[May 31, 2000]

Ask Jeeves Solutions Partner Program Launches For Customer Care Providers

Ask Jeeves, Inc., a provider of Web interaction solutions, announced the Ask Jeeves Solutions Partner Program, a key initiative enabling leading customer care outsourcers to provide a more humanized online experience to their customers. Ask Jeeves launches its program with eight solutions partners, including APAC Customer Services, Inc., Brigade Solutions, CareWise, Inc., Finali Corporation, PeopleSupport, Precision Response Corporation, Stream International and Taima. This group of call center and e-business solutions providers will deploy Jeeves Live as an integrated, cost effective and rapidly implemented, end-to-end customer management solution.

The Ask Jeeves Solutions Partner Program equips customer care outsourcers with solutions designed to increase e-commerce, reduce support costs and provide valuable customer information. The program extends Ask Jeeves' reach to partners' corporate customers, including Global 2000 companies, who recognize the value of outsourcing as a strategic initiative. The program will create a new distribution channel that is expected to significantly increase Ask Jeeves' customer base over the next year by partnering with leading outsourcers with access to thousands of new customers.

"As the demand for Ask Jeeves' business solutions grows, we view partnerships with e-business outsource providers as a way for us to accelerate the reach of our e-commerce and e-support solutions," said Jeff Scheel, vice president of alliances at Ask Jeeves. "The scope of the Ask Jeeves Solutions Partner Program and its potential to scale is a demonstration of our maturity in the enterprise solutions market."

Jeeves Live provides Web-based customer interaction through real-time, instant text messaging, form-sharing and co-browsing. The service offers a scalable and robust solution designed to easily integrate with existing call center systems. In the future, qualified partners may implement Jeeves Answers, Ask Jeeves' intuitive question answering service. Jeeves Answers enables users to type questions in plain English and be immediately presented with links to relevant answers. The service includes patented, popularity search technology that provides the most relevant information based on the collective experience of Web site visitors.

"Our strategic partnership with Ask Jeeves provides us with the opportunity to offer additional valuable services to our clients across the board, especially those customers that have not previously had access to Ask Jeeves' technology," said John Gray, senior vice president of CustomerAssistance.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of APAC Customer Services.

"This association with Ask Jeeves and its leading-edge technology gives us a key competitive differentiation with clients that are seeking more integrated online customer care strategies."

With Jeeves Live, and ultimately with Jeeves Answers, Ask Jeeves Solutions Partners are helping their clients gain access to cutting-edge technology in a timely and cost-effective manner. Solutions Partners are becoming certified to provide their own client-specific enhancements to Jeeves products. This customization for clients will include integration of Jeeves Live with existing customer management platforms.

Customer care outsource providers will also participate with Ask Jeeves in several marketing initiatives including direct marketing campaigns, joint advertising and event marketing.

"We recognized early on the value of Ask Jeeves' solutions as a key part of our customer management solutions, and were one of the first companies to embrace Ask Jeeves Solutions Partner Program," said Lance Rosenzweig, CEO of PeopleSupport, a Jeeves Answers and Jeeves Live customer since February 2000. "We are looking forward to helping our clients continue to build solid customer relationships through Ask Jeeves' innovative technology and real-time customer support capabilities."

Ask Jeeves customizes its Web interaction solutions for company Web sites to enable intuitive interaction between a company and its customers. Companies use Ask Jeeves' Web interaction solutions, which include Jeeves Answers, Jeeves Advisor, Jeeves Live and Jeeves Insight, to increase sales, reduce offline support costs and improve customer loyalty by providing superior personal service online.

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