Bell Tech.logix Signs License Agreement With Interactive Intelligence; Interaction Management Software to Power Bell Tech.logix's New Technology Center.

Business Editors, High Tech Writers

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2001

Bell Tech.logix, a business group of Bell Industries, Inc. (AMEX:BI) and leading technology infrastructure solutions provider for middle market organizations, has signed a license agreement with Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:ININ), a global developer of interaction management software, to deploy a suite of communications applications at its new technology center located in Indianapolis.

Bell Tech.logix is licensing Interactive Intelligence's Customer Interaction Center(TM) (CIC) software to offer multi-channel communication options to its customers. Bell Tech.logix selected CIC due to its open, software-based architecture and comprehensive feature set. The benefits of this architecture include reduced start-up and maintenance costs, simplified administration and increased ease of customization.

Using CIC, Bell Tech.logix plans to increase productivity and improve responsiveness to customer inquiries. CIC applications that will be deployed at Bell Tech.logix's new technology center include auto attendant, unified messaging, e-mail routing, presence management and conferencing, as well as full telephone and Web interaction capabilities.

"Interactive Intelligence's software will allow Bell Tech.logix to interact with our customers through multiple channels, giving them the choice to communicate through the medium they prefer," said Tracy A. Edwards, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Bell Industries, Inc. "With CIC, we're able to help our customers avoid the information silo effect that results from disparate communications solutions. This agreement with Interactive Intelligence is an important step in our strategy to develop strong relationships with innovative technology providers. With Bell Tech.logix's long history and strong presence in Indiana, the opportunity to establish a relationship with another Indiana based technology company makes this agreement especially rewarding."

"We designed our software to give companies like Bell Tech.logix an alternative to expensive and complex computer telephony integration solutions," said Dr. Donald E. Brown, president and chief executive officer of Interactive Intelligence. "Their understanding of technology and its smart application to improving customer service will help them to maximize the virtually limitless flexibility of CIC."

About Bell Tech.logix

Bell Tech.logix, a business group of Bell Industries, Inc. (AMEX:BI), provides scaleable technology infrastructure solutions for middle market organizations. The company's consulting services focus on the design and management of wide scale infrastructure transitions. Bell Tech.logix's total life cycle solutions consist of systems integration, product logistics, project management, educational services, distributed technology support, and technical maintenance. The company has over 20 years of deep technology industry expertise and strong financial support.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Bell Tech.logix is a multi-regional enterprise with offices and service facilities throughout the Midwest and Atlantic regions. Additional information about the company is available by calling 800-722-1599 in the Midwest Region, 800-788-3234 in the Atlantic Region or at www.belltechlogix.com.

About Interactive Intelligence Inc.

Interactive Intelligence Inc. (NASDAQ:ININ) is a global developer of interaction management software designed to automate virtually every aspect of business communications. The company was founded in 1994 and, today, has a worldwide customer base of more than 650 companies. Based on an open, unified platform, the Interactive Intelligence product line offers a flexible and affordable solution to contact centers, e-businesses, enterprises and service providers. The Interactive Intelligence product line is subject to numerous United States and international patents pending. Interactive Intelligence has won numerous awards, including Microsoft's 1998 Fastest Growing Independent Software Vendor's (ISV's) award and Red Herring's Top 100 Technology IPOs of 1999. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis with European headquarters in France and Asia Pacific headquarters in Japan. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or www.ININ.com.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: rapid technological changes in the industry, volatility in the market price of the company's common stock; the company's ability to achieve profitability, to manage successfully its growth and increasingly complex third party relationships, to maintain successful relationships with its current and any new resellers, to maintain and improve its current products and to develop new products and to protect its proprietary rights adequately; and other factors described in the company's SEC filings, including the company's latest annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Copyright(c) 1994 - 2001 Interactive Intelligence Incorporated. All rights reserved. Interactive Intelligence(R), Enterprise Interaction Center(R), EIC(TM), Interaction Center(TM), Interaction Center Platform(TM), Customer Interaction Center(TM), CIC(TM), Service Interaction Center(TM), SIC(TM), Interaction Recorder(TM), Interaction Dialer(TM), Interaction Director(TM), e-FAQ(TM), Wireless Interaction Client(TM) and Mobilite(TM) are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Interactive Intelligence, Inc. All other products and company names should be considered servicemarks or trademarks of their respective companies.

View Bell Tech.logix press releases at: http://www.belltechlogix.com/news/announcements.htm

View Interactive Intelligence press releases at: http://www.inin.com/News/PressReleases/pressreleases.asp