Proving It's Who You Know That Counts, Contact Network Corporation Launches Enterprise Contact Application for Corporations, Professional Service Firms, and Universities
Latest Version of Collaboration Application Enables
Organizations to Leverage Internal Connections to Improve
Productivity Without Sacrificing Privacy
Boston, MA -- August 25, 2003 -- Contact
Network Corporation (www.contactnetworkcorp.com),
the leading provider of enterprise contact collaboration solutions,
today announced the latest version of its Contact Network
application to allow organizations to better leverage their
extended network of employees' contacts and use their
collective relationship capital within a secure, private
internal network.
Large global sales companies, professional service firms,
and major universities all possess a vast network of
valuable contacts and resources from employees within their
organization, but it has been difficult to mine that
information and share it in a secure, private, and effective
way until now.
For example, when a large, global professional services
firm with hundreds of employees scattered across multiple
offices plans to pitch a new client, it has been a
time-consuming, tedious and haphazard process for
individuals to track down each colleague with the burning
question "Do you know someone at [target company]?" The
result is that most organizations do not effectively tap
into their existing network of employees' contacts to help
close deals, win new business and share relevant information
with one another.
"Typical companies today access less than thirty percent
of their potential network of contacts," said Geoffrey
Hyatt, co-founder and CEO of Contact Network
Corporation. "Our clients have an enterprise-wide
application that automatically captures potential
connections and makes them accessible to help win business without
sacrificing personal privacy. The immediate revenue generated from
closing one additional deal through using our technology is much
higher than our subscription cost."
"The greatest asset of a venture firm is the experience and
contacts of the firm," said Andrew Hallowell, Partner of Arcadia
Partners. "I want our portfolio companies to leverage our network on
every sale they make. Now they can instantly check whether we can
provide a contact, and make targeted direct requests for
introductions."
"The Tuck School of Business is known for its tight-knit community
and ability to help fellow graduates open doors to improve networking,
especially in this difficult market," said Steve Lubrano, Assistant
Dean and Director of the MBA Program at Tuck. "We were looking for an
automated software solution that would run securely on our Intranet
and give our students access to the great connections of their fellow
students, professors, and faculty in the business world. Contact
Network's application was simple to install and our students were
immediately able to start sharing contacts and leveraging existing
relationships to improve networking and expand job prospects."
How it works
Contact Network's search interface is intuitive and
easy-to-use. Users simply enter a target company or industry and the
search results instantly provide a ranked list of colleagues that may
have useful contacts. They then request introductions from their
colleagues.
Personal privacy is guaranteed. Private contact information is
never disclosed until colleagues choose to share it. In addition, all
participants can set their privacy settings and level of sharing.
The ranking of search results is based on a proprietary algorithm
that scores recent email traffic, electronic address book entries and
employment history. The application is fully automated. It requires
no training, data input is automated and maintenance is included in
the subscription fee.
Contact Network can run independently or be integrated into an
existing CRM system to generate leads to feed the pipeline and
facilitate introductions that can reignite a stagnant deal.
Who is using Contact Network
Leading professional services firms, including law, management
consulting and financial services; Fortune 1000 sales forces; and
higher education organizations are turning to Contact Network as an
invaluable automated collaboration tool to leverage colleague
connections and close sales, maximize networking opportunities and
improve enterprise-wide intelligence gathering and knowledge
management within a secure, private internal network.
Latest Features and Benefits
Contact Network Version 2.0 includes:
- Improved search capabilities, including search by industry with full SIC coding at over
125,000 companies.
- Additional privacy options, such as anonymous participation,
selective participation to decide which groups of users can
request information from which contacts, and pin-point
participation to include/exclude individual contacts, companies
or types of contacts.
- Full support for Lotus Domino/Notes, in addition to continued
support of Exchange/Outlook.
- Extensive administrative dashboard for the Knowledge Management
and IT staff, with full monitoring, real-time database and system
statistics and an improved user administration console.
The Contact Network application is available now and provided to
enterprises for a monthly subscription fee, which includes
installation and full support. For more information on the product,
pricing and its immediate positive ROI, visit www.contactnetworkcorp.com,
email info@contactnetworkcorp.com,
or call (617) 305 7456.
About Contact Network Corporation
Contact Network Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise
contact collaboration solutions. The Contact Network application
enables leading professional service firms, Global 1000 sales forces,
and major universities to better utilize their extended relationship
network to generate sales, facilitate networking opportunities, and
improve knowledge sharing within a secure, private internal network.
Contact Network Corporation is a Boston-based, privately-held
company. More information is available at www.contactnetworkcorp.com.
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