Following successful pilot scheme, Sage refocuses Business Partner community to improve customer migration experience

Newcastle, 31st March 2010 - Sage UK, a leader in business management software and services, today announced the names of 19 Business Partners who have been selected for its 2010 Customer Development Centre (CDC) Programme.

Piloted throughout 2009, Sage’s CDC initiative has been designed to better support the hundreds of customers who migrate each year from Sage 50 to the Sage 200 Suite. Members have been chosen from Sage’s existing 160-strong Business Partner community, based on seven areas of excellence, including: Sales, Implementation & Support Expertise; Migration success track record; and Customer Feedback.

“At Sage, we support more than 800,000 businesses across the country and understand the value of delivering an extraordinary customer experience. Sage 200 marks the transition point when many organisations recognise that an out of the box product no longer supports the complexities of their operations and they turn to our dedicated business partner network for a more customised solution,” explained Steve Attwell, General Manager, Sage UK’s Business Partner and Retail Division. “By identifying these experts in our channel, we believe the CDC Programme will give businesses even more confidence to make the step and transform their business.”

Sage has named the following members of the 2010 Customer Development Centre Programme:
• Acuity Solutions of Walton On Thames, Surrey
• Centre Point Software of London
• Concentrix of Loughborough, Leicestershire
• CPiO of Birmingham
• Datel Computing of Warrington, Cheshire
• Diazone Computer Services of Letchworth, Herts
• DMC Software Solutions of Peterborough
• Espi of Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire
• Eureka Solutions of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire
• FD Systems of Cardiff
• Innov8 Technology of Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Pinnacle Computing of Belfast
• Plus One of Aberdeen
• Prosys Computing of Cardiff
• Sicon of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
• Solutions for Accounting of Nottingham
• Technology Partners of Slough, Berkshire
• Viking Management Systems of Pocklington, North Yorkshire
• Wharncliffe Business Systems of Barnsley, South Yorkshire

According to FD Systems’ Director, Nick Tucker, Sage’s CDC initiative provides a renewed focus on helping businesses migrate to customised software, which better supports more complex business requirements: “Acceptance into Sage’s CDC Programme is a mark of quality that tells customers we are experts in our field and know how to successfully deliver a customised solution which meets their needs. This commitment aims to reassure Sage 50 customers they are in safe hands.”

About Sage (UK) Limited

Sage (UK) Limited is a subsidiary of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software solutions and related products and services, principally for small to medium-sized enterprises. In the UK, Sage provides software and services to more than 780,000 businesses ranging from start-ups to large companies. This software ranges from accounts and ERP, HR and payroll, forecasting and business intelligence to customer relationship management, e-business and help for start-ups. Services include Excel Support, HR Advice, Health and Safety Advice and training courses