Adobe Finds Picture-Perfect E-mail Solution; Desktop Software Giant Employs IslandData's Service for Website Tech Support

Business Wire, March 13, 2000

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000

IslandData, a leading provider of automated response technology for the online customer service market, announced today that it has signed Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE), the fourth largest desktop software company in the world, as a customer of IslandData's ExpressResponse(TM), a commercial service that automates the process of quickly reading and responding to end user e-mail and web support requests.

Adobe produces well-known software titles such as Adobe Acrobat, FrameMaker, InDesign, Illustrator, PageMaker Plus and Photoshop. The company's website, www.adobe.com, receives 6 million hits per month with 1.3 million customers accessing the customer support area. The growing popularity of the site, combined with Adobe's goal of creating a better and highly responsive experience for its customers, led to the search for a solution that would improve e-mail response while providing important information to assist its customers and expand its web-based customer services.

"Prior to adopting the ExpressResponse service, our team of eight full-time customer services web support associates were working hard to respond to e-mail messages within as much as a two-week period," said Brian Turner, Manager of Service Technology and Operations at Adobe. "The cost of responding to e-mail plus the lagging response time compelled us to look for alternatives."

The challenge presented by Adobe was to provide a solution that would handle e-mail inquiries and end user web form requests in a cost-effective manner without having to increase support staff. IslandData's ExpressResponse met the challenge by providing answers to electronic inquiries by e-mail in less than 10 seconds and at a fraction of the cost of answering questions manually from a customer service center. If a question requires personal attention, it is immediately forwarded to Adobe's web support team for a manual response so that no request for information goes unanswered.

"We are happy that we were given the chance to step up and help solve Adobe's e-mail problem," said Guy Jones, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing at IslandData. "E-mail has changed the way that people and businesses communicate today. IslandData's intelligent message analysis and automated response is the best way for companies to handle the increased volume of electronic requests in the most cost-effective manner."

Since being implemented, ExpressResponse has provided significant cost savings and improved responsiveness by reducing by 50 percent the e-mail response workload of Adobe's web support team. Additionally, any e-mail still requiring a manual response is now turned around in 24 hours instead of the previous two-week period.

About IslandData

IslandData is a leading e-business solutions provider for the online customer service market. Its flagship product, ExpressResponse, allows corporations to cost-effectively manage large volumes of inbound or outbound end user e-mail and web requests with minimal impact on call center workflow operations. Using natural language processing techniques, ExpressResponse automatically reads and analyzes user inquiries and presents the requested information or the best next course of action to the user within ten seconds. With its 24/7 ASP-hosted delivery and rapid implementation, Express Response enhances any call center infrastructure and workflow. With ExpressResponse, IslandData's customers can meet end user expectations of superior service and support in today's competitive environment.

IslandData, founded in 1995, counts among its customers companies such as Adobe, Agilent, AltaVista, Apple, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Juno Online Services, Logitech, MicronPC, Novell and Symantec. For more information, contact Guy Jones, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, at 760/930-9880 or guy@islanddata.com, or visit IslandData's website at http://www.islanddata.com.