CAA pushes into massive Chinese market for roadside assistance with Portrait Software
Henley, 15th June 2005 - Portrait Software plc (London: PST) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the China Automobile Association as the application platform for an all-out push into the Chinese market for roadside assistance and motor insurance, created by the explosion in private car ownership there in recent times. In tandem with one of Microsoft’s top ISVs in China, Beijing-based UltraPower, Portrait Software is set to be one of the first application platform software companies to exploit the tremendous potential of the Chinese market.
The China Automobile Association (CAA), a recently acquired subsidiary of Australian insurer IAG and based in Beijing, is using Portrait Foundation™ to build the processes necessary to offer Chinese consumers national breakdown coverage. Roadside servicing is CAA’s core business activity and currently offered only in Beijing. The organization also acts as a specialist auto-insurance agency, selling a range of insurance products to its members.
Portrait Foundation™ will be at the heart of three new business systems:
• Membership Management (new member registration, renewals, contact management, internet and call centre)
• Motor Insurance (quotes, new business, renewals, cross-sells, claims)
• Roadside Service Request handling (request capture, service vehicle dispatch, towing dispatch).
• Membership Management (new member registration, renewals, contact management, internet and call centre)
• Motor Insurance (quotes, new business, renewals, cross-sells, claims)
• Roadside Service Request handling (request capture, service vehicle dispatch, towing dispatch).
This enterprise-wide solution will bring efficiencies and scalability to CAA’s customer critical processes, allowing more time to be spent on servicing those customers better. Bringing this together with a rich single-view of information for each and every member, CAA has the perfect platform from which to perform 1-to-1 marketing and pursue their expansion plans.
“Competitive differentiation through customer service is going to be key to the success of the CAA as it seeks to win business in China’s massive market,” says Mr. Ivica Orsolic, General Manager, People & Technology Service at CAA. “With Portrait Foundation™ we’re building agile, flexible applications that will be light and nimble allowing us to scale easily as demand increases. And they’re easily integrated with existing systems and, critically, easily changed.”
The CAA’s strategy includes redesigning and securing the current IT operations in Beijing before flexing the infrastructure to cope with the expected expansion of marketing activity. Already having a China-wide network of affiliated organizations, CAA plans to establish its own regional hubs in major eastern seaboard cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The project will be undertaken with key Microsoft systems integration partner UltraPower and reflects Microsoft’s growing perception that Portrait is the only Application Platform Suite optimised for process-driven applications that dramatically improve customer interactions.
According to Qian Zhang, Partner Account Manager of Microsoft Business Solutions, Beijing: “Process Management, service-orientation and customer interaction are three hotspots in enterprise IT today. Our customers around the world are all looking to squeeze more from their IT systems with fewer resources. This has led to a generational shift in the way applications are developed, delivered and managed. Sold together with Microsoft’s .NET tools, BizTalk server, SharePoint Portal Server as well as our CRM and other business applications, Portrait is certainly in the right place at the right time.”
Nick Randall, CEO of Portrait Software commented, “We are delighted that Portrait has been selected by the China Automobile Association. It is a further testament to the inherent power of the technology. More importantly, it endorses the strategy we have adopted of working with partners – in this instance UltraPower – in order to expand the usage of the Portrait technology.”
ENQUIRIES:
Nick Randall, Chief Executive Officer
Matthew White, Chief Financial Officer
Matthew White, Chief Financial Officer
Portrait Software plc Tel. 01491 416600
Tom Moriarty / Caroline Evans-Jones
Tom Moriarty / Caroline Evans-Jones
ICIS Limited Tel. 020 7651 8688
Mob. 07769 937 626
About Portrait Software™
Portrait Software™ specialises in Customer Interaction software that helps build more responsive, more profitable customer relationships. Its flagship product, Portrait Foundation™, is a specialised Application Platform Suite that helps enterprises deliver next-generation applications ideally suited to the new service-oriented architectures. Portrait Foundation™ gets process-driven, composite applications to market twice as fast as traditional development environments resulting in adaptable Living Apps™ that support the most important and complex processes: those that drive customer interactions and fulfill customer demands.
Our 150 plus customers are organisations that lead the world’s most demanding customer-intensive sectors, including Financial Services, Public Services, Contact Centres and the Independent Software Vendors that support these markets.
Portrait Software's UK customers include Nationwide Building Society, The Woolwich, Lloyds TSB, Chelsea Building Society, Cheshire Building Society and the largest police force in Europe. Mainland European customers include Komercni Banka (Czech Republic), SNT (Netherlands), Mapfre (Spain) and NovaKBM (Slovenia); and in the US customers include KeyCorp, Wells Fargo Bank, Rainier Pacific Bank and Fiserv CBS.
For more information please visit: www.portraitsoftware.com
About China Automobile Association
Established in Beijing in 1995, CAA (China Automobile Association) is the largest motoring club in China, offering 24-hour roadside rescue and towing services, and vehicle management services including inspections, insurance and claims handling. CAA acts as an agent for motor vehicle insurance for some of China's largest insurers, including policies from PICC, China Pacific and Ping An Insurance.
Established in Beijing in 1995, CAA (China Automobile Association) is the largest motoring club in China, offering 24-hour roadside rescue and towing services, and vehicle management services including inspections, insurance and claims handling. CAA acts as an agent for motor vehicle insurance for some of China's largest insurers, including policies from PICC, China Pacific and Ping An Insurance.
IAG (Insurance Australia Group, Sydney) acquired an 80% stake in CAA in 1999, recognising the growth potential of one of the world's fastest growing economies. In December 2003, IAG increased its ownership to 100%.
CAA plans to progressively expand its business from its current geographic base in Beijing, to provide national coverage.
