J. D. Edwards Announces Key Enhancements to J.D. Edwards 5 Customer Relationship Management Software.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Quest Global Conference 2003

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2003

New Pre-integrated Analytics, Configured Item Support and

Wireless CRM Functionality Enables Customers to Achieve Greater

Efficiencies and Business Effectiveness

To make customers stronger, J.D. Edwards & Company (Nasdaq: JDEC) announced today three major product enhancements to its J.D. Edwards 5 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software:

-- Configured item support for CRM applications, streamlining the

process of configuring products specific to customer needs and

facilitating mass customization

-- Additional deep analytics capabilities that will enable a wide

variety of users, from top executives to project managers, to

access deeper and richer views of its CRM and ERP data to gain

a better understanding of their sales and marketing operations

and identify opportunities to improve their business

-- Expanded Mobile Sales functionality through new wireless CRM

support for the Pocket PC, enabling the mobile professional to

access real-time critical information in the field.

These new developments round out an already strong J.D. Edwards 5 CRM product designed to fit the unique needs of mid-to-large-sized companies. (See related announcement, "J.D. Edwards Launches CRM 2.0 Detailing Additional CRM Functionality," January 28, 2003). The enhancements build on J.D. Edwards' increasing momentum in the CRM space - the company has sold CRM to more than 150 new customers since the acquisition of CRM vendor YOUcentric in November 2001.

Like all J.D. Edwards 5 CRM modules, these new functions are built on open, standards-based technologies so they adapt to existing legacy applications without forcing customers to change their business processes. They can also be used with multiple databases, thus reducing the time it takes to implement the software and the cost of maintaining it in the long term. Moreover, experienced and specialized J.D. Edwards 5 Consulting teams handle all CRM implementations to ensure that J.D. Edwards meets the individual needs of each customer.

Configured Item Support Enables Profitable Mass Customization of Products

More and more companies are offering customized products via the Web. However, companies in manufacturing and distribution, asset-intensive and project-oriented industries often have difficulty keeping track of the number of possible combinations of features available in their products. Thus, the potential for errors in the ordering process are high. These errors can damage customer satisfaction, cause operational delays and negatively impact a company's bottom line.

The ability to support product configuration via both Advanced Order Configurator (AOC) in J.D. Edwards 5 CRM and the base configurator in J.D. Edwards 5 ERP, improves profit margins for selling and manufacturing configured products by simplifying accurate order entry so products can be built or shipped correctly the first time. This improves asset utilization, reduces inventory levels, decreases order lead times and promotes customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, the connection to Sales Force Automation (SFA) and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) ensures that sales representatives are offering a product that is in stock and available. With accuracy ensured, sales representatives can close deals faster, and customer satisfaction and loyalty improve when their requirements are met.

"We expect Advanced Order Configurator to result in a drastic reduction in fulfillment time for our configured product orders because our salespeople will be able to submit orders accurately and price accordingly," said John Salaski, manager of application development, Hoffman Enclosures. "Configured Item Support's pre-integration of AOC with SFA will expedite a sales cycle, thereby improving this business process even further."

CRM Analytics Enable Companies to Identify Sales and Marketing Effectiveness 

Sorting through an overwhelming amount of unorganized customer data can be a cumbersome process for enterprises. New J.D. Edwards 5 Business Intelligence CRM analytical applications remedy this institutional problem by pre-packaging more than 20 key performance indicators and 50 other CRM metrics in the form of out-of-the-box graphical models, measures and reports. These on-demand statistics provide high-level results information for users or managers at any level to identify bright spots and troubling issues within front line operations. Users can then access thousands of queries and filters in the easily configurable CRM analytic application and drill down on specific areas of interest for further analysis. Key CRM analytical reports help:

-- Segment customers by business value, whether measured by

overall revenue, frequency of orders, profitability or loyalty

-- Uncover customers with untapped revenue potential and develop

targeted sales strategies

-- Retain the best customers and build loyalty by ensuring they

receive appropriate service levels and

-- Measure the return on investment of all marketing activities.

Unlike analytics products from standalone CRM vendors and niche analytics providers, J.D. Edwards can readily leverage data from ERP, supply chain management systems, third party and legacy systems to provide a unified picture of the enterprise. For example, sales management can more precisely predict forecasted-to-close sales revenues based on account balance tables typically maintained within the ERP system.

"The full value of CRM analytics lies not just in the ability to access data from CRM applications," said Gareth Herschel, research director, Gartner. "CRM analytics are most powerful when they leverage information from multiple data sources. This provides companies with a single, comprehensive view of their customers."

Sales Representatives Get More Nimble with Wireless CRM

By adding access to J.D. Edwards 5 CRM through Pocket PCs, J.D. Edwards extended its lead in enabling sales representatives to be as informed in the field as they are in the office. In January, J.D. Edwards unveiled Mobile Sales functionality that enables sales representatives to access critical data in disconnected mode through their laptop.

"Offering CRM through leading wireless devices builds on our already unique Mobile Sales capability," said Joel Reed, J.D. Edwards' director of CRM product marketing. "In this economy, traveling sales representatives need to have access to all critical information about customers and prospects to provide the best service in an increasingly competitive environment. We feel J.D. Edwards has a lead in empowering sales representatives on the road."

About Quest, J.D. Edwards Users Group

Quest, J.D. Edwards Users Group, is the independent user group serving the J.D. Edwards community. With members in more than 50 countries and three regional/continental chapters serving Africa, Asia and Australia & New Zealand, Quest's mission is to maximize value to the global J.D. Edwards community. Quest fosters collaboration and communication by providing opportunities to network, knowledge share and influence future software development through special interest groups, Q&A magazine, conferences, regional and local user outreach, the QuestDirect website and Infocast collaboration tool. Quest presents regional user conferences throughout the world as well as Quest Global Conference (formerly known as FOCUS), which draws nearly 8,000 members of the J.D. Edwards community worldwide. For more information about Quest, call 1.800.225.0517 (North America) or +1 859.226.4307, visit www.questdirect.org or email [e-mail].

About Quest Global Conference

Quest Global Conference (formerly known as FOCUS), is the highly successful annual conference and vendor showcase presented by Quest, an independent organization of J.D. Edwards users, in partnership with J.D. Edwards. Quest Global Conference draws nearly 8,000 members of the J.D. Edwards user community worldwide to Denver each June for four days of networking, knowledge sharing, educational/professional development opportunities, and technology innovations. For more information, call 1.800.225.0517 (North America) or +1 859.226.4307, visit www.questdirect.org or email [e-mail].

About J.D. Edwards & Company

J.D. Edwards (Nasdaq: JDEC) makes customers stronger, enabling them to solve their most important business challenges. The company designs, develops and markets collaborative enterprise software and consulting, education and support services. J.D. Edwards' offerings are differentiated by a deeply ingrained attitude of listening to customers, innovating on their behalf, and delivering solutions as part of a results-oriented relationship. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Denver, Colo., J.D. Edwards focuses on long-term business partnerships and helping its 6,700 customers in more than 110 countries manage their business processes, supply chains, enterprise assets, and supplier and customer relationships. For more information: www.jdedwards.com or 1-800-727-5333.

On June 2, 2003, J.D. Edwards announced that it had entered into a merger agreement with PeopleSoft, Inc., under which J.D. Edwards' business and PeopleSoft's will be merged, and J.D. Edwards will become a wholly owned subsidiary of PeopleSoft. The transaction is anticipated to close in the late third or early fourth calendar quarter. The transaction is subject to regulatory review, approval by the respective companies' stockholders and other customary conditions.

J.D. Edwards(R) is a registered trademark of J.D. Edwards & Company. JDE(TM) is a trademark of J.D. Edwards & Company. J.D. Edwards 5 is a trademark of J.D. Edwards World Source Company. The names of all products and services of J.D. Edwards used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of J.D. Edwards World Source Company. All other product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (R) J.D. Edwards World Source Company 2003.