March 3, 2004—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Eleanor Mullaney
(813) 321-1300; Eleanor@Cornerstone1.com

 Sage Accpac CRM Wins Prestigious Members’ Choice Award For Best Global CRM Solution

Clearwater, FL—Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. is now a provider of Sage Accpac CRM, the winner of the esteemed Members’ Choice award for the category “Best CRM Solution Award: Best Global Winner.”  Sage Accpac CRM (customer relationship management) continually wins awards due to its integrated sales, marketing, customer support and call center automation.  Users of this program can access Sage Accpac CRM anytime, anywhere via a Web browser or wireless device, such as a PocketPC or WAP enabled mobile phone.  Also, Sage Accpac CRM integrates with ACCPAC Advantage Series and Pro Series accounting programs "out-of-the-box."  This kind of integration enables the authorized Sage ACCPAC CRM users efficient access to vital customer, partner and related transactional data. 

The 2nd Annual Members’ Choice Awards were held exclusively on the website of ContactCenterWorld.com, which conferred awards based on votes by over 1900 of their customers and members.  Awards were bestowed in 23 different categories in this online event that is meant to choose the best solutions and software for call and contact centers worldwide.  More information on this subject can be found at http://www.contactcenterworld.com.

Sage Accpac CRM proudly carries the honor of “Best CRM Solution: Best Global Winner.”  This highly-acclaimed program was designed for medium-sized businesses and handles all aspects of customer information, enabling businesses to establish long-lasting relationships with their clients through efficient management of data.  The versatility of Sage Accpac CRM allows users to manage and utilize customer information in numerous ways.  Authorized Sage Accpac CRM users can simply create records of communications between staff members and clients.  The users may also create and execute e-marketing campaigns.  The latter is one of the most important features of Sage Accpac CRM program, as it enables marketers to run effective marketing campaigns without the need for enormous budget allocations.

Marketers of medium-sized businesses are frequently faced with a common, incessant problem: limited fund allocation to their campaigns.  This lack of funding limits the activities of even the most creative marketers.  Sage Accpac CRM provides a superior and less expensive way for these businesses to create and manage successful marketing campaigns.  Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. has found that when electronic marketing campaigns are linked with customer relationship management software, such as Sage Accpac CRM even limited budgets can be used more effectively.  This strategy enables companies to increase profitability by creating and/or maintaining long-term client relationships through the efficient management of customer information.

The brilliance of linking e-marketing campaigns and Sage Accpac CRM software is found in the universal applicability of this approach: the very nature of the Internet enables this method to be used by any company in any country in the world.  So, why is this strategy better?  Cornerstone Consulting has found three factors that make linking Sage Accpac CRM and e-marketing a more effective approach: cost, segmentation, and interactivity.

In many instances, the cost of traditional forms of advertising can be staggering.  It is much less expensive to embark on an effective e-marketing campaign as opposed to spending large portions of the budget on traditional forms of advertising, such as TV promotions (remember the $2.3 million price tag on Super Bowl commercials a few weeks ago?).  Besides having to pay for the actual ad spots, significant funds must be allocated for production costs as well.  Most medium-sized businesses cannot afford to spend hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars on a 30-second TV advertisement.

E-campaigns enable companies to access previously segmented markets.  Even though the Internet removes segmentation based on geographic borders, its very nature dictates that users themselves are a market segment.  Studies show that Internet users normally have higher disposable incomes than people who do not surf the Net.  When their information is entered into a CRM program and is effectively managed, the data can be used to generate lists, enabling businesses to target industry-specific markets for use in targeted campaigns.  This customization, in turn, provides a strong basis for relationships with potential clients simply because the information that they are being given is more specifically targeted to their needs.

E-marketing possesses a characteristic that most traditional marketing campaigns do not.  Traditional marketing methods, such as television, radio, and direct campaigns lack interactivity.  Instead of using these conventional techniques, marketers can utilize surveys, e-mail, and other interactive means for contacting customers, enabling marketers to benefit from the valuable feedback that customers provide in return.  This information, in turn, can be stored in Sage Accpac CRM for future use in another marketing campaign or to keep records of communications.  Interactivity also enables customers to shop on a company’s website and encourages them to ask product- or service-specific questions.  By using these methods, business can: obtain invaluable data; obtain a better understanding of their client’s needs and establish or maintain long-lasting relationships.

It is a well-known fact that even companies with relatively small market share can be extremely profitable through its dealings with loyal customers.  This is why it is so important for businesses to do whatever is in their power to completely satisfy their clients.  Customer Relationship Management products, such as Sage Accpac CRM, enable companies to satisfy customers by keeping track of all communications, monitoring the results of marketing campaigns, and creating new campaigns based on feedback from customer surveys.  Using a computer program designed to efficiently target prospects and manage clients can only serve to improve the bottom line.  Further, Sage’s web-enabled Sage Accpac CRM product provides marketing campaign analyses and reports, budgeting tools, and up-to-the-minute lead status, so that marketers can manage in real-time.

When Sage Accpac CRM is used effectively, it allows employees who have front-line customer access, to quickly view each client’s individual purchase history, product and service needs, and communications.  This is because Sage Accpac CRM is accessible from any device that has access to the Internet, whether the employee is using a desktop computer or a handheld PDA.  As a result, the same central information housed at the main office of the company is accessible to employees while at the client’s site.  Sage Accpac CRM also provides fast and easy access to each client’s accounting records, enabling staff members to make informed decisions and determine the most effective way to assist the client. 

This individual attention often forms the foundation upon which lasting relationships between the customers and the business are formed.  It is a well-known fact that businesses fostering long-lasting customer relationships vastly increase their profitability.  Satisfied clients will generate recurring revenue for one’s business. This is why it is important to ensure that one’s company has the necessary tools to promote sustained client relationships.  Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. recommends Sage Accpac CRM, as it is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to link customer information to all forms of marketing campaigns and to generate quantifiable results. 

Additional information about Sage Accpac CRM and Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. can be found online at www.cornerstone1.com.

About Cornerstone Consulting, Inc.

Since 1983, Clearwater, Florida-based Cornerstone Consulting Inc. has offered a full array of network-based financial software, information systems and consulting. Specializing in Sage Pro ERP  and Sage Accpac CRM, Cornerstone focuses on management accounting to total e-commerce solutions that strategically leverage their clients’ existing technology. Cornerstone’s services include custom programming, software evaluation, hardware configuration, Internet business consulting, technical support, system installation and implementation, training, software customization work, report design, network security, macro development and E-business solutions for the Sage Pro ERP series.