Midrange Stuff, OS/400 Edition

Clear Technologies recently started shipping Content Management, a new module of its C2 suite of CRM software that allows organizations to update Web site content automatically, instead of relying on a Webmaster or a third-party vendor to do it for them. The Coppell, Texas, software company also announced last week that former IBM AS/400 executive Van Symons, who left IBM in October to become Clear Tech's vice president of sales, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer.

Clear Technologies says that its new Content Management module lets companies deliver customized information to their clients without breaking the bank on expensive Web site personnel or third-party services. The Content Manager application has a direct line into the core Lotus Domino database that is the foundation of Clear Technologies' complete line of C2 CRM software, which allows it to automatically pull certain pieces of information and publish them on a Web site or a personalized Web portal. Because Content Management can publish information as it changes, companies don't have to invest in personnel to manually keep Web sites up to date with the latest information.

The new Content Management module is most applicable to local governments, health care groups, and other organizations that constantly update their Web sites with the latest information, Clear Technologies says. The software lets organizations provide their customers with easy, browser-based access to the business documents that are pertinent to them, such as customer support issues, order status, or billing and shipping information. Content Management also delivers provisions that allow authorized personnel to manually update information on a Web site or a portal.

"The new Content Manager in C2 CRM gives companies an automated tool to update Web content in real time," says Michael Guillory, Clear Technologies' vice president of marketing. "This gives customers immediate information regarding the status of a particular issue, and it allows companies to offer top-level customer support to improve customer satisfaction."

Content Management runs on all supported C2 CRM platforms, including IBM iSeries, xSeries, and pSeries servers. Clear Technologies offers a range of packages that include several of the 30-plus C2 CRM modules pre-installed on IBM servers, or users can mix and match the modules they want.

The promotion of Van Symons to president and chief operating officer of the C2 CRM division is part of an organizational change intended to maximize the company's relationship with IBM as Big Blue's key CRM partner for the small and midsized business market. Greg Colley, Clear Technologies' founder, president, and chief executive, says "Van has had tremendous impact on the growth of our product, utilizing his IBM experience of CRM ROI [return on investment] value propositions and best practices." "His efforts have contributed significantly to C2 CRM's explosive growth over this last year." Colley retains the title of president for Clear Technologies.

During Symons' 25-year career at IBM, he gained experience in the AS/400 division, as well as in such areas as business intelligence CRM software and, most recently, the eLiza and grid computing initiative. Symons has also received several awards as an IBMer, including an IBM President's Award for outstanding achievement and a Speaker's Excellence Award from COMMON.

"C2 CRM is a solid product that is truly helping businesses become more profitable," Symons says. "I am looking forward to helping this division make the most of the huge opportunity that the SMB [small and midsized business] CRM market represents."