A major initiative

Here at CRMchump.com we read a lot of press release with self-congratulatory material and overblown statements, but when the announcement today came about “a major initiative,” well, this one had to be listened to. As it turns out, said major initiative involves CompUSA and that mammoth retailer’s offer of products by on-demand business software suite provider NetSuite, Inc. to small- and medium-sized businesses.

This is reportedly a first in the industry, as it is the first time a mass-market retailer will offer on-demand software, in what NetSuite is calling “a major milestone for the industry. CompUSA’s rolling out of NetSuite will begin in ten New York and Connecticut CompUSA outlets on June 27. The NetSuite application will be available to business through the CompUSA Business Services direct-to-business sales force. The NetSuite products to be available through CompUSA include NetSuite Small Business, NetSuite, NetSuite CRM, and NetSuite CRM+.

NetSuite will provide sales training and train-the-trainer training for CompUSA service personnel who provide technology services such as installation and setup. Some NetSuite solution providers will be given the right to provide NetSuite implementation services to CompUSA customers. Two hundred and twenty-five of the CompUSA outlets sport business services centers for business representatives to get advice. Why the move now? NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson flat out claims that “Software on-demand is truly replacing software shipped in a box.”

The NetSuite / CompUSA partnership has promised a dedication to small- and medium-sized business of a single business management software application, the avoiding of information technology personnel employment, and a single point of contact for emergency problems. Dallas, Texas-based CompUSA, Inc. is a leading retailer and reseller of technology products and services in America. CompUSA has more than 240 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico.

CompUSA Business Services offers business consulting and technical services, training programs, and e-commerce solutions. NetSuite, Inc. is billed as the leader in on-demand business software suites and the fastest-growing software company in North America, according to the Deloitte Fast 500 study. NetSuite seeks to enable management of accounting, enterprise resource planning, CRM, and e-commerce.