E-business software maker PeopleSoft Tuesday made three different announcements that are expected to expand its offerings in some ground breaking ways.
As an appetizer, the Pleasanton, Calif.-based company says it has enhanced its new product framework for developing pure Internet Customer Relationship Management (CRM) industry solutions. The upgrade incorporates the company’s PeopleSoft 8 platform and centers it on a single product framework with no separate industry codelines. The first of these industry-specific CRM solutions is PeopleSoft 8 CRM for Financial Services.
To really get people interested in its products, the company says it is expanding its pure Internet Human Resources Management tool to include country-specific payroll functions for customers with Global Payroll support in Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.
“Because PeopleSoft 8 Global Payroll is built on a rules-based engine, we’ve created specific payroll rules online,” said Dr. Dirk Jonathal, a PeopleSoft project manager at Talkline. “Instead of spending time and resources programming complex payroll logic, our team accessed the application through an Internet browser and quickly entered payroll rules.”
The improvements to the platform should be finished by the fourth quarter of 2001.
But the most startling news came from PeopleSoft’s announced partnership with BlackBerry mobile device maker Research In Motion (RIM).
The two companies say they will offer their European customers a secure place to conduct wireless business across a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network.
Using a combination of the two company’s technologies, mobile users can receive, review and execute enterprise transactions while on the road.
By selecting actions from a simple menu, users can execute transactions anytime, anywhere using the BlackBerry Wireless Handheld. With RIM support in PeopleTools, PeopleSoft applications could be modified to allow executives to approve sales deals, support representatives to receive help tickets and schedule appointments, and line managers to approve expense reports and purchase requisitions. PeopleSoft applications are automatically updated upon the completion of each transaction.
“PeopleSoft and RIM are delivering a breakthrough mobile solution in Europe for remotely accessing corporate data and updating enterprise applications,” says RIM European director and vice president Charles Meyer. “This innovative solution allows customers to significantly increase productivity through always on, secure and easy access to business information while on the go.”
The PeopleSoft and RIM solution is currently scheduled for availability in Europe for early access customers later this year and should be generally available in Q1 2002.