Delivering a Branded Customer Experience Increases Customer Loyalty and Revenue Growth, According to New CRM Book from Accenture.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Delivering a branded customer experience is key to influencing customer loyalty and driving revenue growth, according to a new book on customer relationship management (CRM) by Accenture (NYSE:ACN) and Montgomery Research, Inc.

"Defying the Limits: Delivering the Branded Customer Experience," the sixth book in the "Defying the Limits" series of CRM publications produced jointly by Accenture and Montgomery Research, focuses on the importance of the branded customer experience - the effective management of every customer touch point to reliably convey the brand promise.

A compilation of essays authored by leading CRM practitioners, academics and consultants, "Delivering the Branded Customer Experience" builds on Accenture's research into high-performance marketing and customer management and reveals that a branded customer experience is the single most important factor in developing and maintaining customer loyalty.

Under the auspices of the "Branded Customer Experience," each author examines how a company can reliably convey its brand promise through each customer interaction, thereby making the essence of the brand more than just a logo for its customers. The authors represent a broad spectrum of organizations, including Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Rutgers University and Purdue University, among others.

The book also offers advice on a wide range of CRM topics, such as data management, customer insight, contact center transformation, service-oriented architecture, and marketing to the mass affluent. The insights are supported by examples showing how such companies as Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, Amazon and Starbucks have set themselves apart by effectively employing CRM solutions.

Woody Driggs, global managing partner of Accenture's Customer Relationship Management service line, provided the book's introduction as well as its keynote article, "The CRM Evolution Continues: From Relationship Management to Experience Management" Driggs details the shift of CRM from an off-the-shelf technology to a marketing and business mindset focused on profitable growth, noting that successful companies today pay increased attention to a branded customer experience.

"Traditionally, companies have focused their CRM investments on tactical outcomes -- reducing costs or making customer management activities more efficient," explained Driggs. "Today, executives are expanding their definition of brand and moving beyond seeing it as merely a logo that identifies a particular product -- to seeing it as a means to acquire new customers, increase customer loyalty and drive growth."

"'Delivering the Branded Customer Experience' is a snapshot of what our clients will experience in 2006 and beyond," said Driggs. "I'm looking forward to helping high-performance companies continue to separate themselves from the competition by employing some of these lessons and tools."

Montgomery Research CEO Chris Trayhorn added, "Publishing this annual volume of white papers for such a dynamic industry continues to be a rewarding journey as we work with CRM leaders to help guide executives as to the possibilities for future CRM applications."

More information on the book and an in-depth summary of Accenture's High Performance Marketing & Customer Management research are available online at accenture.com/dfl. Copies of "Defying the Limits: Delivering the Branded Customer Experience" are available by request at [phone]. Additionally, www.crmproject.com features a selection of key papers. All Accenture executives who authored articles in the book are available for discussions on related CRM topics.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 129,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About Montgomery Research

Montgomery Research, Inc. publishes thought leadership that focuses on the convergence of business and technology. Montgomery Research works in partnership with e-business visionaries and experts to define industry trends. Find out more about Montgomery Research at www.mriresearch.com.