebel CRM On Demand's integration strategy and enhancements, along with its pre-built integrations and out of the box sales process support, provide UTStarcom with industrial strength integration solutions all in one place. This allows us the flexibility to use as business needs dictate, ultimately giving us a 360 degree view of our customers."

"Siebel CRM On Demand usability enhancements should go a long way in balancing powerful CRM functionality with an elegant and easy-to-use interface," said Courtney Hammerton, Business Operations Manager, Baxter Medication Delivery. "By reducing clicks and streamlining navigation, our sales team should be more productive with a product they can easily learn and integrate into their everyday work."

"The book of business hierarchies capability in Siebel CRM On Demand dramatically simplifies the administration of data access in an organization as diverse as LexisNexis," said Andrew Haffke, Director of Sales Operations, LexisNexis Risk and Information Analytics Group. "There are so many dependencies on who needs to see what data and where, being able to model our organization quickly and efficiently dramatically expands the scope of Siebel CRM On Demand as a driver for business results."

Siebel CRM On Demand delivers the most comprehensive set of sales, marketing and service automation capabilities with virtually no up-front IT investment at a predictable cost. Siebel CRM On Demand provides unique features and functionality, including embedded analytics and a pre-built data warehouse to drive real-time decision making; a built-in virtual call center to support call agents without the need for telephony infrastructure; and industry editions that help further reduce the time, labor and costs associated with configuration and accelerate time to value.

About Siebel CRM On Demand
The Company's comprehensive, Software-as-a Service (SaaS) CRM solution, Siebel CRM On Demand delivers low-risk, hosted customer relationship management that can help customers accelerate sales, improve marketing and deliver consistent customer service. With customers that include leading SMB and Enterprise organizations globally, Siebel CRM On Demand is the most complete hosted CRM solution for accelerating business results.

Pricing and Availability
Siebel CRM On Demand Release 14 is expected to be available within the next 12 months, starting at $70 per user per month. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. For further information, please visit www.oracle.com/crmondemand