Microsoft launch partner

K3 Business Technology Group PLC 08 December 2003 K3 BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY GROUP PLC ('K3') Partners with Microsoft in launch of CRM software K3 is pleased to announce that it has been chosen as one of eight software developers to partner with Microsoft in the launch of its new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software in January 2004. K3 has been focussed on building and delivering working solutions to the manufacturing sector for over 30 years and has in excess of 1,600 customers in the UK. In recognition of K3's expertise within the manufacturing sector, Microsoft has chosen the company as its manufacturing sector CRM launch partner. K3 has developed SmartVision, which embeds Microsoft CRM within its software and which the company believes represents a unique CRM solution for manufacturing and supply chain businesses. K3's core market is providing enterprise resource planning and supply chain management solutions to the manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors. Being able to also offer a CRM solution is a natural extension to this core business and extends the company's product range into a growth market. Microsoft CRM records the interactions that take place during the lifetime of a customer or project, and being fully integrated with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange, it can automatically capture correspondence, quotations and e-mails sent and received. The web-enabled software allows users access to the system simply by using Microsoft Internet Explorer and can be accessed externally if required, using the Internet. Whether employees or agents work from the office, from home or from an office abroad, they can have real-time access to the system, thus providing timely and accurate information throughout. K3's Software Development team has recently visited Microsoft in the US to help develop a future product development strategy to incorporate this new architecture in its own products. Michala Alexander, Microsoft UK CRM product manager, explained, 'Partners are the customer touch-point for our CRM solution. It is vital that we work with partners like K3 who have the skill, industry knowledge and the ability to deploy working solutions on our behalf and understand the business drivers of these markets.' Andy Makeham, chief executive of K3, commented, 'We are very pleased to have been chosen as one of Microsoft's CRM launch partners. SmartVision will be targeted at both new and existing customers and, even prior to its launch, we are already starting to see significant interest in the product from our customers. We believe that Microsoft CRM will become the industry standard.' Enquiries: K3 Business Technology Group plc Andy Makeham, Chief Executive Tel: 01270 211211 Biddicks Katie Tzouliadis / Tel: 020 7448 1000 Kathryn van der Kroft Rowan Dartington & Co. Limited Barrie Newton, Managing Director Tel: 0117 933 0010 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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