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Technology Stocks : PERI (Periphonics) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CJ who wrote (1403)	11/11/1998 10:11:00 AM
From: Scrapps	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1682

Inference and Periphonics Form Joint Marketing Partnership to Deliver Powerful Self-Service Solution for IVR Companies to Integrate IVR with Customer Service Knowledge Base SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1998--Inference Corp. (Nasdaq:INFR - news) and Periphonics Corporation (Nasdaq:PERI - news) today announced a joint marketing agreement to integrate Periphonics Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system with the new Inference k-Commerce Support application. This agreement will also provide a platform for integrating speech recognition systems with a customer service knowledge base. The resulting products will enable customers to receive answers to their spoken questions and solve their own problems using any telephone. Inference and Periphonics will both market and sell the combined solution. ''This partnership represents another step in Inference's k-Commerce strategy to deliver universal access to a comprehensive customer service knowledge base,'' said Charles W. Jepson, president and chief executive officer of Inference Corporation. ''We chose Periphonics as our first IVR partner because of the quality of its products, services and customer base, its available integration with speech recognition systems, and the company's experience with our knowledge-based products in its customer support organization.'' Robert Latour, manager, partnership program at Periphonics, said, ''Our experience with Inference products tells us that this will be an ideal combination for customers looking to provide superior telephone-base customer self-service at significantly lower costs.'' Inference k-Commerce applications and products replicate the experience of a company's best customer service representatives to ensure rapid problem resolution and consistent service across the Contact Center and throughout the entire customer lifecycle. Inference k-Commerce captures both the information needed to answer questions and the dialogue needed to deliver the most satisfying interaction. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), the core technology behind Inference k-Commerce, employs a conversation-based approach to problem solving. Customers enter their question in everyday language and then answer a set of questions designed to refine the search and find the best solution. This conversation replicates the manner in which superior customer service representatives deliver correct answers and a satisfying experience for the customer. Availability Inference k-Commerce Support application with integration with Periphonics IVR system will be available in January 1999. Periphonics Periphonics develops, markets and supports products and services for Computer Telephony Integration and for Telecom Enhanced Network Services using technologies such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), speech input, messaging, fax and Web Browsers. The company's products and services automate call and transaction processing, increase call center agent productivity, and often create new revenue streams for our customers. Headquartered in Bohemia, New York (Long Island), Periphonics has systems installed in more than 50 countries. Inference Corporation Inference develops and markets the most advanced knowledge-based customer service solutions for Internet self-service and call centers used by over 500 customers worldwide. These solutions offer universal access to a comprehensive knowledge base that includes human experiences and documents via an intuitive, conversational interaction that replicates the best customer service representative to improve customer satisfaction, reduce support costs and accelerate growth. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area, with international headquarters near London, England, Inference offers a complete line of consulting, support and training services from offices throughout North America and Europe. For further information, contact Inference at 415/893-7200, send an e-mail to info@inference.com or visit www.inference.com. Note to Editors: The Inference logo, CBR Express and CasePoint are registered trademarks CBR Content Navigator and k-Commerce are trademarks of Inference Corporation. All other company names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.