HP, a PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM customer, participated in the hosted beta program for PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 8.9 Service. With 8,000 service agents supporting their consumer business with their current application, HP is seeking a global call centre solution that can be deployed regionally but managed from a central location using a single knowledge base for consistent and accurate service. The company also requires a flexible, easy-to-use solution to quickly add and train partners and call centre agents for world-class customer support.

Anne Clark, technology section manager at HP, said "In reviewing the PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 8.9 Service as an upgrade to our current iCARE solution, we are happy to see that it supports our vision of better understanding our customers and proactively managing their total experience every time they interact with HP. This global solution gives our contact centre agents the tools and information they need to provide differentiated and accurate customer service across all channels. PeopleSoft's focus on ease of integration and usability will greatly increase individual agent productivity and overall customer service effectiveness."

AGF Management Ltd., a PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 8.9 hosted beta customer, is using PeopleSoft Strategic Account Planning and PeopleSoft SmartViews, two new Customer Portfolio Management modules available with PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 8.9 Sales.

"We expected our users to be excited about the advanced customer segmentation and strategic account planning capabilities the new PeopleSoft CRM products deliver," said Steve Elioff, vice president and CRM program director for AGF. "What really surprised us, though, was their enthusiastic response to the usability of the solution. They love the enhancements to the tools and features they use every day, like calendar, contact management, and task management. We really appreciate that PeopleSoft works so closely with its customers to ensure their satisfaction."

"With PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 8.9, we've delivered the most usable, most flexible, highest performance CRM solution on the market," said Mark Baker, CRM product marketing manager for PeopleSoft EMEA. "PeopleSoft's new release nails the user adoption issues that have plagued many CRM implementations."

The comprehensive solution delivers a range of industry-leading solutions to enable companies to apply CRM solutions strategically to increase customer profitability. Solutions generally available include on 23 June 2004 include:

PeopleSoft Customer Portfolio Management - enables companies to determine the value of each customer, develop customer segments based on that value, create differentiated plans for each segment, and act on them.

PeopleSoft Wealth Management - enables relationship managers, financial advisors, investment specialists, and private bankers to automate business activities and guide business decisions and customer interactions based upon a comprehensive understanding of the client.

PeopleSoft Helpdesk for Human Resources - delivers a collaborative framework to streamline help-desk operations in human resources and information technology departments.

PeopleSoft HelpDesk for IT - automates the support of IT systems and facilities for employees and optimises the help-desk experience for both service agents and employees, resulting in increased workforce satisfaction and productivity.

PeopleSoft Service - helps contact centres to provide cost-effective service through multiple channels - email, chat and web self-service in addition to traditional phone and fax interactions.

PeopleSoft Sales - delivers a number of new capabilities to build profitable customer relationships and drive revenue growth including Strategic Account Planning that enables companies to create business plans for key customer segments and measure progress against objectives and quantifiable goals, and Prescriptive Analytics, a new analytic engine that triggers alerts and recommended actions for guided sales execution and coaching.

PeopleSoft Marketing - includes robust campaign and customer strategy management including a new drag and drop dialog designer, recurring marketing triggers, and improved cost tracking within tiered marketing programs.

PeopleSoft Partner Relationship Management - helps companies that sell through third-party channels to manage their partner relationships more effectively, providing a comprehensive set of partner management capabilities, a fully integrated suite of operational and transactional applications, and built-in security features.