Melita International and WilTel Sign Distribution Agreement
Melita-WilTel Partnership Sets New Standards In Call Center Solutions
NORCROSS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 1998--Melita(R) International (Nasdaq: MELI - news), provider of
integrated customer interaction and intelligent call management solutions for call centers, announces it has signed a multi-year
agreement with WilTel Communications, LLC, under which WilTel will immediately begin distribution of Melita's outbound call
management solutions through WilTel's sales force throughout the United States and Canada.
This agreement complements Melita's existing North American sales force, greatly extending Melita's market penetration.
WilTel will resell Melita branded products, including PhoneFrame(R) Explorer and the MAGELLAN(TM) 3.0 agent desktop
application suite. WilTel will provide its customers with first- and second-level service and support for Melita products,
through WilTel's state-of-the-art network operations center in Houston.
The Melita-WilTel relationship will set new standards in call center solutions. WilTel's Call Center Application Team, which
develops integrated call center applications, will facilitate integration of Melita's outbound and blended solutions with other
WilTel partner products.
''Melita's selection by WilTel is the result of a comprehensive evaluation of outbound call management solution providers,''
says Aleksander Szlam, chairman and CEO of Melita International. ''The Melita-WilTel relationship is a superb fit since both
companies are passionate about and focused on delivery of enterprise-wide, state-of-the-art call center solutions. WilTel has
significant and unique capabilities to address the sophisticated integration and diverse requirements of today's call centers.''
''The choice of Melita is consistent with WilTel's practice of partnering with best-in-class technology providers,'' says Frank
Lipari, WilTel senior vice president of corporate services. ''We have enhanced WilTel's competitive position by adding
Melita's call center management solutions to our portfolio of full-service products. This agreement will provide more robust and
seamless solutions to our customers.''
About WilTel
WilTel Communications, LLC is a $1.5 billion North American single-source provider of business communications equipment
and multimedia integration services for data, voice, video and advanced applications. Its end-to-end network support solutions
include a diverse portfolio of full-service products, from the industry's leading voice, data and video manufacturers, as well as
value-added services that include configuration, design, installation, maintenance and monitoring of mission critical voice and
data networks.
WilTel is a business unit of Williams Communications Group, Inc., one of the Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB -
news) based in Tulsa, Okla. Williams Communications provides a full range of enterprise network solutions, communications
services and advanced applications to businesses domestically and globally. Company information is available on the Internet
at wiltel.net .
About Melita
Melita International, which began operations in 1983 and issued its initial public offering in June of 1997, is a leading provider
of customer interaction and intelligent call management systems that enable businesses to automate call center activities and
enhance their telephony-based customer communication. Melita's worldwide customers include, among others, leading
organizations in the financial services, retail, media and communications and service bureau industries.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to future products and services, product integration,
market penetration and revenues and other projected benefits from the announced agreement. Such statements are made
based on management's belief as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management, pursuant
to the 'safe-harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While these statements reflect our best
current judgement, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause a change in focus and direction. A discussion of
certain risk factors that may cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements can be found in Melita's
Registration Statement Form S-1 and on Melita's most recent Form 10-Q on file with the SEC.
Contact:
Melita International
Maryjane Stout
770/239-4402
mstout@melita.com
melita.com
or
WilTel Communications
Dawn Brimberry
918/588-4424
dawn.brimberry@wilcom.com
wiltel.net |
