Kinko’s Launches Microsoft Office System Pilots Nationwide To Streamline Technical Support and Employee Collaboration

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 17, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. and Kinko’s Inc. today announced that Kinko’s has launched a set of customized Microsoft®
Office System corporate pilot solutions designed to enable team members at their company headquarters and at branch locations to streamline the time and costs involved in managing technical support and information-sharing throughout their organization. Kinko’s launched the solution with the help of Avanade Inc., a leading Microsoft technology integrator.

Two pilots currently under way at Kinko’s targeted at sharing knowledge across the enterprise are expected to reduce costs and streamline internal processes, allowing team members to focus on Kinko’s core mission of delivering document solutions, done right, any time, anywhere. These pilots will ultimately lead to enhanced service for all Kinko’s customers.

One Kinko’s pilot, eSupport, includes an innovative new solution using key programs within the Microsoft Office System that allows branch team members to troubleshoot technical problems without the assistance of tech support. The eSupport solution — built with Microsoft Office Visio® 2003, Microsoft Office InfoPath (TM) 2003 and Microsoft Office SharePoint (TM) Portal Server 2003 — was architected and implemented by Avanade. The solution enables Kinko’s branch team members to diagnose and solve software and hardware problems.

Using a virtual tech support agent — an intelligent Web-based application that takes the place of a live tech support specialist — the solution provides team members with detailed instructions for solving specific software and hardware problems. eSupport provides Kinko’s branch team members with a faster, more effective alternative to phone-based technical support. Kinko’s expects the eSupport solution to reduce technical support costs and allow branch team members to focus on serving Kinko’s customers. That will ultimately lead to improved customer service.

“At Kinko’s, we are continually seeking innovative technology solutions to help realize our mission of providing customers with document solutions, done right, any time, anywhere. We expect the Microsoft Office System solutions we are testing to help us creatively and cost-effectively improve some of our business processes so that we can focus on our core mission,” said Dawn Graham, vice president of technology infrastructure at Kinko’s. “The learning curve on the Microsoft Office System solutions Kinko’s is piloting is incredibly fast, speeding the rate of internal adoption and allowing our team members to quickly begin realizing the productivity benefits.”

In addition, Kinko’s is piloting Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003, together with SharePoint Portal Server 2003. This solution provides a foundation for state-of-the-art intranet capabilities for Kinko’s Field Support Organization. SharePoint Portal Server 2003, a scalable portal and collaboration server that integrates information from various systems into one centralized intranet solution, enables users to quickly find relevant information through customization and personalization of portal content and layout. The anticipated benefits of this solution to Kinko’s include seamless integration between Office 2003 and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 for enhanced document and project collaboration through shared workspaces as well as the ability to create a cohesive knowledge-sharing solution for Kinko’s branch team members.

“Kinko’s and innovative companies like it can expect significant improvements in worker productivity enabled by SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and the Microsoft Office System,” said Ricardo Arroyo, senior program manager for Enterprise Collaboration at Avanade. “With insight earned through early access to Microsoft technology, Avanade helps companies like Kinko’s design and deploy Microsoft Office System-based solutions that optimize workplace collaboration and extract maximum value from IT investments.”

“We created the Microsoft Office System as a set of integrated programs, servers and services to work together to address a variety of business challenges,” said Joe Eschbach, vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft. “Kinko’s is the perfect example of an intelligent and nimble company that is leading the way in making the right investments for the long-term technological benefit of its entire organization. It’s exciting to see Kinko’s using these two Microsoft Office System solutions to address its unique needs.”

About Kinko’s

Kinko’s is the world’s leading provider of document solutions and business services. Its global network of more than 20,000 team members and 1,200 digitally connected locations offers access to technology for color printing, finishing and presentation services, Internet access, videoconferencing, outsourcing, facilities management, Web-based printing, and document management solutions. Dallas-based Kinko’s is a privately held corporation with locations in nine countries. For more information please visit www.kinkos.com. Products, services and hours vary by location.

About the Microsoft Office System

The Microsoft Office System is an easy way to help more people use information to positively impact their business. Through a system of familiar and easy-to-use programs, servers, services and solutions, users can connect people and organizations to information, business processes and each other — helping ensure that they derive the most value out of information. The Microsoft Office System consists of the 2003 editions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Microsoft Office Project and Project Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, Microsoft Office FrontPage® 2003, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, Microsoft Office OneNote (TM) 2003, Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, Microsoft Office Visio 2003 and the Microsoft Office Solution Accelerators. Enabling technologies, such as Microsoft Windows®
SharePoint Services and Microsoft Windows Server (TM) 2003, enhance the features and functionality of products in the Microsoft Office System.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Visio, InfoPath, SharePoint, FrontPage, OneNote, Windows and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual products and services mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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