News Out -- Answers.com Re-Launch :)
Answers.com Launches Low-Cost, Efficient Customer Service Tool for Companies Doing Business On the Web
Re-launch of Answers.com includes business-to-business product that helps companies sell and up-sell customers, save overhead expenses, and obtain real-time market research
CALGARY, ALBERTA, 8 December 1999 - Net Shepherd Inc. (CDNX: WEB) announced today that its subsidiary, Answers.com, has launched both its new website (www.answers.com) and also a new product that provides companies with a more efficient way to give answers via their own Web sites to their visitors' questions.
"This is an important step in our go-to-market strategy", said Don Sandford, President & CEO of Net Shepherd. "The combination of technology and Net Shepherd's Internet-linked community of Distributed Task Forces (http://www.netshepherd.com/our_solutions/what_we_do/virtual_community/) will enable us to offer these business-to-business services at significantly lower cost than the competition in this rapidly growing market."
"In the Roadmap (http://www.netshepherd.com/investors/milestones/page1.asp) that we published earlier this year, we explained the growing importance of companies' Customer Relations across the Internet", continued Sandford. There are currently about one million companies on-line and this is expected to increase ten-fold during the next five years. US companies alone are already spending over $23 billion a year on traditional, telephone-based customer relations activities. This expenditure is expected to double in the next four years and a significant part of this will transition to the Web as e-commerce becomes increasingly important."
"Investors have clearly recognised the potential of this area", commented Sandford. "When Ask Jeeves announced their acquisition of Net Effect to enable them to launch a human interactive product similar to Answers' offer, the market reacted very favourably."
"Although Ask Jeeves' offer is similar to Answers', it is not in direct competition", explained Sandford. "Ask Jeeves' pricing and scalability restricts their offer to companies at the high end of the market. Answers, however, has lower costs and a higher degree of scalability, which enables it to sell to a broader market. Answers' costs are lower because they will be responding to questions using a combination of different technology and the Net Shepherd virtual community (http://www.netshepherd.com/about_us/page2.asp) of Distributed Task Forces."
"Rather than competition, there may be an opportunity for partnership with Ask Jeeves", concluded Sandford. "For example, Answers.com's lower cost base may enable it to become a supplier of answers to Ask Jeeves and we will continue talking to them about this."
Extracts from the Answers.com Announcement follows:
PASADENA, CALIF. - December 8, 1999 - Answers.com (www.answers.com) announced today the re-launch of its Web site and a new product to serve business customer service needs. The new service provides companies with a more efficient way to give answers via their own Web sites to visitors' questions. Answers.com will pre-populate the AnswerBase(TM) with answers that are specific to the corporate client and its business. The AnswerBase is capable of responding to questions almost immediately. This AnswerBase will build and 'learn' over time as additional questions are asked and answered.
"Customer service is one of the major factors differentiating companies in today's economy," explained Bill Fogg, CEO. "Businesses are turning to online solutions for every aspect of operations. This new technology allows them to use the Internet to improve customer service and save the company money."
The technology differs from a search engine in that users can type in a specific question and Answers.com will reply with a specific answer. In addition, it will also provide answers to related questions.
Answers.com works directly with a company's existing customer service providers, including 800 numbers and live chat. Answers.com acts as the first line of customer service by filtering through the frequently asked questions consumers have and giving them an answer through the AnswerBase. If a visitor asks a question and does not get a specific answer to their question, the visitor can choose to send the question to the company's experts for them to answer personally. This service will not only cut down on the number of expensive calls clients receive to their 800 number, it will also cut down on the number of emails that are sent to the site.
"Helping businesses provide excellent customer service while saving them money is our primary business objective," commented Tad Benson, Vice President of Marketing. "The Web site interface and functionality are designed to be consumer friendly and more importantly, fast!"
Answers.com is not new to the consumer market. The Web site is one of the original question and answer sites on the Internet, established by idealab in 1996. Answers.com distinguishes itself from other question and answer sites because it is one of the only sites that will give a direct response rather than a link to another site. Answers.com also leverages the patent-pending technology of its new parent company, Net Shepherd, Inc. (NSI). NSI provides the tools to manage a community of experts throughout the Web. These experts will be used to answer questions to the Answers.com consumer site as well as generic questions that are sent to a corporate client's Web site.
"Answers.com expanded its service to the business-to-business market due to the growing demand by consumers for enhanced customer service in the e-commerce environment," remarked Fogg.
Background Notes:
Net Shepherd:
Net Shepherd's technology helps companies that want to transform the way they do business and create new opportunities using the Internet. It uniquely uses an Internet-based community of Distributed Task Forces to provide the gathering of information and the management of work at the speed of the Internet.
Net Shepherd develops, partners with and invests in companies that use this technology in a variety of different applications.
Net Shepherd Inc. is traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange under the symbol WEB.
Answers.com
Answers.com is a leading provider of question and answer technology, located in Pasadena, Calif. It was established in 1996 by idealab, and recently acquired by Canadian-based Net Shepherd, Inc. With the re-launch of the site, Answers.com has a renewed focus of becoming the pre-eminent supplier of "eRelationship" management tools to companies doing business on the Web. Answers.com's customer service tools help companies create a dialogue with their customers. The net effect is to reduce customer service operating costs, and obtain real-time market research.
For further information contact:
Net Shepherd:
Peter Hunt
Vice-President, Corporate Affairs
Phone: (403) 218 8917
Fax: (403) 232 6711
E-mail: peter.hunt@netshepherd.com
Website: www.netshepherd.com
Answers.com:
Samantha Culbert or Julie Pacino
Edelman Public Relations
Phone: (323) 857-9100
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Denise. |
