SAS and Blue Martini Collaborate
Customer relationship management (CRM) application providers SAS Institute and Blue Martini Software Inc. will join forces in a three-year global strategic alliance whereby they will deploy each other's applications.
The collaborative effort will enable joint SAS and Blue Martini customers to apply the knowledge derived from SAS' comprehensive suite of analytical CRM solutions via Blue Martini's eCRM applications to extend Blue Martini's analytics and visualization capabilities and improve customer interaction. The interactions resulting from SAS and Blue Martini solutions will be enhanced due to more targeted campaigns and personalized communications across all touch points served by Blue Martini, including Web sites, call centers and wireless devices.
“SAS advanced analytical CRM solutions help companies interact more effectively with their customers and gain a critical understanding of their customers across multiple channels,” said Graeme Woodley, senior vice president for business development and channel operations at SAS. “This understanding, combined with the capabilities of the Blue Martini eCRM application suite, enables organizations to reduce costs, increase revenue and maximize return-on-investment by driving overall customer lifetime value, improving customer satisfaction and strengthening customer loyalty.”
Initially, joint sales and marketing efforts will be aimed at serving customers in the automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and grocery industries. Both SAS and Blue Martini have made commitments to educate their global sales representatives on each other's applications, and they will provide incentives to the sales forces to encourage successful joint engagements. The companies also have agreed to set up a co-marketing program that includes campaigns, educational seminars and presentations at trade shows and events.
Additionally, SAS and Blue Martini also will use each other's applications internally. SAS will integrate the Blue Martini 4 eCRM application suite into its Web site operations, and Blue Martini's Professional Services Organization will augment its expertise with SAS' analytical CRM solutions.
Headquartered in Cary, N.C, SAS Institute serves more than 37,000 business, government and university sites in 111 countries, providing software and services that enable customers to transform data from all areas of their business into intelligence.
San Mateo, Calif.-based Blue Martini develops and delivers eCRM applications that help companies understand, target and interact with their customers and business partners across multiple touch points.
