Circuit City Stores, Inc. Uses Automated Agent Technology to Enhance Customer Satisfaction; Circuit City Customer Support Center Deploys a Second Automated Agent.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. & RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2003--LiveWire Logic, Inc. today announced extended use by Circuit City Stores, Inc. of their RealDialog(TM) self-service solution. In March 2003, Circuit City became the first large consumer retailer to employ RealDialog's automated agent.

"We invested in a self-service solution with the expectation that our customers would realize an enhanced quality of service through more timely and informative responses," stated Bill McCorey, vice president of MIS Computer Services for Circuit City.

By centralizing product and service information in the RealDialog Agent, customer support associates offer responses with increased efficiency and reliability. Reporting functionality in the RealDialog Agent gives valuable data on consumer trends and areas for improvement. Circuit City customer support is now using the two Agents in new-hire training, greatly reducing the need for paper materials.

Fast Deployment for Quick ROI 

Circuit City's first agent went live within two months of purchase- the number of questions asked by users has continued to increase and in June, the virtual agent responded directly to the users 93 percent of the time. The second agent went live in less than two weeks time, delivering high initial accuracy, as RealDialog leveraged the existing content from the first agent.

"The addition of the automated Agents supports our efforts to enhance pre and post-sale customer satisfaction", stated Mike Snodgress, customer service manager for Circuit City. "Ease of maintenance was also important - we needed a solution that didn't require high-cost programmers."

About RealDialog

RealDialog provides the most cost-effective approach to online self-service with a product that approaches the effectiveness of human-assisted services. Deployment is quick, providing a rapid return on investment. Design, maintenance, and administration are simple, even for non-programming personnel, employing drag and drop and automated authoring functionality.

"We are thrilled to be teamed with Circuit City," stated Mike Lough, chief executive officer of LiveWire Logic. "We share goals on how we can deliver improved customer service, with lower costs, through automated customer self-service."

About LiveWire Logic

RealDialog is the key product and technology created by LiveWire Logic, a privately held company located in Research Triangle Park Area of North Carolina. Dr. James Lester, a renowned research scientist in computational linguistics, and key members of his research team, founded the company in 2000. The founding team specializes in intelligent virtual agents and computational linguistics, and is recognized as leaders in advanced artificial intelligence research. More information is available at www.realdialog.com.

About Circuit City Stores, Inc.

With headquarters in Richmond, Va., Circuit City Stores, Inc. puts the customer first with high-quality service and more than 5,000 consumer electronics products available in its stores and online at www.circuitcity.com. Top-quality, low-priced products; detailed product information; and product specialists, who complete extensive online and in-store training programs, are all a part of Circuit City's promise to provide superior consumer electronics solutions to its customers. Circuit City's remodel and relocation program reflects the changing needs of consumer electronics shoppers; the stores are brighter and more open, the aisles are wider and virtually every product Circuit City sells is on the sales floor for easy customer access. Circuit City is committed to families and is the official sponsor of ImageMakers, the Boys & Girls Club of America's national photography contest. Circuit City operates 612 Circuit City Superstores and 13 mall-based Circuit City Express stores in 159 markets.