Answer is first UNIX-based Help Desk Software Supplier to Integrate Product with AT&T/Novell NetWare Telephony Services.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 1994--Answer Systems Inc., the leading supplier of client/server help desk software for the Corporate Answer Center, Wednesday announced at the Unicom tradeshow that it will integrate NetWare Telephony Services, a product jointly offered by AT&T and Novell, with Apriori, Answer's flagship help desk software.

The combination of these two products will for the first time enable corporations to integrate communications systems, computer networks and UNIX-based help desk software into a single, powerful desktop tool.

Answer Systems is the first help desk software supplier to leverage the benefits of NetWare Telephony Services. "NetWare Telephony Services represents a major step forward in office automation. Answer is excited to be the first help desk software provider to offer these robust capabilities to customers.

"This agreement enables us to deliver on our strategy of providing integrated telephony services as part of our next generation of help desk solutions," said Brian Aspland, president and CEO of Answer Systems. "Our customers experience impressive productivity improvements within weeks of installing Apriori. This integration with NetWare Telephony Services makes their systems even more powerful."

NetWare Telephony Services, introduced in March 1994, links office communication and computer networks and provides a platform for integrated voice-mail, fax and electronic mail capabilities. The interface between NetWare Telephony Services and software applications is achieved by passing information through a PBX and a server to communications software, called Telephony Services Applications Programming Interface (TSAPI).

TSAPI enables software applications to be telephony enabled. Voice, fax, and electronic capabilities significantly extend the usefulness of a Corporate Answer Center solution, completely automating call processing and look-up functions and giving users a range of methods for accessing problem-solving information.

"Apriori is an excellent example of the type of advanced software solution that showcases NetWare Telephony Services capabilities," said Allen Rehert, vice president of Worktop Products and Applications for AT&T.

"Customers today require open platforms that maximize investments and effortlessly integrate basic office tools such as the telephone, the fax machine and e-mail with the applications that run their business. We are pleased that Answer Systems will offer these advanced capabilities with their leading help desk solution."

NetWare Telephony Services cuts PC-Phone Integration costs

Apriori joins 100 software companies that are developing advanced applications for NetWare Telephony Services, which enable users to immediately view pop-up windows, schedule conference calls to begin automatically and take advantage of other features associated with their telephone system.

NetWare Telephony Services eliminates the cost and administrative overhead of installing special hardware in every personal computer, adding secondary phone lines and connecting every PC to a desktop telephone. The only physical connection established is between the communications system and NetWare server.

Answer Systems Inc.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Answer Systems pioneered and leads the market for client/server help desk solutions for the Corporate Answer Center. Privately held, Answer has sustained five straight quarters of profitability and a 100 percent-plus compound annual growth rate since 1990.

The company's Apriori family of support applications are the only products of their kind to deliver just-in-time (JIT) problem resolution -- the key to productivity and return on investment for support organizations wrestling with today's fast-changing customer problems and knowledge requirements.

Answer customers include: Barclays Bank, Cargill, Ford Motor Co., France Telecom, The Gap, Interleaf, J.C. Penney, Kellogg's, Harvard University, Lehman Brothers and Prudential Securities.

Answer Systems is located at 2 North Second St., Suite 1000, San Jose, Calif. 95113; 408/280-5110; Fax: [phone]. Outside Calif., 800/677-2679.

-0-

Note to Editors: Apriori is a registered trademark, and Bubble-Up is a trademark of Answer Systems Inc.

CONTACT: Answer Systems Inc., San Jose

             Suzanne Deppe, 408/280-5110
             Samluk Communications
             Donna Samluk/Susan Trainer, 510/736-8166