Press Releases

Epitaph launched at SLCC and ICCM conferences

Edge Designs were delighted to attend both the SLCC Stratford conference, and the ICCM Harrogate conference, in October 2005, to launch and demonstrate the new Epitaph product. This has been created as a result of a new partnership between Edge Designs and ASSETTrac to address the need for a Cemetery and Crematoria management system.

Epitaph has been created, building on the AdvantEDGE Cemeteries and Facilities modules with the benefit of ASSETTrac's experience in the field, to provide a new and unique solution for cemeteries and crematoria. The first version will go live at the new Memoria Crematoria in Sherwood Forest, providing unique facilities including enabling Funeral Directors to book cremations on-line. The product not only benefits from all the existing features, but provides a greatly enhanced product that has been designed with customer input. One of the great benefits of Epitaph is that it is not installed on-site, but uniquely is available over a broadband connection from any location. Not only does this provide ease of access, but it also ensures security of data without the clients needing to do anything.

As a hosted solution, Epitaph is much faster than a web based solution, yet looks and feels like a normal Windows application. The customer also benefits from always running the latest version of the software without needing to upgrade, like driving a new car off the forecourt everyday.

The new version incorporates workflow automation, sophisticated reporting and data mining options, enhanced sales lead and account management, and a sophisticated customer service module.

The major enhancements in version 8.0 include:

• workflow automation to monitor the user's business and respond automatically to critical activities with alerts and actions
• sales lead and account management
• Crystal Reports for reporting and data mining, to gain visibility into the user's business and its customers
• advanced integration with Microsoft Outlook
• new calendar for better time management and collaboration with others
• improved list and campaign management for effective direct marketing
• enhanced customer service and support module
• sophisticated web portals for employees, partners, and customers
• enhanced customer service and support module
• faster remote synchronisation.

Maidenhead, UK, 30 October 2002: Multiactive Software EMEA announced today that it will be releasing version 7.5 of its customer relationship management (CRM) software program, Maximizer Enterprise, on Wednesday 6 November 2002. The release incorporates a new customer service and support module, as well as email marketing campaign enhancements.

Maximizer Enterprise CRM is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, and corporate divisions of large enterprises. Its purpose is to share customer information between the sales, marketing and customer service departments, to help each department communicate efficiently and effectively with its customers and prospects by telephone, letters, fax, mail campaigns, email, Internet, and SMS text messaging. Maximizer Enterprise is flexible, and builds as an organisation's CRM and eCRM requirements develop and expand. The program retails at around £295 +VAT per user, based on an entry-level 10-user system.

The main functionality addition in version 7.5 is a comprehensive customer service and support module to track and resolve service issues quickly. This is designed to increase the efficiency and profitability of any business which has a strong customer service base and verbal, written or online interaction with its customers at various touch points throughout its organisation.

In addition to Maximizer Enterprise's CRM and eCRM functionality, the new customer service and support module enables a company to:

• track, manage, escalate and resolve customer service incidents
• manage workflow and view all details of those incidents
• resolve issues faster with documents in the searchable knowledge bank
• empower partners and customers to resolve their own issues via the web, including access to documents in a knowledge bank
• manage renewals of contracts and service level agreements
• customise business processes and customer service rules for efficiency, speed and accuracy of response.

New functionality has also been added to the marketing campaign manager. Campaign emails can now be tested before broadcasting to customers and prospects, and results reporting of campaign has been improved with summary statistics.

Maidenhead, United Kingdom - October 2, 2002 - Panasonic and Multiactive Software EMEA have created a strategic alliance to link the two major sales tools in a company - the telephone and the computer. The integrated solution is designed to improve the efficiency, sales and customer service of any smaller business, which is reliant on the telephone. The joint venture was launched on 1st October 2002.

Multiactive's award-winning Maximizer Enterprise CRM (customer relationship management) software has been combined with Panasonic's telephone systems to offer SMEs a more efficient and productive customer interface. This initiative is aimed specifically at those businesses with five to 50 users in any desktop location, not just call centre environments.

The telephone system is linked directly to the CRM software using computer telephony integration software; this combination enables business processes to run smoothly, and therefore improve efficiency and sales, and enhance customer service. Computer telephony integration has until recently been the prerogative of large organisations and call centres.

The Panasonic / Multiactive combination brings the advantages of computer telephony integration to SMEs, including: ·

• Screen popping - automatically displays information relating to a telephone call onto the user's PC screen ·
• Auto-dial - automatically dials a number from the Maximizer Enterprise database, thereby reducing dialling errors ·
• Call control - the process of controlling telephone calls, either manually from a PC, or automatically based on specific conditions or rules ·
• Auto form fill - reduces database errors ·
• Caller line identification - and automatic data retrieval from database records improves efficiency ·
• Account screening - for cost control ·
• Scripted response - for efficient handling of calls.

Marcus Potts, managing director of Multiactive Software EMEA, comments: "Uptake of CRM and telephony integration in smaller companies has, until now, been thwarted often by the cost and complexity of installation. Our joint venture with Panasonic now makes this powerful and sophisticated business advantage affordable by virtually every business."

Roger James, head of Panasonic business telephone system group, said: "Computer telephone integration is changing the way people do business and this alliance, combining Panasonic telephone systems with Maximizer Enterprise, will provide effective solutions for a multitude of applications."

The Panasonic / Multiactive CRM solution is available from authorised Multiactive Business Partners, including Edge Designs Limited, one of the leading suppliers of Maximizer Enterprise based solutions.

A Coventry IT company has been appointed as agent for Tobit Software - one of the world's leading developers of unified messaging software.

Edge Designs will be the agent for the firm whose software makes it possible to send and receive messages and documents directly from accounting packages, contact management software and any other desktop application.

Edge Designs is based in Courtaulds Way in Coventry.

Chris Edge, managing director of Edge Designs stated, "The Tobit software can deliver tangible benefits to any type of business employing up to 250 employees. "

CRM In A Hurry For SMEs
Customer Inter@action Solutions has awarded Maximizer Enterprise 6.0 their Editor's Choice award for "CRM in a Hurry for SMEs [Small Medium Enterprises]". The award is presented in the August edition.

The premise behind Multiactive Software, Inc.'s Maximizer Enterprise 6.0 solution is delivery of effective customer relationship management tools that can be implemented rapidly, right "out-of-the-box," and can be easily customised and integrated with other systems, such as accounting, ERP or inventory management systems. The software helps small to mid-sized companies build lasting and profitable relationships with their customers, and the solution's built-in e-commerce functionality provides easy-to-use to tools that allow any business to find and qualify leads online and sell through their own Web store. Multiactive states that a typical installation of 20-30 seats can be up and running in one week, which certainly makes the solution worth a closer look.

One of the UK's leading suppliers of Customer Relationship Management solutions Edge Designs Limited, based in Coventry has strengthened its hold in the CRM arena after striking a deal associated with London based Chaotix Limited, former market leaders in the Maximizer Enterprise CRM software arena.

Through the acquisition of the Chaotix Limited database, Edge Designs has doubled its client base and will offer all newly acquired clients an enhanced level of service including tailored software development and systems integration, amongst other IT services.

Chris Edge, MD of Edge Designs stated, "This move forms part of our expansion strategy to strengthen our position in the UK market for CRM solutions following the recent acceptance of Sales Logix within our product portfolio. We will be working to ensure enhanced levels of services and dynamic solutions are offered to all our clients."

Experts give group the Edge

Staff at computer specialists Edge Designs have used their talents to help voluntary groups in Coventry. Umbrella organisation Coventry Voluntary Service Council has enlisted the Courtaulds Way firm to create a purpose built IT system for the voluntary sector in the city, to store and handle the membership information and other data.

Rob Allison, deputy director of the Council, said : "It became clear that we needed a newer, more flexible system. Having the new database will sharpen our research and analysis, giving voluntary groups a stronger voice in Coventry.

Growing demand for coin-operated electrical goods has led to a firm needing to update its computer system quickly. More than 10,000 customers rent coin-operated tvs, videos and washing machines from Coin TV, Binley and the numbers are on the up.

Bosses turned to IT solutions experts Edge Designs for help. The existing database was 15 years old and needed updating to overcome millennium bug worries. Edge Designs said "We initially hoped to use existing products, but it became clear there were too many compromises involved so we developed a completely new bespoke system against a very tight deadline."

Coin TV managing director said "The new database is much more efficient and flexible, which means we now have the reassurance it will grow with the company as well as keep pace with ever-changing technology.

Pictured: Jonathan Smith, commercial manager of Edge Designs (left) and Pete Foster of Chana Cars at the Wheelwright Lane site. November 2000.

A Coventry IT solutions company has helped a second-hand car firm speed ahead on the electronic highway. Edge Designs ltd., in Courtaulds Way, developed a software package for Chana Cars, in Wheelwright Lan, Holbrooks.

The software was aimed at streamlining Chana's stock control and ordering systems as well as calculating complex annual percentage rate (APR) figures for finance quotations to comply with regulations introduced by the Office of Fair Trading.

It also linked in history and service records of individual cars and Edge is now working with Chana to develop it further.

Peter Foster, of Chana Cars said : "We have historically kept all of our records manually but as the business grew we needed to develop a computerised system that would help is control our stock of cars as well as produce professionally presented quotations including APR calculations."

Jonathan Smith, commercial manager of Edge, said "We feel sure there are a number of other businesses in the area which regularly use APR-based quotations, who could benefit from the new software. "

The worlds of the printed word and the Internet met up when Coventry computer expert Edge Designs went back to helping its first client - the Allesley Press. The companies first worked together 10 years ago when Edge computerised part of the systems at the printers based at Waterman Road, Foleshill.

Allesley Press was founded 52 years ago and taken over by husband and wife team John and Jean Rotherham in 1977. They retired at the beginning of 2000. The firm is now run by their children Faye and Ian, and the 15 staff are working towards bringing the firm into the 21st century by calling on Edge's talents once more to move the business into e-commerce.

Mr Rotherham said: "Edge designs has provided us with a great deal of support including the new order processing software which has made our work flow much more efficient by allowing us to get rid of thousands of paper files. Jonathan Smith, commercial manager of Edge Designs said: "We have been delighted to help Allesley Press grow by providing a range of hardware and software tailored to their specific requirements."