ICL and MGB Computer Services Ltd, based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, have announced Credit Manager, a customer account management system for retailers. It is a database software package written in Cobol, and implemented on ICL System 25s. However, it may be migrated in the future to other systems, including ICL’s Unix line. Credit Manager, launched on the expectation of 20m more credit card users in the 1990s, is designed primarily for large users, and will sell for between UKP100,000 and UKP400,000. The new system collects information from electronic point of sale devices. This, claims Alex Blues, MGB’s marketing director, will enable retailers to make better use of customer information and enable more effective mailshot and marketing activities. Bob Dixon, general manager of North Eastern Co-operative Financial Services, feels that the advantage of Credit Manager lies in its database, which makes possible closer contact with customers rather than simply with accounts. It is being marketed in the UK and the rest of Europe, but there are no plans at present to offer in the US, despite ICL’s new role as a leading player in the US retail market following its parent STC Plc’s Christmas present to the UK flagship computer company of National Semiconductor’s Datachecker business.
