Services Organizations Report Strong ROI with Epicor

Analyst Research Reveals Epicor for Service Enterprises Enables Significant Return on Investment, Estimated Over a Five Year Period

IRVINE, Calif. /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Epicor Software Corporation (Nasdaq: EPIC), a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions for the midmarket and divisions of the Global 1000, today announced results of an independent research report conducted by Service Performance Insight Research (SPI). The report was commissioned by Epicor to discern and quantify the benefits of implementing the Epicor for Service Enterprises solution, a system designed to optimize the processes of project-based professional and embedded service firms from initial bid to successful delivery.

SPI surveyed and interviewed a comprehensive sampling of professional services organizations, averaging 1,350 employees each and billing an average of $170 million annually. The report, "Increasing Enterprise Visibility Provides a Competitive Edge in Professional Services," estimates that the ROI on an implementation of Epicor for Service Enterprises can reach as much as 300% over a five-year period. Additional results for the reporting companies included an average of:

• 5% utilization increase
  
• 6.7% increase in project ROI
  
• 18% time reduction in delivery to billing
  
• 14.4% time reduction in invoice to payment
  
• 13.1% time reduction in analysis to project closure

R. David Hofferberth, P.E., Managing Director of SPI Research and author of the report, explained, "Prior to this report, true ROI for enterprise service automation (ESA) solutions like Epicor was sparsely documented. The survey results and interview feedback point to Epicor for Service Enterprises as a cost-effective solution that has delivered true ROI and enabled users to move from tactical to strategic."

Shifting Market Trends and Dynamics

With the increased demand from clients for real-time, 24-by-seven information and faster and more clearly demonstrable results, services firms are looking to leverage technologies to help them keep up with changing market dynamics.

Survey respondents noted that changes in the economic landscape have led them to modify services and contractual structures to meet their clients' demand for fixed time/fixed price offerings. Epicor for Service Enterprises provides these companies with the tools to operate efficiently so they can maximize profitability while still delivering on client demands for shorter engagements with fixed deliverables and fees.

"The trend towards fixed rate client relationships is an opportunity for service organizations to become more precise in forecasting cash flow, however, it also presents a challenge to operate with optimal efficiency and resource utilization in order to maximize profitability," said Hofferberth. "Through the survey results it is evident that Epicor for Service Enterprises delivers an integrated and comprehensive picture of the business that enables service organizations to look at data strategically and quickly determine which services are most in demand and most profitable."

As the first ESA solution with a completely service-oriented architecture (SOA) built using Microsoft .NET and Web services technology, Epicor for Service Enterprises delivers tightly embedded and extensive client-focused capabilities that enable real-time visibility into operational and financial information. Furthermore, the solution's SOA provides the flexibility needed to adapt to shifting business demands and related process changes, without recourse to customization.

The complete report can be downloaded from http://solutions.epicor.com/spi-survey/ or www.SPIresearch.com.