AVST Augments Enterprise Communications Application with Industry's First Personalized 'Acknowledge' Feature.

Business Editors

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2004

Patent-Pending Feature Enhances Call Answering and Management

Services in a Mobile Environment

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies Inc. (AVST) today announced that it has enhanced its speech-enabled enterprise communications application (ECA) with a significant new feature that offers call recipients a convenient way to quickly acknowledge callers even when they are not immediately available to take the call. This unique patent-pending feature, called Acknowledge, addresses the growing requirement for improved communications and accessibility for mobile professionals.

A leading provider of ECAs for converged voice and data environments, AVST has integrated the Acknowledge feature into its unified communications platform, CallXpress(R), via its speech-enabled call management module, Seneca(TM), to improve business processes and communications. The feature allows mobile users to speak the word "acknowledge" into their phones, and record a brief personalized message telling callers why they cannot accept a call and when they will call back.

"Every day, professionals receive important phone calls while sitting in business meetings," said Tom Minifie, AVST's Vice President of Product Management. "Instead of ignoring these calls or sending them directly to voicemail, Acknowledge gives mobile workers the opportunity to immediately respond even though they are unavailable. It's another example of our commitment to delivering superior call management features for today's workforce through the continued development of our speech recognition technology."

The Acknowledge feature saves both the caller and recipient's time by allowing the recipient to:

-- Avoid interrupting meetings, activities and projects to engage

in two-way phone conversations

-- Immediately convey important information to callers prior to

sending them to voice mail

-- Prevent playing phone tag by letting callers know when they

will be available to talk

-- Provide quick information or provide an alternate resource to

contact when not immediately available

There are no other solutions on the market today that allow call recipients to record personalized messages to acknowledge incoming calls. Comparable features allow recipients to choose from pre-selected greetings, but do not provide message personalization. Minifie added, "AVST developed the Acknowledge feature with personalization capabilities to enable users to easily adapt to different situations and respond appropriately on a caller-by-caller basis."

The patent that AVST has filed for the Acknowledge feature is the seventh technology patent filed by the company. The move to patent this feature, and other technology innovations developed by the world-class engineering department of AVST, demonstrates the company's aggressive goal to protect its intellectual property.

The Acknowledge feature is available now and has been integrated into the latest version of Seneca, the CallXpress speech-enabled call management module.

About AVST

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies Inc. (AVST) is a leading developer of enterprise communications applications for businesses of all sizes. Through its world-class unified communications platform, CallXpress(R), and its innovative speech applications module, Seneca(TM), AVST offers the industry's most powerful suite of enterprise communications applications. AVST's solutions enable direct access to an enterprise's communications infrastructure including voicemail, e-mail and fax messaging from any voice or data device via a touch-tone, GUI or speech interface. Established in September 2003, AVST was formed from the combined businesses of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the CallXpress division (established in 1982) of Captaris Inc.

AVST, with headquarters in Foothill Ranch, maintains facilities in Bellevue, Wash., and the United Kingdom and has remote sales offices across the United States. With over 30,000 systems installed worldwide, AVST's communications solutions are sold and supported internationally by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners. For more information call Denny Michael, VP of Marketing at 949-699-2300 or access the company's Web site at www.avstgroup.com.