J.D. Edwards targets mobile workers with CRM software upgrade

Software company J.D. Edwards has introduced a revamped set of corporate sales, marketing and customer service applications, designed to be easier for customers to use alongside other business programs than before.

The revised product, called CRM 2.0, features customer relationship management tools that help companies link the software with other J.D. Edwards business-management applications - such as bookkeeping, forecasting and inventory-tracking software. The new tools make the software faster and cheaper to set up and maintain, the company said.

A partnership with Synchrologic has allowed J.D. Edwards to add software to CRM 2.0 that is designed to let salespeople update customer account information while away from the office. Synchrologic makes software that enables businesspeople to access and update data from laptops and other mobile computing devices from the road.

The product also introduces new features designed to help customer service staff keep better track of service requests and customer history.

CRM 2.0, available now, is the largest update J.D. Edwards has made to software it acquired in 2001 through the purchase of Youcentric, according to the company. J.D. Edwards did not make specific pricing information available, but said companies can expect to pay several tens of thousands of pounds to license the software.