Siebel Systems and IBM Introduce Next-Generation CRM Bank Teller Solution

Daarom hebben Siebel Systems en IBM hebben een prototype van hun nieuwe CRM-oplossing voor bankmedewerkers, Siebel Branch Teller, geïntroduceerd. Siebel Branch Teller biedt medewerkers de informatie en middelen waarmee zij zeer persoonlijke service kunnen bieden, en gebruik kunnen maken van kansen voor cross- en up-selling.

Meer informatie over Siebel Branch Teller vindt u in onderstaand persbericht. Als u nog vragen heeft, aarzelt u dan niet contact op te nemen met Applied.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Ezra van Tiel
Senior Account Executive
Applied Communications
t: +31 20 531 3738
f: +31 20 531 3701
e: ezra@appliedcom.com
www.appliedcom.com

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Siebel Systems and IBM Introduce Next-Generation CRM Bank Teller Solution

WebSphere-Based Application Combines Full-Featured Transaction Processing with Expanded Customer Information, Enhancing Service Delivery and Adding Sales and Referral Tools

CANNES, France-June 5, 2003 -- Siebel Systems, Inc.  (NASDAQ: SEBL) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today demonstrated a prototype of its next-generation CRM bank teller application, Siebel Branch Teller, at its European User Week conference, held this week in Cannes.  Developed in close collaboration with IBM, the solution reflects the evolving role of the retail bank teller as a more informed and empowered customer service agent.

Siebel Branch Teller speeds banking transactions by giving tellers an expanded set of information and tools in a highly intuitive interface, while incorporating detailed customer insight and management functions and providing full-featured transaction-processing capabilities.  Siebel Branch Teller enables tellers to provide highly personalized service to customers and includes prompts for cross-selling and up-selling products and services that are tailored to meet each customer's needs.  Additionally, tellers are able to identify referrals and route them to other service groups for fulfillment.

"Banks are recognizing that they have been under-leveraging the interaction between the teller and the customer," said Jim Hughes, Vice President and General Manager, Siebel Finance.  "Branches are a critical customer touchpoint, and tellers need tools that increase agility and enable them to deliver efficient and personalized service.  Siebel Branch Teller provides the critical capabilities that enable tellers to improve customer loyalty and increase both branch and customer profitability."

Siebel Systems also announced that the CRM component of Siebel Branch Teller-the Siebel Customer Relationship Console-will be available separately for organizations that want to incorporate customer insight capabilities into their existing teller systems or as a stand-alone component deployed throughout the enterprise.  The Siebel Customer Relationship Console presents a summary view of each customer, targeted product and service offers, a referral capture tool for recording potential customer needs, and other tools to help manage the customer relationship.  This component provides banks with a lightweight client with robust customer-management capabilities that can be deployed to users needing a smaller subset of traditional CRM functions.

"We now have a single solution that allows our tellers to provide improved customer service, generate new business, and work more efficiently," said Peter Schliephake, CRM Project Manager, Zürcher Kantonalbank.  "Instead of technology that dictates a limited set of activities, Siebel Systems is offering a breakthrough solution that enables a much broader and more effective role for our tellers."

Branches Still a Key Component to Bank Success
Over the past 10 to 15 years, banks and other financial services organizations have prioritized alternative customer-facing channels, including automated teller machines, call centers, and Internet banking.  Organizations believed that people would visit bank branches far less in favor of online self-service and other efficient, always-accessible banking options.  While most people have embraced these alternative channels, particularly for straightforward tasks such as getting cash, checking account balances, and making deposits, they continue to visit their bank branches frequently.

"A new recognition of the value of the teller-customer interaction is emerging in the banking industry-a major shift from the existing paradigm, in which tellers are constrained by the limited capabilities of rigid account- and transaction-focused systems," said Robert J.  Landry, Vice President, Research and Corporate Development, The Tower Group.  "Siebel Systems fully integrates CRM into the bank teller interface, arming tellers with personalized information about customers that will enable them to better respond to customer needs and more easily identify up-selling and cross-selling opportunities."

From an IT standpoint, the majority of bank branches have been left behind-many running on platforms several generations old.  As a result, financial organizations are beginning to give renewed attention to the branches, updating systems and reengineering processes to increase overall efficiency.

IBM WebSphere and Proven Frameworks Underlie Siebel Branch Teller Solution
Siebel Branch Teller combines the advanced CRM functionality of Siebel eBusiness Applications with the high performance, scalability, and integration capabilities of IBM WebSphere.  This combined solution enables retail banks to update outmoded technology, transforming branches into customer-focused financial centers while reducing costs.  WebSphere is a set of tools from IBM that allows customers to create and manage sophisticated applications based on Web technologies.  A highly scalable and reliable application environment that supports open standards, WebSphere is designed for use across different technology platforms.

"IBM made the strategic decision to develop this joint solution with Siebel Systems due to the extensive CRM expertise Siebel brings to the table," said Mark Greene, General Manager, Global Banking Industry at IBM.  "Siebel Branch Teller will enable banks to optimize their interactions with the customer and increase branch profitability by delivering more personalized service at the branch."

Out-of-the-Box Feature Set Enables Easy Deployment, Robust Functionality
Siebel Branch Teller integrates with existing banking systems and can be deployed on a local branch server or from a centralized, offsite server.  Prebuilt host adapters for numerous systems including MQ Series, LU0, LU6.2, CICS, and IMS simplify the process of legacy system integration.  Whether the bank is running Siebel CRM applications or other third-party systems, Siebel Branch Teller requires minimal deployment and integration effort.

Siebel Branch Teller delivers a functionally complete set of financial transactions, as well as all of the standard account and cash-drawer management functions.  In addition, numerous service functions, such as stop-payments, check orders, and requests for statement copies are incorporated into the user interface to improve service delivery capabilities.  The solution is compatible with a broad array of retail banking devices, including PIN pads, receipt printers, cash dispensers, and check readers.

Product Availability
The Siebel Customer Relationship Console component is scheduled to ship in the fall of 2003.  Siebel Branch Teller is scheduled to become available to select customers by the end of 2003, with broad availability in the spring of 2004.  Supporting multiple languages and currencies, the application runs on current technology platforms, including Windows NT, AIX, and OS/390.

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology (IT) company and provider of IT services.  IBM and its partners provide their clients with a complete range of products in advanced information technology: from hardware and software through services and complex application solutions through to outsourcing projects and training facilities.  Additional information about IBM can be found at www.ibm.com.

About Siebel Systems
Siebel Systems, Inc.  is a leading provider of eBusiness applications software, enabling corporations to sell to, market to, and serve customers across multiple channels and lines of business.  With more than 3,500 customer deployments worldwide, Siebel Systems provides organizations with a proven set of industry-specific best practices, CRM applications, and business processes, empowering them to consistently deliver superior customer experiences and establish more profitable customer relationships.  Siebel Systems' sales and service facilities are located in more than 28 countries.