CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation
(NASDAQ: CHINA) and a global provider of industry-specific enterprise
software applications and consulting services, announced today the
acquisition of Respond Group, Ltd. a leading European provider of
software applications for improving customer service through the
management of complaints and enterprise feedback. Mirroring CDC
Software with an established leadership position in key vertical
industries, the Respond applications and organization are highly
complementary to CDC Software´s Pivotal CRM solutions. Respond brings
800 customers to the CDC Software family of more than 5,000.
With customers including AXA Insurance, Barclays, Aegon and many
others, Respond is recognized as a market-leading provider of
enterprise complaint and feedback management solutions to the
financial services industries. Similarly, with customers including
Allianz Dresdner Asset Management, Julius Baer Investment Management
and Morgan Keegan & Company, the Pivotal CRM applications for
marketing, sales and relationship management are recognized as
industry-leading solutions in the financial services markets. In
October 2006, Pivotal CRM was selected to the SecuritiesTech 50 list
of top front-office solutions in financial services.
The Respond solutions are also widely deployed in government
organizations which will create opportunities for cross-selling the
Pivotal CRM applications, as well as other enterprise software and
consulting service offerings from CDC Software. Additionally, the
Pivotal CRM sales and marketing applications are widely deployed in
the home building and real estate industries. The importance of
complaint management, improving customer service and increasing
satisfaction in these industries is expected to create additional
cross-selling opportunities for the Respond applications.
In addition to the synergies of the product lines and industry
expertise, both CDC Software and Respond are Microsoft Certified
Partners, and the respective applications share complementary
architectures based on standard Microsoft platforms. The applications
are deployed securely via the Internet, enabling a low cost, low
maintenance browser-based deployment. The Respond applications and
Pivotal CRM are also both designed to be highly flexible and easily
adapted to model the unique business practices of each customer.
"The combination of Respond and CDC Software is an excellent
business decision from all perspectives," said James Heavey, CEO of
Respond. "As a company focused on delivering industry-specialized
solutions and services, CDC Software has been building momentum and
posting performance metrics well above average in enterprise software.
At Respond we mirror that industry focus with complementary
applications that will create a variety of new choices and expanded
set of solutions for both customer bases."
"We are very excited to have Respond join our global organization
that is achieving consistent success as a leader in
industry-specialized software solutions," said Eric Musser, president
of CDC Software. "We are clearly demonstrating that CDC Software is
not taking the slash-and-burn approach of the typical consolidators.
Rather, we are creating real value by expanding the depth of our
industry applications through investments in organic innovation, as
well as targeted acquisitions. Adding the complementary industry
expertise and applications of Respond will yield very positive results
for our respective customer bases."
"Respond and CDC Software are a perfect fit," said Alison
Blackmore, Head of Customer Care, AXA Insurance. "There is an obvious
synergy between the two companies rooted in shared values and a common
commitment to helping businesses become customer-driven market
leaders."
About CDC Corporation
The CDC family of companies includes CDC Software focused on
enterprise software applications and services, CDC Mobile focused on
mobile applications, CDC Games focused on online games, and China.com
focused on portals for the greater China markets. For more information
about CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA), please visit
www.cdccorporation.net.
About CDC Software
CDC Software, The Customer-Driven Company(TM), is a provider of
enterprise software applications designed to help organizations
deliver a superior customer experience while increasing efficiencies
and profitability. CDC Software´s product suite includes the Pivotal
CRM (customer relationship management), c360 CRM add-on products,
industry solutions and development tools for the Microsoft Dynamics
CRM platform, Ross ERP (enterprise resource planning) and SCM (supply
chain management), MVI real-time performance management, IMI warehouse
management and order management, Platinum China HR (human resource)
and business analytics solutions.
These industry-specific solutions are used by more than 6,000
customers worldwide within the manufacturing, financial services,
health care, home building, real estate, and wholesale and retail
distribution industries. The company completes its offerings with a
full continuum of services that span the life cycle of technology and
software applications, including implementation, project consulting,
outsourced business services, application management and offshore
development. CDC Software is the enterprise software unit of CDC
Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and is ranked number 18 on the
Manufacturing Business Technology 2006 Global 100 List of Enterprise
and Supply Chain Management Application vendors. For more information,
please visit www.cdcsoftware.com.
About Respond Group, Ltd.
Respond is recognized as a market-leading provider of enterprise
complaints and feedback management software. The company´s solutions
provide organizations of any size with a scalable complaint and
feedback management infrastructure to improve the customer experience.
With a large active customer base and exceptional growth figures,
Respond has significant market share in both the high-profile
financial service sector and the highly regulated public sector.
The Respond suite of products enables organizations to extend and
improve customer service capabilities to front-line staff, whilst
providing extensive management information to drive change and improve
business practices. The solution is proven to deliver cost reductions,
increased efficiencies and demonstrably improved processes, services,
customer satisfaction and profitability. For more information about
Respond, please visit www.respond-uk.co.uk.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, including statements relating to cross-selling
opportunities, the ability to offer end-to-end enterprise solutions
and services, the ability to assist customers in reducing operational
costs and improve efficiency, and expectations that such transaction
will be earnings accretive. These statements are based on management´s
current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties and
changes in circumstances. There are important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the
forward looking statements, including the following: the ability of
CDC Software to grow its software and services business; and the
ability to realize strategic objectives by taking advantage of
cross-selling opportunities and the ability to integrate Respond with
the company´s operations. Further information on risks or other
factors that could cause results to differ is detailed in filings or
submissions with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
made by CDC Corporation in its Annual Report for the year ended
December 31, 2005 on Form 20-F filed on June 21, 2006. All
forward-looking statements included in this press release are based
upon information available to management as of the date of the press
release, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
forward looking statements which speak only as of the date of this
press release. The company assumes no obligation to update or alter
the forward looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
