Aberdeen Group Announces New Managing Director for Customer Relationship Management Practice; Christopher Fletcher to Continue Thought Leadership, Initiate New Practice Areas.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 1999--

Aberdeen Group today announced the promotion of Christopher Fletcher to the role of Managing Director, Customer Relationship Management. Reflecting Aberdeen's ongoing commitment to the CRM market, Fletcher will continue to provide thought leadership through Aberdeen's research and consulting services. In his previous role as Research Director, Fletcher published research in several newly-defined market segment areas -- technologies and markets initially defined by Aberdeen and which are today generally accepted sub-segments within CRM -- including Marketing Automation, Sales Effectiveness Systems, and the Enterprise PDA.

Fletcher will continue Aberdeen's focus on new and emerging CRM market areas by initiating research in emerging technology markets including CRM Portals, CRM application hosting, and PDA/Information Appliance technologies. "Customer Relationship Management continues to be one of the most compelling and fastest-growing technology markets" said Fletcher. "Senior executives immediately understand the bottom-line impact that CRM can bring, and invest accordingly."

Aberdeen research indicates that the growth of CRM is also being spurred by the emergence of "e-Business" -- the merging of CRM applications and best practices with Internet and e-Commerce technologies and bandwidth. Further, Aberdeen believes that e-Business initiatives now dominate the mind share of senior management. The enterprise is being challenged to support multiple sales and support channels -- direct sales, call centers, and partners, as well as Internet and electronic mail-based e-Business channels -- in order to attain a competitive advantage.

Prior to joining Aberdeen Group in 1997, Fletcher has held senior management positions in sales, international marketing, and general management with a variety of established and start-up technology companies. His most recent work at Aberdeen as Research Director included the publication of several reports on CRM, Marketing Automation, and Enterprise PDAs. Fletcher consults with clients in the EBA, CRM, and PDA industries on technology trends and issues, marketing and sales strategies, and the application of CRM technologies within major market segments. He is a well-known speaker at industry trade shows and contributes frequently to major industry publications. Fletcher holds an MBA from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire with concentrations in Finance and Marketing.

About Aberdeen Group

Founded in 1988, Aberdeen is an information technology research and consulting organization that closely monitors user needs, technological innovation, and market developments. It focuses its research efforts on the business impact of technology changes. Aberdeen Group has offices in Boston, MA, and Palo Alto, CA. For more information about Aberdeen's CRM, e-Commerce, and Enterprise Applications practices, please visit: www.aberdeen.com.