NativeMinds Selects Inktomi Search Technology to Enhance Natural Language Virtual Representative Solutions

Business Wire, May 1, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2001

Integrating Search Technology with Virtual Representatives

Provides Companies with Fast Answers and Reduced Costs

NativeMinds, a leading provider of software to build automated, natural language customer service representatives, today announced a technology agreement with Inktomi Corp., developer of scalable Internet infrastructure software, to enhance the online customer self-service experience by adding highly relevant corporate Web site search results to its sophisticated virtual representative-assisted responses. As part of the agreement, NativeMinds will offer the Inktomi(R) Search Software as a recommended component of its NeuroServer(R) software, which is currently being used to create, implement and maintain virtual representatives at leading Global 2000 companies such as Ford, Oracle, British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and Nissan.

At the core of NativeMinds' solutions are automated customer service agents called virtual representatives, or vReps(TM) for short. vReps manage a company's online customer interactions by understanding users' natural language questions and providing fast, effective answers in the form of two-way conversation without the need for human intervention. In addition to conversational replies, vReps provide information gathered from multiple sources, including CRM systems, knowledgebases, document search results, and Web site content. NativeMinds vReps will use Inktomi Search Software to effectively answer general research questions by combining its immediate, two-way conversational response with a list of appropriate search results (URLs) from the host company's Web site.

Unlike other question and answer services that treat each question in the same manner, vReps can determine the appropriate response for the situation based on the type and tone of the question, any known user history, and predefined business rules. A vRep response might include one or more of the following: a single succinct answer, a search result, a database query, a Web page push, or an automatic escalation to higher support channels, such as live chat, email or call back.

"Effective search is a core component of an efficient eCRM initiative," said Troy Toman, vice president and general manager, Inktomi Search Solutions Division. "The integration of Inktomi Search Software with the NativeMinds solution is a powerful combination for enterprises looking to provide more comprehensive online self-service at lower costs."

By integrating a vRep with Inktomi Search Software, NativeMinds allows companies to accelerate the development time of creating a virtual representative by leveraging existing Web site data to answer frequently asked questions. With the integration, the vRep's business rules will determine if a question is best answered via search, identify key words and phrases in the question as well as possible synonyms to improve the accuracy of the response, and submit the information to the integrated search engine. The vRep then displays the search engine results along with the vRep conversational response.

"Online customer self-service is becoming more sophisticated to address the fact that customers now expect a higher standard," said Andrew de Vries, vice president of marketing for NativeMinds. "The integration between Inktomi and NativeMinds will allow online consumers and business users to get faster, more complete answers to questions without having to make a phone call or wait for an email reply. The benefit for businesses is a higher level of service at a lower cost."

About NativeMinds

NativeMinds is a pioneer in the development of self-service interaction management software that builds and maintains automated online customer service and support agents called vReps. vReps enhance the customer experience and lower support costs by emulating live customer service representatives to deflect inquiries from higher support channels such as phone and email. Leading customers of NativeMinds' vRep solutions include Ford Motor Company, Oracle, Convergys, One 2 One (Deutsche Telekom), Misys and GlaxoSmithKline. NativeMinds is a privately held corporation based in San Francisco. For more information and to talk to a vRep, visit www.nativeminds.com.

Note to Editors: NativeMinds, vReps, NeuroServer, and the NativeMinds logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of NativeMinds, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.