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WEBHELP ANNOUNCES LICENSING DEAL WITH MORRIS MURDOCK TRAVELOne of America’s largest full-service travel agency signs technology licensing arrangement with world-class developer and provider of online communications support.TORONTO, ON and SALT LAKE CITY, UT: August 9, 2001. Webhelp Inc., a developer and provider of online communications technology and services, announced today that it will license its leading-edge ARENA eCRM technology platform to Morris Murdock Travel, LLC. This deal enables Morris Murdock Travel’s current call center support team to use Webhelp’s real-time chat technology to reach more clients and widen the scope of their support offering. Ranked as one of the largest travel agencies in the Western United States based on volume, Morris Murdock Travel is positioning itself to expand its online network into new travel markets by making it easier for its customers to access products and services. Morris Murdock Travel will leverage Webhelp's ARENA eCRM technology platform to enable this online expansion. “With Webhelp technology, we will expand revenue by reaching a broader customer base as well as streamlining our existing support costs”, said Mark Slack, Chief Executive Officer of Morris Murdock Travel. “Webhelp’s ARENA eCRM technology platform, including the revolutionary WAEF technology, allows the customer to work online with a live agent who has access to up-to-the-second pricing and seating availability. By guiding customers through the online booking process, we minimize customer fears of purchasing online, and prepare the way for our expansion into new travel markets.” Webhelp’s Web Application Event Framework (WAEF) technology, a component of the ARENA eCRM technology platform, applies the concept of streaming technology to allow for real-time online communication. WAEF differs from traditional frameworks in that it recognizes new events and data instantly, without having to request information from a server. Instead, this information is automatically pushed from the server when an update occurs. WAEF minimizes the amount of information transmitted over the network, since only the incremental data that has actually been changed or updated is communicated between users and the host of the application. Massive redundancy in transmitted content is eliminated, drastically reducing the amount of bandwidth required to support the application. “We are very excited to provide Morris Murdock Travel with our leading-edge technology solution. Webhelp’s ARENA eCRM technology platform uses our zero latency WAEF technology to create a dynamic customer experience. Combining our customer-focused technology with the full-service expertise of Morris Murdock Travel will provide an outstanding customer service vehicle. This relationship marks a strong entry into the travel and entertainment industry for Webhelp.” remarked Kerry Adler, Chief Executive Officer at Webhelp. About Morris Murdock Travel, LLC. Morris Murdock Travel is one of the top five leisure travel business agencies in the United States, with 33 locations in 5 states: Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Hawaii. Morris Murdock Travel, LLC is the largest leisure and group travel agency in the Intermountain area of Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Formed in 2000 from the merged business operations of Morris Travel and Murdock Travel, Morris Murdock Travel has total travel bookings in excess of $130 million per year. About Webhelp Inc. Webhelp is a developer of technology and service offerings for providing online communication solutions to businesses and their customers. Its ARENA eCRM technology platform offers real-time, person-to-person interaction capabilities, as well as a broad set of customer communication and management applications to corporate clients including Microsoft, Norelco and AOL. The ARENA eCRM technology platform supports the WebhelpTM suite of licensed or outsourced online customer service solutions including Web-based chat, e-mail management, self-service and wireless customer support. Webhelp also provides a real-time, human-assisted Internet search service. Webhelp is privately held with executive offices in Toronto, Canada and additional locations in North America and Europe. For information about Webhelp's services, visit www.webhelp.com or call 1-888-WEB-6611. Except for historical information, all of the expectations and assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of the parties to integrate the technologies, availability of component parts, manufacturing difficulties and possible delays in release of other products. For additional information regarding these and other risks associated with the company's business refer to the company's reports filed with the SEC. Editorial Contact: Cory Basil Webhelp Inc. (416) 932-6567 cory.basil@webhelp.com top of page |
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