CRM vendor Kana readies hosted service

The online service will be charged monthly per user

CRM and call-centre firm Kana Software is building up its software-as-a-service capabilities to challenge the likes of RightNow Technologies.

Kana, a one-time darling of the dot-coms, began piloting a service with some customers earlier this year and plans a full launch in the autumn. The service, charged monthly per user, will complement rather than replace Kana’s on-premises offerings.

“It’s about offering flexibility of choice and customers being able to acquire software on the business model that works best for them and then be able to move from one model to another,” said Michael Fields, Kana’s chief executive officer. “We intend to be the leading on-demand player in the market. We think that [rival] solutions today are functionally lightweight and lack scalability. I don’t know a mid-market company that doesn’t think it’s going to be a big company one day.”

Kana saw its fortunes slide on the bursting of the dot-com bubble. However, the company recently returned to profitability and expects to return to a full stock market listing.