Press Release - Primus Company Profile Primus Introduces its SolutionSeries.com Hosted Online Problem Resolution and Knowledge Management Service for Customer Support Organizations New Application Hosting Model Combines Benefits of System Ownership with Convenience of Outsourcing SEATTLE - September 8, 1998 - Primus today introduced its SolutionSeries.com hosted online service that delivers problem resolution and knowledge management capabilities to customer support organizations for a monthly subscription fee. Primus® SolutionSeries.com service subscribers get Web-based access to Primus' award-winning problem resolution software, designed to help support organizations increase customer satisfaction and reduce support costs by solving problems more effectively. With the SolutionSeries.com application hosting model, companies get access to proven technology, best practices consulting and a streamlined implementation process - all at a low cost of entry. The SolutionSeries.com online service includes the Primus SolutionSeries application suite, remote hosting, training, implementation consulting and customer service. Subscribers own their knowledgebase, and have the ability to capture, manage and share solution knowledge worldwide just as if they owned SolutionSeries problem resolution software. Rather than making a large capital investment to buy hardware and software up front, subscribers have the flexibility of paying to access a hosted application suite on a monthly subscription basis. Internal IT resources can be focused on core business issues because Primus is responsible for system administration and maintenance of the hosted site. Subscribers also benefit from Primus' expertise in implementation consulting, call-tracking integration, best practices, workflow processes, training, report generation and ongoing support. "SolutionSeries.com represents an innovative approach to delivering the benefits of problem resolution technology to companies that require the flexibility and control of ownership, with the low cost and convenience of an outsourcing arrangement," said Chris Hoffman, research manager at International Data Corporation. "The hosted subscription service provides access to comprehensive solution-centered support technology and services without the resource commitments normally associated with system ownership. With the introduction of SolutionSeries.com, Primus is setting a new standard for accelerating the adoption of problem resolution technology and services in the marketplace." "I'm very impressed with the capability that the SolutionSeries.com service provides in terms of capturing, managing and sharing knowledge," said Karen Smith, technical support manager for Traveling Software. "In our support organization, we have a large variety of products and we serve users at a number of levels. Sharing solution knowledge among technicians has been a real challenge for us - SolutionSeries.com has real potential to help us meet that challenge." "All customer support organizations - regardless of size - are dealing with the same issue: how to do more for their customers using fewer resources," said Michael Brochu, president and CEO of Primus. "Not all companies would choose to address this issue by implementing an enterprise level problem resolution system in house. With the SolutionSeries.com service, we're lowering the barrier of entry by combining the benefits of application ownership with the flexibility of outsourcing." The SolutionSeries.com service integrates with leading call management software, enabling companies to streamline the management of customer information and support knowledge with a single interface. The new service also includes print-ready reports, enabling support managers to quickly track the correlation of call incidents and the solutions used to solve each incident, as well as review the quality of new solution data being entered into the knowledgebase. Security features help ensure that only authorized users gain access to the valuable information. Primus has partnered with Exodus Communications, a leading provider of Internet server hosting and management systems, to host the SolutionSeries.com application suite and knowledgebase via a national network of high-speed Internet data centers. Exodus Communications will also provide 24-hour system and network monitoring, and state-of-the art physical and logical security for all Primus customers. Pricing and Availability Primus plans to go live with the SolutionSeries.com marketing site (http://www.solutionseries.com) in September 1998. The SolutionSeries.com application site is planned for release in October 1998 at an introductory subscription price of US$195 a month per user for a one-year commitment or US$245 a month per user for a six-month commitment (offer valid through December 31, 1998). Primus SolutionSeries and SolutionSeries.com The Primus SolutionSeries family of problem resolution and knowledge management software is specifically designed to help support organizations increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs by solving problems more effectively. Primus SolutionBuilder® software enables support professionals to create solutions in the workflow, ensure knowledgebase quality and manage problem resolution processes. Primus SolutionExplorer™ software provides support professionals with Web-based access to solution knowledge and the ability to immediately capture and contribute new information to the knowledgebase. Primus SolutionPublisher® software allows customers to access solution knowledge directly via the Web and solve problems themselves. Primus SolutionBuilder, SolutionExplorer and SolutionPublisher client applications rely on SolutionSeries Server software for management of database interactions, system administration and reporting capability. The SolutionSeries.com hosted online service delivers problem resolution and knowledge management capabilities to customer support organizations. All SolutionSeries products integrate easily with leading call-tracking applications, including those from Clarify (Nasdaq: CLFY), Remedy (Nasdaq: RMDY), Siebel Systems (Nasdaq: SEBL) and Vantive (Nasdaq: VNTV). Primus Primus is a leading provider of problem resolution and knowledge management software that enables support organizations to capture, share and manage knowledge worldwide. In its effort to define the ideal business model and problem resolution technology for customer support organizations, Primus founded the Customer Support Consortium® (now an independent, non-profit alliance of more than 70 leading technology vendors) in 1992 and helped the Consortium develop the Solution-Centered SupportSM model. Primus customers include 3COM (NASDAQ: COMS), 3M (NYSE: MMM), Entex, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702), SHL/MCI Systemhouse (NASDAQ: MCIC), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Nortel (NYSE: NT), QAD Inc. (NASDAQ: QADI), Simplex Time Recorder Co., SOFTBANK Services Group and Vanguard Cellular (NASDAQ: VCELA). The Seattle-based firm is privately held with $32 million in venture funding from investors led by Trans Cosmos, Inc., Oak Investment Partners, Norwest Venture Capital, Nevis Capital Management, EnCompass Venture Partners and Piper Jaffray Venture Fund. Primus has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Primus Knowledge Solutions UK Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Primus, has offices in London. Primus KK, a joint venture with Trans Cosmos, Inc., markets and sells SolutionSeries products in Japan. For more information, contact Primus at 1601 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1900, Seattle, Washington, 98101, 206-292-1000, or visit the Primus Web site at http://www.primus.com. ### SolutionBuilder, SolutionExplorer, SolutionPublisher, SolutionSeries, Primus and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned in this publication are the trademarks of their respective owners. http://www.primus.com Contact: Laura Baughman KVO Public Relations 503-721-4252 lbaughma@kvo.com Search the News Archives Home | Daily Report | Resource Center | Company | Affiliations | Research | Contact Us © 1998 Real Market Research Corporation.          Real Market is a registered trademark of Real Market, Inc.