ATX Communications Dramatically Reduces Training Costs With OutStart Trainersoft.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2004

Telecommunications Leader Cuts Course Development Time by 200

Percent Through the Use of OutStart's Rapid E-Learning Authoring Tool

OutStart, the leading provider of the only proven, content-centric software product family for learning, announced today that ATX Communications, one of the largest and most successful telecommunications companies in the United States, has improved sales readiness by reducing the time associated with developing training courses by 200 percent, through the use of OutStart Trainersoft.

A key reason for ATX's industry leadership is its sales team; it is highly trained and has experienced markedly low attrition. To maintain that competitive advantage, ATX needed training to be available more quickly. ATX realized that in order to keep up with its training needs while keeping the workforce, particularly sales, at a high state of readiness, it needed an e-learning authoring tool that made it easy for everyone, including subject matter experts and managers, to contribute and author content. As a result, the company abandoned its existing authoring tool and embraced OutStart Trainersoft for fast, easy e-learning authoring.

"In just a couple of days after implementing Trainersoft, we realized immediate and dramatic reductions in the time it took to create courses because of the ease of use and intuitiveness of Trainersoft," said Megan Bennett, eLearning Coordinator at ATX Communications. "Subject matter experts and managers are now able to rapidly develop consistent and dynamic course content, enabling ATX to significantly grow its learning initiatives and increase the productivity of our workforce."

With Trainersoft, ATX is producing e-learning courses and assessments 200 percent more quickly than when using the other application. Training is rolled out faster and existing courses are being updated in half the time. Organizational readiness has measurably improved. The increase in training rollouts is also expected to have an impact on the company as courses that are falling out of date can be quickly updated, ensuring that learners only study current materials. The company has also noticed the increase in the rate new content is deployed - expediting and ensuring the success of new product and services rollouts.

"ATX embraced e-learning as a way to improve the performance and productivity of its sales force, but needed a method for developing and delivering high impact training to the entire organization," said Massood Zarrabian, CEO and president of OutStart. "Trainersoft provided ATX with the easy to use e-learning authoring tool it needed to meet its current and future training needs, while having an immediate impact on its business."

In the future, ATX will be providing e-learning for its customers to not only improve customer satisfaction, but also give customers easy access to self-help courses resulting in a new revenue opportunity.

About ATX Communications

Founded in 1985, ATX Communications is a facilities-based integrated communications provider offering local exchange carrier and inter-exchange carrier telephone, Internet, e-business, high-speed data, and wireless services to businesses in targeted markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States. Through its various subsidiaries, ATX's parent company currently serves more than 300,000 business and residential customers. For more information about ATX, please visit www.atx.com.

About OutStart

OutStart provides learning and knowledge-sharing software applications to mid-market, government, and Global 2000 organizations. OutStart customers build competitive advantage by making customers, employees, and partners more knowledgeable and better trained through superior content development, management, and delivery. The company's approach is learner-focused and content-centric.

OutStart's award-winning, product family enables people to know exactly what they need to be better at their jobs and to learn when, where, and how they want. Customers like AT&T Wireless, Kaiser Permanente, Steelcase, the U.S. Navy, and Westland Helicopters rely on OutStart to increase individual and organizational performance, improve knowledge transfer, and lower operating costs. Headquartered in Boston, MA, OutStart has offices throughout the US and Europe and can be found on the Web at www.outstart.com.