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NativeMinds and SmithKline Beecham Help Smokers Kick the Habit Online with New Virtual RepresentativeSmithKline Beecham Introduces vRep, Nick, on Three Web Sites to Answer Frequently Asked Questions 24/7SAN FRANCISCO - Nov. 13, 2000 -- As smokers across the country resolve to quit smoking this week for the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout,SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare (SBCH) is preparing to launch its new virtual representative (vRep™) that will be introduced on three Web sites including www.nicorette.com, www.nicoderm.com and www.committedquitters.com on Thursday, November 16. NativeMinds, Inc., a leading provider of automated, natural-language customer service representatives for the Internet, is enabling SmithKline Beecham to create an automated online personality to help people quickly navigate their site and obtain the information they need about quitting smoking and two of the best products to help them become smoke-free. The new vRep, Nick, will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to immediately answer the most frequently asked questions about the NicoDerm® CQ® patch and Nicorette® gum products, as well as offer tips on how to quit smoking. SmithKline Beecham's vRep initiative is designed to create an engaging and more productive Web experience by humanizing the way people get information. Online customer service and personalized self-help are emerging as strategic e-business imperatives as companies rush to upgrade online service quality and strengthen customer loyalty. SmithKline Beecham is launching Nick in time for the Great American Smokeout, an event during which a portion of the estimated 50 million smokers in the United States make a quit attempt. Nick will be able to provide fast answers to common questions so that live customer service representatives can be freed up to answer more critical or complex questions. "When people make the decision to quit smoking, many of them turn to our smoking cessation products and clinically proven behavioral support programs to help begin the process," said Ed Lara, director of marketing, smoking control for SmithKline Beecham's NicoDerm CQ brand. "Those on the verge of giving in to a craving do not have the time or energy to be sifting through Web pages trying to find specific information. Nick will not only be able to respond to these serious quitters' questions but also pushes the correct Web pages and provides a friendly human interface that puts visitors at ease." Nick was created by NativeMinds in only five weeks and is the first vRep to appear on a consumer healthcare site. To extend its offline branding efforts online, Smith Kline Beecham designed Nick's graphical interface based on a cartoon character that first appeared as a helpful guide in the print version of the Nicorette user's guide. The company will take further advantage of the interactive medium by continually adding content to Nick via NativeMinds' easy-to-use contributor interface and by having Nick appear in different clothing and backgrounds depending on the holiday or season. "With the wealth of information available on SmithKline Beecham's three consumer Web sites, the company is ensuring its customers find the information they need in a quick and intuitive manner," said Walter Tackett, chief executive officer and co-founder of NativeMinds. "NativeMinds' vRep technology allows users to zero in on the most relevant information by asking questions in plain English and receiving immediate responses in the same, user-friendly format. Nick not only reduces the number of costly call center inquiries, but also provides online businesses with a conversational, human-like customer support interface to ensure customer satisfaction." About NativeMinds Incorporated in 1996, NativeMinds is the leading provider of software and services to create automated natural-language customer service and sales representatives - vReps - for eCRM. Leading customers of NativeMinds' vRep solutions include Oracle, Convergys, One 2 One, Axcess.com, reflect.com, and SmithKline Beecham. NativeMinds is a privately held corporation based in San Francisco, Calif. For more information, visit http://www.nativeminds.com Note to Editors: Nick will be live on SmithKline Beecham's site on Thursday, November 16, 2000. NativeMinds, Neuromedia, vReps, NeuroServer, and the NativeMinds logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of NativeMinds, Inc. All other names or products are the property of their respective holders. Editorial Contact: Vanessa Gaw A&R Partners 650-762-2820 vgaw@arpartners.com top of page |
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