Akibia Continues Geographic Expansion in The U.S.; As Analysts Report CRM Spending to Approach $150 Billion, Boston Based Firm Opens California Office.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2001

Akibia Consulting, the leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, today announced the opening of its San Francisco office. Known for delivering a positive return on investment for companies like Akamai Technologies, Monster.com, Scudder Threadneedle Investments, and Citibank, Akibia is well positioned to seize a market that IDC predicts will grow from $61 billion in 2001 to $148 billion in 2005.

Akibia stands out for developing customized CRM solutions that match a company's long-term business strategy with its technology investment. Akibia's approach emphasizes "Quick Wins," enabling their clients to quantify improvements within weeks of implementation. One of Akibia's critical new services available to businesses in Northern California is a program called Reflexing(TM), a rapid and critical review of a company's existing CRM solution with an eye on improving its impact on the bottom line.

"In the past, many companies thought investing in CRM would be as simple as buying new technology," said Adam Honig, president of Akibia. "Today, those firms are realizing that the technology has to be tailored to their business strategies and goals. We have a particularly strong track record in working with companies, such as American Heart Association, Kroll Worldwide, and Inlumen, to evaluate their existing programs and take the necessary steps to ensure they deliver the intended returns. We've achieved a 100% success rate in each of our offices and we plan on repeating this success rate in our Northern California office."

Akibia's San Francisco office is headed up by Vice President Anisha Mason, who was promoted after working for several years at Akibia. Mason has over a decade of consulting experience that includes in-depth CRM engagements for clients such as Bose Corporation and Boston Medical Technologies. Prior to joining Akibia, Mason was a principal consultant at PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC), where she focused on business process, project management, and practice development for clients with complex architectural, technical, and business issues.

The launch of its Northern California office marks the third recent office opening for Akibia Consulting of Boston, Mass., which experienced 233% revenue growth during its last fiscal year. Akibia recently expanded into Chicago and established its European headquarters in Amsterdam. Akibia prides itself on this local deployment approach. Akibia's 100-percent referenceable clients include market-leading companies in the technology, financial services, and manufacturing and consumer goods industries.

Akibia's new San Francisco office is located at 1 Sansome Street, 21st Floor, San Francisco, CA. Telephone: [phone].

About Akibia Consulting

Akibia Consulting, a division of Akibia, Inc., is the leading provider of CRM solutions for companies who seek to establish leadership positions by optimizing customer relationships. Delivering tailored solutions that seamlessly integrate into a client's technology environment, Akibia is a Siebel Systems Premier Consulting Partner (Nasdaq: SEBL) and a consistent winner of Siebel Systems' Superior Customer Satisfaction Award for quality achievement. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with principal offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London and Amsterdam, the company employs more than 450 multi-talented people worldwide. Clients include Akamai Technologies, Inc., PTC, Bose Corporation, Monster.com, Citibank, and Scudder Threadneedle Investment Services, Ltd. For more information, call [phone] or visit the Akibia website at www.akibia.com.