Circles Adds Twenty-four New Companies to Its Nationwide Client Roster.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2000

Fastest Growing Provider of Personal Services Addresses Needs of

Busy Time Starved Professionals while Helping Companies Attract and

Retain Employees and Customers

Circles, the innovative personal services company, today announced the addition of 24 new clients to its roster, including Allaire Corporation, Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Ernst and Young. As one of the fastest growing providers of personal services, Circles reliably completes simple, complex and unique tasks for time starved professionals by integrating their leading edge technology and proprietary knowledge base with a nationwide network of "high touch" personal assistants. Circles' broad range of services are specifically designed for companies that want to build life-long relationships with their employees and customers by offering personal services as a benefit or loyalty enhancement.

During the second quarter of 2000, Circles added the following clients to its' roster: A.T. Kearney, Allaire Corporation, Alpha Industries, American Superconductor, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Datex-Ohmeda, Ernst and Young, First Data, FitzGerald Communications, Inc., Foxboro, Haff Financial, Holland Mark Edmund Ingalls, Hyperion, LHS Priority Call, McKinsey & Company, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Natural Microsystems, Inc., Phone.com, Rare Medium, Service Soft, Synopsis, Thomas Weisel Partners, TL Ventures/Enertech Capital, Trident Capital and Zefer.

"The ultra competitive market to instill loyalty with the most valuable employees or customers has lead many companies to add personal services to their benefits roster," said Circles co-founder and chief growth officer, Kathy Sherbrooke. "Many of our new clients are progressive companies that must accommodate the needs of busy, stressed or frequently traveling employees that need help getting things done."

"Circles is pushing the envelope on delivering what busy people want: best-in-class personal services that can be accessed via a members-only web site or live interaction with a personal assistant," said Victoria Sullivan, vice president of human resources, Allaire Corporation "Our decision to offer Circles personal services to our 600+ employees will assist us in increasing employee retention, improve recruitment and enhance overall productivity. In addition, it allows us to promote a healthy work/life balance philosophy as well as make Allaire a better place to work."

Other Circles clients, including major hotels, airlines and credit card companies, are using personal services to attract and retain customers. With "exclusive" products, such as frequent flyer mile programs, becoming commoditized, these companies must offer highly differentiated and in-demand offerings to retain their affluent customers.

"We expect to grow our roster of customer loyalty clients substantially this quarter," said Sherbrooke. "Companies with significant customer loyalty programs are increasingly turning to personal services to increase customer retention while generating new revenue and developing closer relationships with their consumers."

About Circles

Purchased as a customer retention and acquisition tool or as an employee benefit, Circles delivers personal services to companies who are looking to implement innovative programs to build life-long relationships with their customers or employees. Circles business-to-business model combines a high tech Internet infrastructure and high touch personal assistance to help its members in accomplishing any mission from finding that perfect gift to securing tickets to a sold out concert to planning a complete family vacation -- nothing is too simple, hard to find or complex.

Circles is venture-backed by TL Ventures, Trident Capital and GE Capital. The company currently has 230 employees, including 150 highly trained personal assistants. More information about the company is available on its website, www.circles.com.