AppliedTheory and NativeMinds Partner to Develop Automated Online Natural Language Sales and Service Solutions.Business Editors & Internet/High-Tech Writers NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2000 Agreement to Integrate Innovative vRep Technology for Highly Sophisticated e-Business Solutions and Unprecedented Virtual Customer Support AppliedTheory Corporation (Nasdaq:ATHY), a premier provider of integrated Internet Business Solutions, and NativeMinds Inc., the leading provider of automated, natural-language customer service and sales representatives for the Internet, today announced an agreement to integrate NativeMinds' vRep technology with AppliedTheory's innovative e-business solutions for Fortune 1000 customers. Virtual Representatives, or vReps(TM), are automated online personalities that effectively engage and support customers on the Internet in the same way human sales representatives do at leading brick-and-mortar companies -- via fast, informative and enjoyable two-way conversation using plain English Plain English (sometimes known, more broadly, as plain language) is a communication style that focuses on considering the audience's needs when writing. It recommends avoiding unnecessary words and avoiding jargon, technical terms, and long and ambiguous sentences. . Companies currently using NativeMinds software include Oracle, Convergys, SmithKline Beecham, reflect.com and Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (ISIN: DE0005557508, FWB: DTE, NYSE: DT, LSE: DEU, TYO: 9496 ) (abbreviated DTAG) is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Germany and in the EU. subsidiary One 2 One. AppliedTheory will incorporate software and services from NativeMinds to build sophisticated vReps into customer solutions for improved customer satisfaction, increased customer lifetime revenues and significant, measurable ROI (Return On Investment) The monetary benefits derived from having spent money on developing or revising a system. In the IT world, there are more ways to compute ROI than Carter has liver pills (and for those of you who never heard of that expression, it means a lot). . As part of the integration of customer solutions, AppliedTheory and NativeMinds will collaborate on training and support, as well as participate in joint marketing activities. Current AppliedTheory customers include Carrier, Citibank, Nextlink, Oneida and Ziff-Davis. "AppliedTheory incorporates a core principle of superior customer service and support through best-of-breed technology solutions," said Richard Mandelbaum, AppliedTheory's CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and chairman of the board. "NativeMinds provides a truly compelling technology and measurable ROI that greatly enhances our ability to provide customers with highly-effective, enterprise-scale eCommerce and support solutions." vReps can be integrated with existing business systems such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the presales and postsales activities in an organization. , eCommerce, order tracking and shipping applications, enabling customers and employees alike to access and leverage data from disparate sources via an intuitive, unified natural language interface. Drawing information from these multiple systems, a vRep provides the first line of round-the-clock customer service and online sales assistance -- fast becoming a necessary competitive tool in today's Internet economy The Internet Economy refers to conducting business through markets whose infrastructure is based on the Internet and World-Wide Web. An Internet economy differs from a traditional economy in a number of ways, including: communication, market segmentation, distribution costs, and price. . For e-businesses, this level of responsiveness and customization deepens online customer relationships while reducing customer service costs. "AppliedTheory is recognized internationally for its excellence in e-Business solutions with particular emphasis on customer service and support," said NativeMinds CEO Walter Tackett. "By leveraging NativeMinds' vRep technology solutions, this partnership will enable businesses to automate real-time customer interactions at lower costs, and deliver the ideal bricks-and-mortar customer service experience on the Web." About AppliedTheory With deep roots in the emerging Internet marketplace See vertical portal and Web hub. , AppliedTheory offers a peerless strategic vision to companies and public sector organizations seeking everything from simple Internet access See how to access the Internet. to sophisticated large-scale, Internet-based application development. AppliedTheory's integrated solutions are tailored not only to the customer's immediate needs, but are engineered to respond to future demand, with an emphasis on customer support and service. Together with its strategic business partners, AppliedTheory implements a broad range of best-of-breed services nationwide, including e-Business Solutions, needs assessment and security consulting, AIP AIP acute intermittent porphyria. AIP Acute intermittent porphyria and Web site hosting, Internet access, Virtual Private Network (VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. ) implementation and ongoing end-to-end support. More than a technology company, AppliedTheory understands the Internet business and how to do business on the Internet. AppliedTheory is headquartered in New York. For more information, access the company's Web site at http://www.appliedtheory.com. About NativeMinds Incorporated in 1996, NativeMinds (formerly Neuromedia) is the leading provider of software and services to create automated natural-language customer service and sales representatives -- vReps -- for eCRM. Leading customers of NativeMinds' vRep solutions include Oracle, Convergys, One 2 One, Axcess.com, Procter & Gamble, reflect.com, SmithKline Beecham and Track Data. NativeMinds is a privately held corporation Noun 1. privately held corporation - a corporation owned by a few people; shares have no public market close corporation, closed corporation, private corporation based in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . For more information, visit www.nativeminds.com. Note to Editors: NativeMinds, Neuromedia, vReps, NeuroService, NeuroCommerce and the NativeMinds logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of NativeMinds Inc. All other names or products are the property of their respective holders. |
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