Data General Selects ServiceSoft for Company-Wide Knowledge Management; Employees Worldwide Benefit from Data General's Commitment to Intelligent Online Support.

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1998--ServiceSoft Corporation , the leader in Web knowledge-based solutions for automated customer service, today announced that Data General Corporation, a leading supplier of servers, storage systems, and services, has chosen ServiceSoft's advanced solutions for automated employee self-service and facilitated problem resolution on the help desk. Data General's selection was based on the power of ServiceSoft's solutions to capture, organize and distribute support expertise within enterprise organizations. Data General will use ServiceSoft's Web Advisor and Knowledge Builder in conjunction with Remedy's ARS System to create a comprehensive employee support system for answering software, hardware and networking questions.

Data General's intranet-based support solution will enable employees to access a vast repository of support knowledge right from their desktops, expanding service and eliminating the need to call the help desk every time they have a support issue. Help Desk technicians will also use Web Advisor to quickly resolve support problems, enabling them to resolve more problems during the initial call and provide consistent, high-quality advice by leveraging the support information that already exists. The comprehensive knowledge base will incorporate support information for Data General's internal software applications, unique internal network information, and standard business applications such as Microsoft Office.

"We want to get out of the `reinvent-the-wheel' syndrome, where one person solves a problem and then another person solves it again," said John Provost, Helpdesk Manager for Data General. "ServiceSoft enables us to capture the solutions to our unique business applications and processes and make them available throughout our entire organization. Having a single knowledge base of proven solutions will benefit both our employees, who will receive instant, online assistance, and our help desk agents, who will be assured of providing accurate advice."

Web Advisor's intelligent user interface and interactive guidance will allow Data General employees to answer their own questions online, without having to call the help desk. Employees who need additional assistance can directly escalate to a support professional from their Web Advisor session. During escalation, Web Advisor will automatically launch a Remedy ARS trouble ticket that captures all the details of the employee's online session. Data General's help desk agents will be able to efficiently handle employee questions by referring to the detailed information from the online session and using Web Advisor to quickly find the correct solution within the knowledge base.

"We're honored that Data General, a leading provider of storage and enterprise computing solutions, recognized the value of ServiceSoft's flagship product offerings," said David Tarrant, president and CEO of ServiceSoft. "Our close relationship with Remedy will enable us to provide Data General with a comprehensive solution for getting the right answers to employees in a timely and cost effective manner."

Data General was introduced to ServiceSoft's leading solutions for automated customer service by RISCmanagement, a leading systems integrator for enterprise business solutions. RISCmanagement was also responsible for working with Data General to implement the Remedy ARS System.

About Data General

Data General (NYSE:DGN), based in Westboro, Massachusetts, is a major supplier of storage and enterprise computing solutions for customers worldwide. Data General's products include CLARiiON (R) Fibre Channel storage systems, high-end NT and UNIX AViiON (R) servers, and related software and services. The company reported fiscal 1998 revenues of $1.5 billion. Additional information on the company, its products, and services is available on the Internet at www.dg.com.

About ServiceSoft

ServiceSoft Corporation (www.servicesoft.com), headquartered in Needham, Mass, is the leader in web-based knowledge management for automated customer service. It offers the industry's leading suite for harnessing customer service expertise, and instantly guiding end users and support professionals to the right solutions via the Web. ServiceSoft's Knowledge Builder(R) and Web Advisor(R) enable Global 2000 companies, such as Xerox, Wang Global, Intel and Cisco Systems, to enhance customer satisfaction by delivering accurate advice that quickly answers their questions. Breaking new ground with its Expert Reasoning and advanced collaboration technologies, ServiceSoft helps companies deliver problem-resolution solutions to support professionals and intelligent self-service support to customers and employees.

ServiceSoft, Web Advisor, Knowledge Builder, Expert Reasoning, Workflow Editor, Advice Library for Desktop Computing, and Smart Answers on the `Net are registered trademarks or trademarks of ServiceSoft Corporation. AViiON and CLARiiON are registered trademarks of Data General Corporation. All other products or company names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.