The service consists of a customer-interaction database that keeps current the results of various teams' and team members' work on customer issues or dealings with customers; customers can visit the Web site to participate directly in discussions that affect their relationships with companies. A synchronization tool will be added to the service soon to let users create information portfolios on their customers through existing contact-management applications.

"Our goal was to create an enterprise-class service for customer management similar to Internet services we see today that look more customer-oriented," says Frank Moss, cofounder and chairman of Agillion. Moss was formerly CEO and chairman of Tivoli Systems and the founding VP of Lotus Development Corp.

Mark England, senior VP and partner of Austin McGregor International, an executive-search firm in Dallas, is an early customer who says he's found the service to be "very logical and easy to use. Our customers are our lifeblood, and Agillion has provided us with a seamless way to connect with them." The service gives Austin McGregor a secure means to access customer data around the clock, he says.

"They're managing your information so that you can better understand the history of each customer you deal with," says Fern Halper, director of E-business strategies for the Hurwitz Group. Halper says the service is unique and will be attractive to a large portion of its target audience. Still, she says that not every company will feel comfortable using an outside source for this type of venture. "I believe customer information is strategic information, and some companies may not want to outsource strategic information."

A free preview of the service is available via the company's Web site. The full service will be available in the first quarter of 2000; pricing hasn't been finalized.