No. 1 home PC supplier bundles VoiceView, bolsters service and support; Packard Bell technicians can now discuss, diagnose, send fixes over the phone to customers.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 1996--Packard Bell is boosting customer service with the introduction of VoiceView Talkshop by Radish -- an all-in-one, interactive technical support program to be bundled with its latest line of home computers.

With VoiceView, the company's service technicians can make a virtual housecall via telephone into every new Packard Bell system. As soon as the owner dials up Packard Bell's state-of-the-art Magna, Utah, support facility, a technician can begin to capture screens, retrieve, set up and configure files on the user's home system, and then correct them right on the spot.

VoiceView allows the technical support representative to examine files on the computer directly, while the customer stays on the phone and just sits back. The technician can then send fixes, make changes and trouble-shoot without the caller having to lift a finger.

"Our goal is to respond to the needs of the consumer and that includes streamlining the service and support process so that everything is as simple as possible for the computer owner," said John Hlavac, Packard Bell vice president of international service and support.

"The less time consumers spend on the phone dealing with problems, the more time they can spend enjoying all of the multimedia applications the Packard Bell systems have to offer."

Packard Bell's Magna service and support facility is staffed with more than 1,600 highly trained representatives. Technicians currently answer about 500,000 inquiries per month via phone, fax and e-mail.

Packard Bell technical support services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Packard Bell offers a one-year limited warranty with its home computers, including on-site service and technical support.

Packard Bell offers a toll-free number for hardware technical support as well as a toll number for software (non-tutorial) technical support. Packard Bell's service and support can also be accessed via Bulletin Board Service (BBS), Prodigy, CompuServe, fax and mail. Specific inquiries can be e-mailed directly to [e-mail].

Packard Bell is the largest desktop supplier to the home market and the fourth-largest PC manufacturer worldwide. The company pioneered the industry by taking the PC to the consumer through the mass retail channels and by bundling software and components to make getting started on a PC easier for the novice user.

The company was also the first to offer on-site repair service for the consumer, and the first to color-code connections for peripheral components, so set-up of the system in the home only takes seconds.

Packard Bell Electronics' corporate headquarters and North American manufacturing facilities are located in Sacramento.

CONTACT: The Bohle Co., Los Angeles 

Petrina Chong/Liz O'Donnell, 310/785-0515

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