Pivotal CRM
Encyclopedia
Pivotal CRM is a customer relationship management
(CRM) software system offered by CDC Software, an enterprise software and service company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The Pivotal CRM suite includes software tools for sales force automation (SFA), marketing automation
and lead management
, and customer service
automation, as well as partner management, mobile CRM, analytics and call scripting. Industry specific versions of the Pivotal CRM suite are also offered for several industries, including institutional asset management, mutual fund wholesaling, capital markets, commercial banking, private banking, home building and real estate, healthcare, and legal services, among others. Built on the Microsoft.NET
Framework, Pivotal CRM embeds several commonly used Microsoft business products within the CRM system, including Microsoft Office
, Microsoft Outlook
, Microsoft SharePoint
, and Microsoft Visual Studio
.
, an accounting software package which was purchased by Computer Associates in 1985. Francis invented the concept of 360-degree customer relationship management
(CRM), a concept that continues to be used today to describe the unification of activities across the organization by employees who play a role in the customer relationship. The company released its first customer relationship management product, Pivotal Relationship Version 1, in April 1996; this product is the predecessor to the current Pivotal CRM product line.
The company changed its name to Pivotal Corporation in June 1999 to reflect its broadening focus beyond just software into professional services, content, hosted application services and other online services. Pivotal Corporation went public in August 1999 and its shares were listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol PVTL.
In February 2000, Pivotal Corporation was selected by Bill Gates
, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect, to showcase its Pivotal CRM software at the worldwide premiere of Microsoft Windows 2000.
Pivotal CRM, then called Pivotal eRelationship, was the first eBusiness relationship management (eBRM) solution to be certified for Windows 2000.
Pivotal Corporation was acquired by chinadotcom, now CDC Corporation, in February 2004. The acquisition added 1,700 customers, as well as marketing, sales, service, and partner management capabilities to CDC Software’s business unit focused on front-office solutions for mid-sized enterprises.
The Pivotal CRM product suite includes :
The latest Pivotal CRM version, Pivotal 6, was released in July 2008. Based on Microsoft .NET technology, Pivotal 6 provides task-based navigation, embedded including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, and a smart client user interface.
Framework. The product embeds commonly used Microsoft business products within the CRM system, including Microsoft Office
, Microsoft Outlook
, Microsoft SharePoint
, and Microsoft Visual Studio
. As such, it is an example of an Office Business Application
.
CDC Software is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. In 2009, CDC Software was awarded the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award for Information Worker Solutions, Office Deployment on the strength of the Pivotal CRM solution.
” or “on-demand” CRM software product.
Industries
The product line also includes industry-focused versions of Pivotal CRM products for the following industries:
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
(CRM) software system offered by CDC Software, an enterprise software and service company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The Pivotal CRM suite includes software tools for sales force automation (SFA), marketing automation
Marketing Automation
The name given to software platforms designed for marketing departments and organizations to automate repetitive tasks is Marketing Automation. Marketing departments, consultants and part-time marketing employees benefit by specifying criteria and outcomes for tasks and processes which are then...
and lead management
Lead management
Lead Management is a term used in general business practice to describe methodologies, systems, and practices designed to generate new potential business clientele, generally operated through a variety of marketing techniques. Lead management facilitates a business's connection between its outgoing...
, and customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
automation, as well as partner management, mobile CRM, analytics and call scripting. Industry specific versions of the Pivotal CRM suite are also offered for several industries, including institutional asset management, mutual fund wholesaling, capital markets, commercial banking, private banking, home building and real estate, healthcare, and legal services, among others. Built on the Microsoft.NET
Microsoft.net
Microsoft.net may refer to:*Microsoft.com, the official Microsoft's website*.NET Framework, a software component that is a part of Microsoft Windows operating systems...
Framework, Pivotal CRM embeds several commonly used Microsoft business products within the CRM system, including Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
, Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
, Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a web application platform developed by Microsoft. First launched in 2001, SharePoint is typically associated with web content management and document management systems, but it is actually a much broader platform of web technologies, capable of being configured into a wide...
, and Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment from Microsoft. It is used to develop console and graphical user interface applications along with Windows Forms applications, web sites, web applications, and web services in both native code together with managed code for all...
.
History
Pivotal Software was founded by Norm Francis in 1994. Francis was a co-founder of Basis Software Group (BSG) the company that developed ACCPACACCPAC
Accpac is the common name for the Sage ERP Accpac line of Accounting Applications, primarily serving small and medium sized businesses. Sage ERP Accpac is now produced by Sage following its acquisition in 2004....
, an accounting software package which was purchased by Computer Associates in 1985. Francis invented the concept of 360-degree customer relationship management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
(CRM), a concept that continues to be used today to describe the unification of activities across the organization by employees who play a role in the customer relationship. The company released its first customer relationship management product, Pivotal Relationship Version 1, in April 1996; this product is the predecessor to the current Pivotal CRM product line.
The company changed its name to Pivotal Corporation in June 1999 to reflect its broadening focus beyond just software into professional services, content, hosted application services and other online services. Pivotal Corporation went public in August 1999 and its shares were listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol PVTL.
In February 2000, Pivotal Corporation was selected by Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect, to showcase its Pivotal CRM software at the worldwide premiere of Microsoft Windows 2000.
Pivotal CRM, then called Pivotal eRelationship, was the first eBusiness relationship management (eBRM) solution to be certified for Windows 2000.
Pivotal Corporation was acquired by chinadotcom, now CDC Corporation, in February 2004. The acquisition added 1,700 customers, as well as marketing, sales, service, and partner management capabilities to CDC Software’s business unit focused on front-office solutions for mid-sized enterprises.
Products
Pivotal CRM is known in the CRM space for its focus on helping mid-sized enterprises with unique or complex front office business processes. Pivotal CRM customers require CRM software that is customizable and adaptable to their unique business requirements; they also value the Microsoft technology foundation.The Pivotal CRM product suite includes :
- Pivotal Sales (sales force automation)
- Pivotal Sales—Miller Heiman Edition (Pivotal Sales with embedded Miller Heiman sales methodology)
- Pivotal eMarketing
- CDC MarketFirst (marketing automation and lead management)
- Pivotal Service (service automation)
- Pivotal Mobile CRM
- Pivotal Mobile Client
- Pivotal Wireless
- Pivotal Handheld (for BlackBerry devices and Windows Mobile)
- Pivotal Partner Management
- Pivotal Analytics
The latest Pivotal CRM version, Pivotal 6, was released in July 2008. Based on Microsoft .NET technology, Pivotal 6 provides task-based navigation, embedded including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, and a smart client user interface.
Platform and Technology
Pivotal CRM 6.0 is built on the Microsoft.NETMicrosoft.net
Microsoft.net may refer to:*Microsoft.com, the official Microsoft's website*.NET Framework, a software component that is a part of Microsoft Windows operating systems...
Framework. The product embeds commonly used Microsoft business products within the CRM system, including Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
, Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
, Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a web application platform developed by Microsoft. First launched in 2001, SharePoint is typically associated with web content management and document management systems, but it is actually a much broader platform of web technologies, capable of being configured into a wide...
, and Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment from Microsoft. It is used to develop console and graphical user interface applications along with Windows Forms applications, web sites, web applications, and web services in both native code together with managed code for all...
. As such, it is an example of an Office Business Application
Office Business Applications
Office Business Applications are an emerging class of application that helps businesses unlock the value of their Line of Business systems and turn document-based processes into real applications....
.
CDC Software is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. In 2009, CDC Software was awarded the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award for Information Worker Solutions, Office Deployment on the strength of the Pivotal CRM solution.
Implementation
Pivotal CRM is primarily implemented as an “on-premise” solution, as opposed to “software-as-a-serviceSaas
SAAS is an abbreviation for* Social Accountability Accreditation Services* Software as a service * Student Awards Agency for Scotland* Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences* South Australian Ambulance Service...
” or “on-demand” CRM software product.
Industries
The product line also includes industry-focused versions of Pivotal CRM products for the following industries:
- Financial services
- Institutional asset management
- Mutual fund wholesaling
- Capital markets
- Private banking/wealth management
- Commercial banking
- Healthcare insurance
- Home building and real estate
- Manufacturing
- Medical device manufacturing