Salesforce.com Acquires InStranet
By CXOtoday Staff
Mumbai, 25 Aug 2008, 1820 hrs IST

Salesforce.com has acquired InStranet, a provider of knowledge management technology for business to consumer (B2C) call centers. The acquisition gives Salesforce access to the knowledge base Dimensions technology.

Salesforce is hopeful that it can leverage this technology to enable customers and call center agents to solve queries more quickly.

"Not only will it (InStranet) make our service and support offering stronger for our customers and further their success, but it will help catapult our growth in the customer service and support space," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO at salesforce.com.

InStranet's knowledge base Dimensions technology adds the customer's context, such as product or geography, to the knowledge base to zero in on the right solution and eliminate irrelevant search results. It is based on an open architecture

Salesforce.com has announced that it is adding this technology as a key component to Salesforce CRM Customer Service & Support, enhancing its Call Center and Customer Portal applications.

In the press statement, Aaron Katz, area VP (corporate sales) of Salesforce.com APAC said the acquisition present a huge opportunity for the company in India, given the booming BPO industry in the country.

InStranet is headquartered in Chicago, with most of its operations in Paris, France. Salesforce has said that it has plans to fully integrate the InStranet management team and employees.

The acquisition closed on August 4, 2008, for approximately $ 31.5 million, which includes the assumption of $ 4.2 million in cash on InStranet's balance sheet.

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