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AT&T Customer Portal Awarded 2004 Innovation Award From TMC Labs

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T BusinessDirect(R) -- AT&T's customer support, service and management Web portal -- has been awarded a 2004 Innovation Award from TMC Labs. The portal is recognized for its innovative use of technology and superior capabilities that give customers greater visibility into their own networks and better control over network performance and investments.

The TMC Labs Innovation Awards are bestowed upon the best and the most unique products and services for customer interaction solutions. The panel of judges researched hundreds of products to find the top applications that demonstrate leadership by providing users with innovative features and functionality, continuing to improve the customer experience, and delivering a clear return on investment back to the organization.

"AT&T is setting new standards for network management, customer service and support applications with AT&T BusinessDirect," said TMC President Rich Tehrani. "By giving users a view into their own network, AT&T empowers customers with real-time, end-to-end visibility that helps businesses manage their networks, cut costs and save time. This unique access, coupled with a collection of innovative features and functionality, earned AT&T BusinessDirect this honor."

The judges at TMC Labs recognized several portal features that made AT&T BusinessDirect stand apart from other products. AT&T BusinessDirect Map was noted for its user-friendly interface that allows customers to have a graphical view of their entire network with integrated ordering, maintenance and inventory capabilities. AT&T eBonding(SM) was recognized as a superior use of technology for its ability to seamlessly link AT&T's network directly with the customer's network, reducing time and simplifying processes.

These advanced features and functionality illustrate AT&T's commitment to raising the bar in customer service and support. The company invested more than $700 million in streamlining and automating processes and improving customer-facing performance metrics during 2003.

"Delivering the best customer experience is a top priority for AT&T," said Bob Sloan, AT&T eSales & Service vice president. "A key aspect of our approach to AT&T BusinessDirect has been to provide our customers with the networking tools they need to meet their communications and overall business needs. User feedback, as well as the ever-increasing portal adoption rate, are both key indicators that we're on the right track. This honor from TMC Labs is another great testament to our success."

Customers find value in the simple and intuitive means AT&T BusinessDirect provides to support and manage their network infrastructure. It allows them to spend their time more efficiently and place greater emphasis on business critical activities and less time monitoring their network. Each month, roughly 400,000 businesses conduct an average of 2.4 million transactions using AT&T BusinessDirect. Customer transactions through the portal -- including ordering and maintenance inquiries -- increased 17 percent last year.

About AT&T

For more than 125 years, AT&T (NYSE "T") has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.

About TMC(TM)

Since 1972, Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC(TM)) has produced industry-leading trade magazines and events focused on technology and telecommunications. TMC(TM) publishes two magazines: Customer Inter@ction Solutions(TM) and Internet Telephony(R), and the online publications, WifiTelephony.com, The VoIP Developer Channel, Planet PDA(TM) Magazine and BiometriTech(TM) Magazine. TMC(TM) is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs(TM), and provide factual and unbiased product reviews. TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY(R) Conference & Expo, The VoIP Developer Conference(TM), Speech-World Conference, IP Contact Center Summit, WiMAXcon, and The Global Call Center Outsourcing Summit(TM). TMCnet.com publishes more than 25 topical online newsletters. For more information about TMC, visit its Web site at http://www.tmcnet.com/.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991018/ATT )

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991018/ATT

AT&T

CONTACT: Gina Giamanco of AT&T Public Relations, +1-908-658-6061,ggiamanco@att.com; or Michael Genaro of Technology Marketing Corporation,+1-203-852-6800, ext. 142, mgenaro@tmcnet.com

Web site: http://www.att.com/http://www.tmcnet.com/

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