Microsoft has arranged to acquire Parature, a provider of cloud-based customer engagement products and services.
Microsoft said the acquisition will allow it to offer a cloud-based solution for customer self-service. The portfolio will be integrated into Microsoft's Dynamics offering.
Parature has 70 million users worldwide and more than 500 well-known brands, including Ask.com, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, IBM, Saba Software Inc., Tagged Inc. and Threadless.
Its products allow organizations to operate self-service portals on the Web and Facebook, provide support ticketing, mobile customer care on virtually any device, social customer support and chat for both traditional customer service scenarios and proactive sales engagement.
"Customers are more connected and better informed than ever before. Organizations are looking for business solutions that can strengthen their ability to connect with customers on their own terms, using whatever device and whatever channel they prefer," said Bob Stutz, corporate vice president, Microsoft Dynamics CRM.