Edify's Innovative Software Agent Solutions Broadly Adopted By Market In 1994; Triples Customer Base, Earns Industry Recognition in Interactive Voice Response and Human Resources Markets.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 1995--Edify Corporation, the leading provider of agent-based business software, has established itself as a significant player in the interactive voice response (IVR) market as well as a technology leader in the human resources automation market. The widespread adoption of Edify's Electronic Workforce(R) software agents in these two markets during the last year underscores the enthusiasm for agents as a new enabling technology for business automation.

Specifically, Edify experienced tremendous growth in 1994 with a 200 percent increase in its customer base compared to the previous year. Edify is ramping up 1995 with over 225 customers installed across many industries, over 25 industry partnerships and expanded service offerings. The Electronic Workforce is a proven next-generation approach for IVR applications incorporating advanced phone, fax, electronic mail, text-to-speech, workflow and computer telephony integration (CTI) capabilities. In addition, the product has received broad-scale acceptance as an enabling workflow technology in the human resources market.

"Edify's success in 1994 can be attributed to the use of software agents that excel in allowing businesses to intelligently connect customers and employees to information," said Jeff Crowe, president of Edify Corporation. "1995 will see the next phase of our vision for agent-based automation, as we continue to enhance the capabilities of the Electronic Workforce by expanding access to and interaction with corporate data."

Awards and Industry Recognition

Edify capped off 1994 with an impressive collection of awards and industry recognition. The company won the GroupWare '94 "Best of Show" award for its agent-based human resources application used by Hewlett-Packard's Human Resources department. The award marked the second consecutive "Best of Show" award for Edify, who was also recognized during the 1993 conference for the companyUs Agent Trainer(TM) development tool. Additionally, the Electronic Workforce was selected as "Product of the Year" by Human Resource Executive magazine in the publication's Best of '94 issue and the company was spotlighted as a software star in the January 3, 1995 Computerworld article on "Client/Server's New Order."

1994 Highlights

Among the more than 150 new customers signed by Edify in 1994, many purchased Edify's Electronic Workforce not only to solve their immediate IVR needs but also to expand or add applications based on the additional functionality provided by software agents. The company's prestigious list of new customers includes DHL Worldwide Express, Fireman's Fund, Independence Blue Cross, Kidder Peabody, Kodak, Kraft Foods, MCI, Nintendo, Penn State University, Pitney Bowes, Signet Bank, VISA Corporation, and others. One Edify customer, DHL Worldwide Express, uses the Electronic Workforce to track package deliveries. "What's remarkable about Edify and its technology is that they are continuously expanding the connection to our customers in ways that are keeping us near the top of the technology curve," said Alan Boehme, senior manager of customer automation, DHL Worldwide Express.

Electronic Workforce software agents are particularly suited for large-scale IVR applications. Software agents provide all the traditional IVR features with the benefit of faster, easier application deployment made possible using Edify's award-winning Agent Trainer development tool. For example, Lone Star Gas, the largest gas utility in Dallas, Texas, services a base of over 1.25 million customers. The company uses over 100 Electronic Workforce software agents on 96 phone lines for voice response applications including customer balance inquiries, start and stop of service, and requests for emergency service.

Edify has also achieved particular success in the human resources market. Over one third of all Edify customers use the Electronic Workforce to automate human resources tasks giving employees access to information and streamlining HR processes. Emphasis on building a strong network of key human resource VARs and partners has enabled Edify to be the automation choice of companies deploying employee self-service automation solutions.

To meet the rising demand for its agent-based solutions in interactive voice response, customer service, banking and human resources markets, Edify has expanded its network of partnerships and reseller channels this past year through partner agreements. Several new key partners include BellSouth Communications; ESSENSE; Interlynx; HTI; KPMG Peat Marwick; PRC, Inc.; Ramos & Associates; Systematics; Tesseract and others.

Edify has also expanded its Professional Services offerings by tripling the number of Professional Services consultants, and providing additional platform integration support. Over 300 application developers have been certified in Edify training courses, signifying widespread customer application development taking place with the companyUs Electronic Workforce product. A customer response center featuring 24 x 7 technical phone support and an on-line bulletin board service provides customers up-to-date information about product enhancements and user advisory bulletins.

Expanded Agent Capabilities and New Applications

During 1994, Edify shipped Release 3 of the Electronic Workforce, a substantial increase in capability to support large-scale applications of over 500 concurrent phone lines. Release 3 was instrumental to Edify's success in penetrating the mainstream segments of the IVR market. Additional product enhancements of the Electronic Workforce were delivered in the version 3.2, which shipped in the third quarter, offering customers features that included expanded telephony options, a new optional text-to-speech capability, multilingual support as well as providing full DNIS/ANI compatibility through T1 connections.

During the past year, the company also introduced customized packaged applications including software agents with capabilities specifically suited for IVR, and CTI Express, a separate application that integrates telephone switch- and computer-based information to streamline the transfer of incoming telephone calls. This application provides a flexible, low-cost way to process phone inquiries more efficiently by intelligently transferring computer-based caller information to an end-user screen along with a call. CTI Express is the first solution of its kind to offer computer telephony integration features without the need for a costly dedicated switch-to-computer link.

As Edify looks toward 1995, the Electronic Workforce will be expanded to make broader use of phone, corporate and public networks. The company's success in IVR and HR highlights the need for intelligent connections enabling businesses to increase service and productivity not only internally to their employees but to their corporate customers as well.

About Edify Corporation

Edify Corporation is the leading provider of agent-based business software used to automate the handling and communication of information. The company develops and markets the Electronic Workforce, a software agent platform offering advanced voice response, workflow and fax capabilities.

Applications based on Edify software are used by sales, marketing, human resources and service organizations to automate routine administrative tasks, enabling faster, more efficient communication of information. Major corporations in financial services, manufacturing, technology, transportation and utility sectors use the Electronic Workforce as a strategic solution to increase service and productivity.

Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Edify is a privately-held corporation. The company distributes products directly and through leading resellers, systems integrators and distributors worldwide. -0- Note to Editors: Agent Trainer is a trademark of Edify Corporation. Edify and Electronic Workforce are registered trademarks of Edify Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Edify Corp.

Jan Hames, 408/982-2000

The Horn Group

Carol Shen, Mara Bartucca, 415/579-6400