HP Customer Contact Manager Version 5; Named a Product of the Year by Call Center News Service.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 26, 1999-- Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that the newest version of the HP Customer Contact Manager (CCM) advanced computer-telephony integration (CTI) software has been named a Product of the Year by Call Center News Service (CCNS), publisher of the biweekly Call Center News Service newsletter.

HP CCM Version 5 is highlighted in the Jan. 11 issue of the CCNS newsletter. Users, vendors and editors nominate finalists for Products of the Year; the newsletter's editorial staff chooses the winners.

HP CCM Version 5 enables call centers to manage customer interactions across multiple contact channels, such as voice, the Web and e-mail. The robust feature set of HP CCM Version 5, launched worldwide in 1998, includes next-generation outbound dialing with inbound blending, advanced virtual-call-center capability extensions and support for Microsoft(R) Windows NT(R) Server.

HP CCM is a key component of the HP Smart Contact program, which offers solutions for building advanced call centers. HP CCM is deployed worldwide in the telecommunications, manufacturing, retail and financial-services industries.

"HP CCM Version 5 was chosen because it represents one of the strongest, most interesting tools available for call centers today," said Keith Dawson, editor of the Call Center News Service newsletter. "This product is an important piece of technology that shows where the industry is headed and that makes the lives of call-center managers and representatives more productive."

HP introduced HP CCM in 1994 and has made continual upgrades to meet evolving customer needs. HP CCM Version 4, introduced in 1997, was among the first software products to enable call centers to manage customer interactions across multiple contact channels.

"This Call Center News Service award validates the significant enhancements made to HP CCM in Version 5," said Karen Rogge, general manager of HP's Customer Relationship Software Program. "Enhanced outbound dialing, virtual-contact-center functionality and support for Windows NT Server make HP CCM Version 5 one of the most advanced customer-contact software products available."

Next-generation Outbound Dialing with Inbound Blending

The HP CCM Smart Dialer Suite provides major productivity increases and the ability to implement blended inbound and outbound environments. Customers can select from the following options:

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     --   HP CCM Smart Preview Dialer -- allows agents to review
          customer information prior to call initiation;

     --   HP CCM Smart Progressive Dialer -- adds automatic
          call-progress detection to increase agent productivity; and

     --   HP CCM Dialer Channel Manager -- provides an open interface,
          allowing leading predictive dialer vendors to integrate
          their products with HP CCM. EIS Gateway from EIS
          International has been integrated with HP CCM Version 5.

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Advanced Virtual-call-center Capability Extensions

HP CCM Version 5 distributes phone calls, e-mail and other multimedia contact channels across multiple sites, even when different types of switches are used. HP is working with telcos throughout the world to implement advanced, network-based virtual-call-center solutions that are integrated with HP CCM.

Information about HP Smart Contact can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/go/smartcontact.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support.

HP has 124,600 employees and had revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year.

Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

Note to Edtiors: Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Windows NT is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.