CRM - August 2008 - (Page 42)

SEARCH AND CRM 8 Searching for Search The enterprise search market bears all the signs of exploding growth—including a teeming horde of tiny (but growing) vendors that will likely not all survive any coming shakeout. Already, we’ve seen Fast Search & Transfer get gobbled up by mighty Microsoft, for $1.2 billion in January 2008. Here’s a look, in alphabetical order, of some vendors, the year each was founded, and its main search product. VENDOR YEAR FOUNDED PRIMARY SEARCH PRODUCT OFFERING Autonomy Coveo Solutions Dieselpoint dtSearch Endeca Technologies Exalead Fast Search & Transfer Funnelback Groxis Isys Search Software Northern Light Group Omniture SearchBlox Software SearchInform Technologies Siderean Software Surfray Synomia Thunderstone Software Vivisimo 1996 2004 1999 1991 1999 2002 1975 2005 2001 1988 1996 1998 2003 1995 2001 2000 2000 1981 2000 IDOL G2B Dieselpoint Search dtsearch Endeca Information Access Platform Exalead FAST Funnelback Grokker Isys 8 Northern Light Enterprise Search Engine Omniture Site Search SearchBlox SearchInform Seamark MondoSearch Site Search Texis Velocity names and addresses,” Ariba’s Matthews recalls. Additions were gradually made. A self-service component enables clients to search for information on the status of any outstanding fix requests. Over time, Ariba built up its current knowledge base so employees can determine all of the previous dealings a customer had with Ariba and the nature of these relationships. Now, with every engagement they learn more about the customer, capture that information, and make it available for future use. As companies pump up their CRM systems, the packaging of enterprise search systems is changing. “CRM vendors are trying to improve their products’ search functionality because they understand its growing importance,” said Nucleus Research’s Wettemann. The Siebel 8 CRM product—now offered by Oracle—includes new, refined search 42 capabilities based on Oracle’s Secure Enterprise Search, which has been available since the spring of 2006. Search vendors have also been enhancing their integration with CRM systems: Endeca for Customer Service, to name just one, locates and integrates information from disparate systems such as Oracle’s Siebel, Salesforce.com, and content management system Documentum. Rather than being packaged as a standalone product, search is also being assimilated into other functions. Microsoft has been pushing its search functionality into its Windows operating system. Google has been weaving search into its enterprise applications. Fast Search & Transfer, which was purchased by Microsoft in January 2008, has been selling its search engine to software companies, such as Business Objects, now owned by SAP; Cognos, an IBM company; and Web analytics firm WebTrends—all of which have incorporated it into their products. While everyone agrees that search is growing in importance, vendors are taking many different routes toward delivering that functionality to users. As a result, enterprises will have to sift through a confusing and dynamic hodgepodge of options as they attempt to add search functionality to their CRM solutions. This process will typically require walking through a series of incremental changes but eventually will have the potential to produce a CRM system on steroids, one capable of delivering many of the technology’s long-standing promises. Paul Korzeniowski is a Sudbury, Mass.– based freelance writer who focuses on CRM issues. You can contact the editors at editor@destinationCRM.com. www.destinationCRM.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | AUGUST 2008 http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - August 2008

CRM - August 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Maximum Security A Code Win Doesn’t Blow Forming the Platform CRM on Twitter CRM Class Is in Session Making CRM Mandatory for University Administration Required Reading Cover Story: Calling it Quits Wouldja Look at That? 8 Enterprise Strategies That Stick CRM Searches for Search All Lines Are Not Busy UC: As Easy as A-B-C Even Contact Centers Have Room for Improvement Money Lying Around? Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - August 2008

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