Boehringer Mannheim Goes Live with ProActive's Support Advantage for
Client/Server Help Desk

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, July 6, 1993 - ProActive Software, Inc. today announced
that Boehringer Mannheim Corporation (BMC), a $600 million U.S. medical
equipment company, has licensed ProActive's client/server Support
Advantage as an internal Information Systems Help Desk.

Support Advantage is the link between BMC's MIS department and 2,000
internal MIS customers at U.S. headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. The
system tracks and solves nearly 2,000 monthly "cases" relating to any
computer problem in the company. BMC implemented the system in only three
months, and expects to recover its investment in ProActive by the end of
this year. To-date, Support Advantage has increased call capacity by 50%,
reduced backlog by over 150%, and is keeping the company's information
infrastructure running smoother than ever before.

ProActive Software is a leading provider of client/server customer
information systems. Support Advantage is one of several Customer
Information Resource applications developed and marketed by ProActive for
the management of customer information across the enterprise.

Before licensing Support Advantage, BMC used a home-grown, mainframe-based
system written in a third generation programming language. According to
Peter Van Dyke, BMC's Manager of Information Systems Administration,
"Cases got misplaced, really critical cases were mixed with routine
questions, and customers got frustrated explaining their problems over and
over," said Van Dyke. 

Tough Functional and Technical Requirements

BMC's decision to get a new Help Desk system was driven by the need for
three factors: richer application functionality; a flexible, client/server
distributed architecture; and a consulting services partner.

First, BMC wanted a modern system with historical data management and
retrieval capabilities, automatic call notification and escalation, and
call dispatching. This functionality would enable users to prioritize
workloads, manage critical problems more effectively, and more efficiently
track historical data relating to customer cases.

The second major requirement was support for a client/server, distributed
environment. BMC had already migrated most of its mainframe systems to
UNIX servers with Macintosh, X Windows and Microsoft Windows PC clients.
The new Help Desk system had to have a true client/server foundation, and
support for multiple user interfaces and the Sybase relational database.
The system also had to be easy to customize.

Third, BMC needed an open system that could share data with other
applications and expand to support other departments, such as field sales
or quality assurance. The MIS team also wanted to work with a vendor that
understood the business.

John Luongo, ProActive's president and chief executive officer, commented,
"Boehringer Mannheim's requirements are similar to those of many other
cross-industry organizations that select ProActive Software--a
client/server system with extensive functionality, and a short timeframe
in which to implement. BMC is taking a lead by using ProActive's products
to improve internal customer satisfaction and streamline the management of
its systems." 

The Choice: ProActive Software

According to Van Dyke, "Thirty vendors were evaluated. The other products
had limitations, and the expertise of those companies did not appear to be
sufficient. There are a lot of Help Desk packages on the market, but none
of them are built on a true client/server architecture."

BMC's Support Advantage was implemented on a Sun Sparc 670 server running
Sybase connected to PCs clients running Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Sun
workstations with Open Windows over a TCP/IP network. BMC plans to use
Support Advantage on Macintosh computers this summer.

ProActive consultants came in over one weekend, helped the MIS team
customize and define the workflow rules, and loaded the data into the new
system. 'We had a tight time frame," said Van Dyke. "We installed in
January and went live on March 1." 

The Help Desk at Work

The MIS department consists of 75 specialists who specialize in several
areas: mainframe and AS400 systems, networks, PC and Sun desktop hardware,
Macintoshes, MAPPER, printers, PC software, and electronic mail. The new
system's functionality is being applied in three areas: workflow,
historical data management, and problem-solving. 

Workflow Management 

Support Advantage automatically dispatches incoming calls to the
appropriate specialist. The system also escalates a case based on type,
elapsed time and number of calls received. An automatic pager link 'beeps'
the appropriate people to get on the case. This helps to prioritize the
Help Desk's workload, saves time, and solves problems more efficiently.

Historical Data Management--BMC can keep accurate track of previously
solved cases, and all associated documentation, calls, people, proposed
solutions. Everything related to previous cases is available on-line for a
quick status report.

Problem Solving Help--Support Advantage is building a library of problems
and solutions that BMC can retrieve when similar calls come in. The Help
Desk doesn't have to re-invent the wheel when customers call with a
previously solved problem. 

About ProActive Software

ProActive Software is the leading vendor of client/server customer
information systems. The company develops and markets the CIR system, a
family of integrated, enterprise-wide applications for customer support,
sales, quality assurance, engineering, and help desk departments. These
products give companies a competitive edge by delivering superior product
quality and total customer satisfaction.

ProActive Software differentiates itself on the basis of world-class
product functionality, superior client/server technology, and service
industry expertise. Products are used within a broad range of industries
including financial services, medical equipment, telecommunications,
consumer products, and high technology.

ProActive Software, Inc.
1043 North Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043
415-691-1500,  fax 415-691-1515

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