REDMOND, Wash., and OAKMONT, Pa., Aug. 4, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. and ServiceWare Inc. today announced that they will engage in a unique
“knowledge exchange” program to provide customers of Microsoft® products with increased accessibility to technical information and problem-solving techniques. ServiceWare will be given access to certain information from Microsoft’s online technical support site, including the Microsoft knowledge base, to enhance their Knowledge — Pak® knowledge bases, which are comprehensive collections of technical support solutions and information. In addition, information from ServiceWare’s Knowledge-Paks will be used to supplement Microsoft’s extensive Support Online Web site, accessible at http://www.microsoft.com/support/ .
“At Microsoft we continually improve the support we provide to our customers based on their feedback, and research has shown that corporate customers want to integrate technical support knowledge bases with their help desk systems,”
said Kurt Samuelson, content manager, enterprise services at Microsoft.
“ServiceWare Knowledge-Paks are used in help desks around the world. By working with ServiceWare, we provide Microsoft customers with the answers they need within the help desk system tailored to the their company. The information we gain from ServiceWare will also enhance customer offerings on Microsoft’s Support Online Web site.”
“With today’s rapidly evolving technology, it is more imperative than ever that corporate help desk employees and their end users are armed with the most up-to-date and relevant technical support information,”
said Hugh Bishop, senior vice president, enterprise business applications, Aberdeen Group Inc.
“It makes sense that ServiceWare and Microsoft combine their existing resources and continue to share information to improve technical support services available to both corporate help desk personnel and end users.”
“Our Knowledge-Pak products have been successful because of the high-quality of information and the breadth of content they include,”
said Rick Joslin, vice president of knowledge products for ServiceWare.
“Working with Microsoft and having access to technical information right from this important source will allow us to deliver a more comprehensive and usable range of information to customers.”
About ServiceWare
ServiceWare Inc. is the leading provider of support knowledge management solutions worldwide, providing the Right Answers Right Now SM to the customer support and help desk industry. More than 3,300 organizations and 1 million individuals worldwide use ServiceWare’s prepackaged knowledge bases, including the Knowledge-Pak Desktop Suite
™
, Knowledge-Pak Network Suite
™
, Knowledge-Pak Self-Support Suite
™
and Knowledge-Pak Suite for SAP R/3
™
. The company’s software products include Knowledge-Pak Architect
™
for capturing, optimizing and delivering support knowledge, Knowledge-Pak Viewer
™
for quick access to the right answers, and Integration-Paks
™
for rapid integration with leading customer interaction software (CIS) products. ServiceWare also offers training through Knowledge-Pak University
™
courses and workshops, as well as Professional Services for consulting and mentoring.
Headquartered in Oakmont, Pa., ServiceWare was ranked 76th on the 1997 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. To learn more about ServiceWare Inc., visit http://www.serviceware.com/ or call (800) KPAKS-4-U (572-5748).
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Knowledge-Pak, Knowledge-Pak Architect, Knowledge-Pak Viewer, Knowledge-Pak Desktop Suite, Knowledge-Pak Network Suite, Knowledge-Pak Self-Support Suite, Knowledge-Pak Suite for SAP R/3, Integration-Pak, Knowledge-Pak University and Right Answers Right Now are registered trademarks, trademarks or service marks of ServiceWare Inc.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
