Oracle joins automated bandwagon

Oracle will launch itself into the increasingly crowded salesforce automation market later this month by revamping its existing sales and marketing packages.

The database supplier will join other large players that have recently entered the sector, such as SAP and Baan. The move also means Oracle will start competing with smaller firms that previously regarded its offerings as complementary, such as Siebel Systems, Scopus Technology and Vantive.

Ian Richardson, technical manager for UK applications at Oracle, said: ?This is one of those areas where I don?t see how we could have avoided participating. If we push the notion of self-service, faster time to customer and market, then we need to offer front-office software to help people do that.

?Before, we didn?t have much more than order entry, but this will be very complementary. We?re integrating lots of functions into a coherent suite with a Web interface.?

The applications suite, to be announced at Oracle?s Application User Group conference in Orlando this month, will comprise an updated version of its account and customer management packages integrated with such offerings as Sales Compensation, which works out a salesperson?s commission, and Mosaix? call routing package.

The core sales and marketing software will cost $12,500, plus an extra $2,500 per user.