OAK BROOK (IL) 26 November, 2001. Interface Software, developer of InterAction, the leading client relationship management (CRM) solution for professional services, announced today that Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm, has joined a growing roster of financial services firms to choose InterAction. The firm will centralize its relationship information on InterAction because of the system’s unique capabilities targeted at the financial services industry.

Thoma Cressey Equity Partners had been using an internally developed Filemaker Pro database to manage firm-wide contacts, maintain mailing lists and track deal flow. But without a centralized relational CRM package, managing critical Relationship Intelligence was difficult. Ryan Bohr, an associate with the firm, had used InterAction previously at an investment banking firm and recommended it to his colleagues. They were enthusiastic about the system’s capabilities.

"We weren’t interested in a traditional CRM product," said Bohr. "Those systems are generally geared towards managing and supporting a sales organization. We needed the ability to track information relevant to our business – the relationships between investors, intermediaries, executives and business partners such as lawyers and accountants. The CRM package we needed had to allow us easily to track and manage customized Relationship Intelligence, such as who knows whom, who was involved in which deal, who referred us business, and similar information. InterAction is well designed for this purpose."

Bohr said that the ability to track and manage this strategic information with InterAction is fundamental to maintaining and building institutional knowledge that has great value in the private equity business. "Being able to better track our relationships and leverage them throughout our organization will allow us to be more productive."

Rick Klau, Interface Software’s Vice President of Vertical Markets, said that Interface Software’s domain expertise in the professional services sector sets InterAction apart from traditional CRM products. "InterAction does not try to be all things to all companies. We focus exclusively on understanding how financial services and other professional services organizations function and translating this knowledge into highly tailored software. Thoma Cressey Equity Partners joins a growing roster of over 280 firms worldwide that have chosen InterAction over traditional CRM software. We are delighted in their decision and confident they will enjoy considerable returns as a result."

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InterAction is a registered trademark of Interface Software, Inc. All other product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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