GTE inResponse Is Lifeline For Businesses Drowning In Customer Inquiries Sent to Corporate Web Sites.

CHANTILLY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 1998--

Java-Based Solution is the Best Long-Term Value for Businesses

That Consider the Web a Vital Link to Their Customers, Partners and

Employees

Corporate Webmasters and industry analysts agree: managing the tidal-wave of consumer inquiries and Internet email addressed to World Wide Web sites is a growing challenge for many organizations. GTE, a leading telecommunications corporation, today announced a robust email-response management solution that gives organizations the tools and advice they need to address that issue strategically.

Called GTE inResponse(tm), the scalable, Java-based enterprise application is coupled with industry-leading integration services that leverage the resources of GTE - a Fortune 50 company with 29 years of experience pioneering Internet solutions. GTE inResponse helps companies maximize the value of the Internet as a communications channel and manage the internal logistics of responding to customer inquiries quickly and accurately.

"Many corporations are being overwhelmed by customer inquiries and email messages addressed to their Web sites. The GTE inResponse software-and-consulting service combination results in an email-response management solution that helps companies address that issue," said James Kane, vice president for Business Solutions of GTE's Information Systems Division. "GTE inResponse will bring order to any organization's Web-site communications infrastructure."

Consumers, too, are interested in the way companies manage their Internet email and customer inquiries, according to a recent survey conducted for GTE by NFO Interactive, a leading online research organization. The study revealed that 87 percent of U.S. online consumers have communicated with companies via their Web sites, and 86 percent of those said the quality of the response they receive from a Web-site inquiry or email directly influences their decision to buy from that company.

"We are looking to GTE inResponse to help us solve a real need in our Web communications strategy," said Wallace I. Renfro, director of public relations for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), one of GTE inResponse's beta-site customers. "We knew we had a challenge, and the consulting provided as part of the GTE inResponse solution has been valuable in deciding how to use the system to best respond to our Web-site visitors' inquiries," Renfro said.

GTE inResponse was developed to meet GTE's own needs. In 1997, the company began seeking an email-response management tool that would enable it to improve its ability to respond to and track email from visitors to its corporate Web site, www.gte.com. The company could not find a commercially available product that met its functionality, features and support requirements, so GTE turned to its internal development resources for a solution. The result is GTE inResponse.

How It Works

Visitors to a Web site equipped with GTE inResponse will find a very convenient, user-friendly environment for requesting information. When visitors click on a `contact us' or `for more information' button, the GTE inResponse system generates a customized form for the visitor to fill in. The form could request information about the subject of the inquiry, the visitor's preference for being contacted (email, postal service, phone, etc.), address information or any other data that the host organization wants to request.

After completing the form and clicking on a `submit' button, an immediate message acknowledging receipt of their inquiry and providing a unique tracking number for reference in future correspondence is sent to the inquirer. Then, based on the information provided by the site visitor, GTE inResponse routes the inquiry to a pre-determined message folder, to be answered by a designated company expert. Experts then respond with personalized answers.

GTE inResponse is user-friendly for Web administrators, too. With installation, initial configuration and training services included in the basic package, GTE inResponse can be integrated into most Web sites' infrastructure in just two days. After that, configuration and form set-up `wizards' make it easy to add new users, change forms and modify content.

In addition, using message-analysis tools within the software, GTE inResponse allows businesses to quickly identify messaging and response trends. Each message is assigned a status and each action is "time-stamped" and the user performing the action is logged. Online reports are available to give users immediate feedback and insight into system effectiveness.

"Responding quickly to questions coming in over the Internet has become a top priority for organizations," according to Mark Levitt, Research Director at International Data Corporation (www.idc.com). "GTE's solution, combined with the company's diverse business consulting expertise, promises to provide effective processing, routing, and tracking for larger organizations receiving hundreds of messages daily."

Features

GTE inResponse was designed for use by large organizations that receive inquiries over the World Wide Web on diverse subjects. The system can accommodate an unlimited number of internal users who are responsible for answering inquiries, as well as large volumes of incoming messages from the World Wide Web.

Product features include:

-- Email tracker, router, manager -- Extensive reporting formats -- Comprehensive search capabilities -- User-defined inquiry screens -- User-defined folder scheme -- Password protection -- Automated assignment of tracking numbers to all inquires -- Automated "Thank You" responses -- Menus of approved responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) -- Keyword and category assignment -- Online documentation -- Easy to use Web-enabled interface

The basic product offering also includes installation, initial configuration, initial training and technical support. GTE will also provide customers with technical and business-process consulting services, help-desk support and maintenance through the GTE Web Solutions group, based at GTE's Chantilly, Va. Facility.

Compatibility, Availability, Pricing

GTE inResponse is Java-based. It runs on the most popular Unix and Windows NT Web servers, including Unix - Sun Solaris platform, version 2.5.x or greater; Windows NT platform, version 3.5.x or greater. GTE inResponse requires an Oracle database (version 7.3.x or greater) to provide data storage, search and analysis capabilities, and any "servlet-aware" Web server running JDK1.1.4 or greater. The database is not required to be resident on the same server as the GTE inResponse application, and GTE inResponse can be implemented from a customer's Web server or a third-party server. Additional information about the system can be found at http://www.gte.com/inResponse.

GTE inResponse is available immediately from GTE Web Solutions at 877/363-4848. It is priced at $59,950 per server.

About GTE

With revenues of more than $23 billion in 1997, GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services.