Press Release

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STAR Awards Recognize Customer Service Excellence

Winners Lead Industry Into New Millennium

(MONTEREY, CA - December 8, 1999) – Chosen as the best in what they do, fifteen companies delivering technical support for software customers were awarded the highest honors in their industry at an annual gathering of their peers. Software Support Professionals Association (SSPA) announced winners of the 10th annual STAR Awards from the Horizons 2000 conference site where professionals and industry experts of the Information Technology (IT) world met to discuss the future of customer support services. STAR stands for Software Technical Assistance Recognition for outstanding accomplishments and superior performance in the delivery of technical support to external customers. The awards have become a coveted prize for winners since the program was established by the SSPA in 1990. This year’s winners are:

GeoQuest and Mentor Graphics (Complex Support)
Lucent Technologies-CRM Solutions (Automation Vendor)
Associates Commerce Solutions-Teleservices and Reynolds & Reynolds (High Call Volume)
SAGA SOFTWARE and Sage Software Inc. (Sustained Performance)
Microsoft Corporation and Vantive (Electronic Support)
CompuCom Systems and Software Spectrum (Outsourcer) Business Objects-Worldwide Customer Support and
Mitchell International (Most Improved)
DecisionOne (Internet Service Provider)

Sykes Enterprises Incorporated was inducted into the SSPA’s STAR Hall of Fame for winning an award over five consecutive years.

Winners are chosen each year by a peer group made up of SSPA Advisory Board members which changes each year.

Bill Rose, Founder and Executive Director of SSPA, remarked that "A record setting number of applications indicates the rising level of regard which companies are placing on customer service. Service excellence has become the key differentiator in the market. Recognition from the STAR Awards program and SSPA’s endorsement of the new Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification initiative have become a beacon for buyers of IT products and services," added Rose. SCP Certification is a new program that provides objective, third party assessments of the quality of individual support centers in the IT sector. Founded in 1989, SSPA represents over 6,000 service executives in over 500 member companies worldwide. SSPA gives software services and support professionals opportunities to share ideas, discuss developing trends and network with their peers. SSPA offers its members conferences, seminars, specialized training, executive forums and a variety of publications. For more information regarding the SSPA and other related divisions, log on to www.supportgate.com, building internet service communities. For more information about this year’s winners, please visit the following web sites:

Associates Commerce Solutions (www.associatescommerce.com); Business Objects (www.businessobjects.com); CompuCom Systems (www.compucom.com); DecisionOne (www.decisionone.com); GeoQuest (www.geoquest.com); Lucent Technologies (www.lucent.com); Mentor Graphics (www.mentor.com); Microsoft Corporation (www.microsoft.com); Mitchell International (www.mitchell.com); Reynolds & Reynolds (www.reyrey.com); SAGA SOFTWARE (www.sagasoftware.com); Sage Software (www.sota.com); Software Spectrum (www.softwarespectrum.com); Sykes Enterprises Incorporated (www.sykes.com); and Vantive (www.vantive.com).

Editorial Contact:
Bill Rose
SSPA
858-674-5491
brose@supportgate.com

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