On January 7th, Microsoft announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Parature, a leading provider of cloud-based customer service solutions. The acquisition will strengthen Microsoft Dynamics CRM by extending its ability to deliver amazing customer experiences.
Parature is the leading provider of cloud-based customer service software, supporting 70 million end users worldwide and more than 3000 brands, including IBM, Saba Software Inc., Ask.com, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The company received the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Customer Value Enhancement Award for its use of social media to help its users deliver outstanding customer service.
Parature gives its users an extendable knowledge base available via self-service portals on the Web and Facebook, support ticketing, mobile customer care on virtually any device the customer uses, social customer support, and chat for both traditional customer service and proactive sales engagement. These capabilities will complement Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s core strengths in workflow, extensibility, and process-driven user experiences.
Bob Stutz, corporate vice president of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, says, “Customers are more connected and better informed than ever before. Organizations are looking for business solutions that can strengthen their ability to connect with customers on their own terms, using whatever device and whatever channel they prefer. Parature is a perfect fit for every business and will enable us to offer customers one of the best cloud-based solutions for customer self-service. This is a compelling combination for organizations committed to delivering the best service experience that consistently exceeds customers’ expectations.”
