SAP tries to poach users

Incentive programme is initially available to US companies

Enterprise applications vendor SAP has extended its Safe Passage programme to Siebel customers, in an effort to persuade them to migrate to SAP systems before Siebel is purchased by Oracle.

The incentive programme is initially available to US companies, and SAP has not yet said when it will be rolled out in the UK.

Safe Passage offers incentives such as financial support, consulting assessments and conversion tools to smooth the path for firms wanting to switch from their existing customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise res- ource planning (ERP) products to SAP systems. The incentives, previously available to PeopleSoft, JD Edwards and Retek customers, have now been extended to Siebel users concerned about the future of their CRM applications.

But speaking at its CustomerWorld event in October, Siebel chief George Shaheen criticised SAP’s attempts to poach customers. “If your product is so good why do you have to incentivise it?” he asked.