Commence Corporation Announces Landmark Release of Commence 4.0.

SHREWSBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 6, 1996 --

Internet-enabling, 32-bit support, higher capacities, and other

features expand Commence 4.0 Customer Interaction capabilities

Commence Corporation today introduced Commence 4.0, the most significant and powerful release in the product's history, positioning Commence to expand its share of the Customer Interaction Software (CIS) market.

The release is designed to allow larger capacities, higher performance, improved system administration, and an ability to handle larger enterprise installations. In addition, Commence 4.0 is designed to exploit the Windows 95 and NT platforms via 32-bit support, utilize the Internet/Intranet environments, maximize access and availability of data, and increase system utilization. These new features and enhancements help position Commence as a cost-effective and flexible alternative to other more expensive CIS products.

In conjunction with the release of Commence 4.0, Commence Corporation is also announcing a companion product named Commence Web. This new add-on product will enhance Commence's CIS capabilities by allowing users to expand their system access across the Internet and Intranets.

"Commence 4.0 is the most powerful, easiest to use, and scaleable version of Commence ever released," said Russ Lombardo, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Commence Corporation. "We've been working very hard to make sure our newest release of Commence addresses the most important requests from our customers."

Commence is an excellent product for developing cost-effective solutions for sales force automation, help desk systems, opportunity management, project management, and more.

"We brought a viable customer interaction software product to the masses. Only huge enterprises can afford many of the other CIS products out there today. Commence can deliver similar solutions for any company or department at a fraction of the cost, and in weeks instead of months," continued Lombardo.

Commence 4.0 is Internet-enabled, making it even more attractive to the remote and mobile user because it can now synchronize updates over the Internet, in addition to over LANs and via E-mail. Users are no longer tied to their corporate network since they can now easily and virtually transparently share their Commence updates by utilizing their existing local Internet service provider, instead of making long distance calls. Also, with the addition of E-mail and Internet URL field types within Commence records, users can easily access the Internet with a click of the mouse.

Commence Web adds to the power of Commence 4.0 through its ability to publish information to the World Wide Web by creating views, such as Calendars and Reports, in HTML for users to see from their favorite browsers, like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Since these browsers run on PCs, MACs, and UNIX systems, users can now access their Commence information from a variety of platforms.

Commence Web can also publish other information, such as order forms or trouble tickets, so that Web-based users can enter information which will be sent directly to Commence, added to the Commence database, and synchronized to other authorized users. With this add-on product, users can provide better customer service because Commence Web will enable their customers, for instance, to enter information about a problem, then have Commence log the information, dispatch a technician, and generate a follow-up call to make sure their problem was addressed properly.

"Commence 4.0 and Commence Web allow users to easily and automatically reach out to their customers no matter where they are or what they're using," Lombardo said.

Commence 4.0 can also coexist with Microsoft's suite of products via its new Unified Address Book support. Utilizing the MAPI standard, Commence's information can be visible, or accessed, from the Microsoft Messaging product. Since many other products, including Microsoft's own product suite, will be interfacing with Messaging, they too will be able to access the Commence database. This capability adds an "information-centric" aspect to an otherwise "communication-centric" environment.

Commence 4.0 added significant improvements to a user's ability to access their data. With the addition of intelligent forms, users can set up telemarketing scripts to coach and lead them through data entry, define field validation criteria that's checked immediately, and even trigger an Agent from field-level entries to automatically perform tasks. With the new Visual Basic Scripting feature, Commence 4.0 forms are more powerful and customizable than ever. Forms can also be organized into tabs, each of which contains fields relevant to that particular tab. Additionally, each Commence category (such as company, person, appointment, note, to-do, etc.) can now contain up to half a million records, which can be connected, or related, to other categories.

Founded in 1988, Commence Corporation has a worldwide distribution network with outlets in North and South America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific that serves hundreds of thousands of users. The company has earned several prestigious awards and recognitions worldwide and has strategic business relationships in place with major industry leaders such as IBM, AT&T, Compaq, and Dialogic. Commence Corporation provides an interactive forum on Compuserve (GO COMMENCE) that is actively supported by Commence personnel, including senior-level management and technical engineers. The company also supports an informative Web Site at http://www.commence.com.

For more information, contact Monica Conk, Communications Coordinator, Commence Corporation, Sixty-Six West Gilbert Street, Shrewsbury, New Jersey 07702 at [phone] ext. 203, or FAX at [phone]. -0- All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Commence Corporation

Monica Conk

Communications Coordinator

[phone] ext. 203

[e-mail]