Centura to Strengthen Online Banking Customer Service With WebTone's Enterprise-Wide Customer Care Solution.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2001

Leading Financial Services CRM Provider Announces Release of WebTone

Customer Care Suite 2.0

WebTone Technologies, Inc., a pioneer in secure, multimedia customer care and relationship building solutions, announced today it is providing the latest version of its WebTone Customer Care Suite(TM) to Centura Banks, Inc. (NYSE: CBC), a top 75 U.S. bank.

The WebTone Customer Care Suite 2.0 will enable Centura to quickly be able to proactively address its growing customer care needs before service issues even arise. The first step in a major CRM initiative for Centura, WebTone will host its solution on an application service provider (ASP) basis for the $11 billion bank.

"Centura is a customer-driven organization, and we pride ourselves on embracing the technology that best serves our customer," said Kent Miller, Centura's president and CIO of Centura Services. "WebTone's solutions take us beyond the next level of customer care in the Internet service channel to help align our products and services with their needs. And with WebTone's ability to host the application, they have provided us with an attractive alternative to be up and running quickly to provide an immediate value to our customers."

Centura will be utilizing WebTone Response(TM) and WebTone Guides(TM) to help better service its customers. Response will enable Centura to manage high volumes of customer interactions via email in a more intelligent and responsive manner. Response also includes real-time, secure chat which can provide immediate customer contact resolution. Guides will allow Centura to reduce the flow of free-form email, better set customer expectations and improve overall operational efficiency.

"New customer service requirements and changes in workflow brought on by the Internet are diminishing the quality of service most organizations are able to provide," explained Jim Szyperski, president and CEO of WebTone. "Forward-thinking institutions, such as Centura, understand that customer service no longer resides solely in the call center. The entire enterprise must be ready to provide consistent, superior customer care, yet in an efficient and cost-effective manner and with WebTone's proven financial services expertise, our solutions enable institutions to do just that."

The WebTone Customer Care Suite(TM) 2.0 is comprised of components that address all contact management, self-help and marketing requirements including WebTone Response(TM), WebTone Gram(TM), WebTone Guides(TM) and WebTone Campaign Management(TM). WebTone Response provides the enterprise with contact management tools. WebTone Gram and WebTone Guides assist consumers with more secure, efficient communications. And finally, WebTone Campaign Management allows clients to design, execute and measure marketing campaigns.

This latest version provides enhanced features including secure chat, which allows a customer service representative (CSR) to conduct one-on-one chat sessions while protecting sensitive information; a contact management solution that can support multiple lines of business; and an updated version of Gram which allows for massive scaling within large enterprises. Companies can choose to implement the complete, end-to-end WebTone solution or individual modules over time, with WebTone offering its web-based customer interaction solution on an application service provider (ASP) basis, in addition to its corporate licensing model.

WebTone provides enterprise-wide customer care solutions that enable businesses to better align products and services with the anticipated needs of customers. Transcending ordinary customer service, WebTone solutions ensure consistent, superior customer care at all touchpoints throughout the organization while increasing operational efficiencies and enhancing sales and marketing opportunities.

About Centura

Centura Banks Inc., an $11 billion-asset financial services company based in Rocky Mount, N.C., provides a complete line of banking, investment, insurance, leasing, and asset management services to individuals and businesses in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Centura's broad range of financial solutions is provided through Centura Highway, the bank's multifaceted customer access system that includes more than 240 full-service financial offices, telephone banking, an extensive ATM network, PC banking, online bill payment, and the bank's suite of Internet products and services. Additional information may be found on Centura's web site at www.centura.com.

About WebTone

WebTone Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of customer relationship management solutions designed to help companies and customers connect. Leveraging a secure, enterprise-wide customer care architecture, WebTone enables businesses and their customers to communicate more effectively over any communication channel - via the Internet, phone or face-to-face interaction. As a result, WebTone clients are able to provide a higher level of service, thereby strengthening customer relationships and improving their bottom line. Award-winning WebTone lists among its clients one of the world's top three insurance providers, three of North America's largest financial institutions, and an Information Week E-Business 100 company. For more information, please visit www.webtonetech.com, or call 1-866-WebTone.

WebTone, WebTone Response, WebTone Guides, WebTone Campaign Management and WebTone Gram are trademarks of WebTone Technologies, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective companies.