REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- SupportSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRT), a leading provider of Real-Time Service Management (RTSM™) software, today announced that Cox Communications has purchased SupportSoft’s VoiceAssist software to help better resolve their broadband subscribers’ technical issues over the phone through automated collection and coding of information about a subscriber’s PC system and their specific issue, even when the subscriber is disconnected from the Internet. This coded information will provide customer service representatives with more precise technical insight from the call’s outset, helping them speed problem diagnosis and resolution of the subscriber’s problem.

SupportSoft VoiceAssist automatically delivers to the call center a 16-digit code that encapsulates detailed, pertinent information about the caller’s computing environment and technical issue, thus shortening the sometimes lengthy question and answer period that happens at the beginning of customer service calls. This assists the customer representative to more quickly pinpoint the cause of the caller’s problem, helping speed issue resolution and increasing customer satisfaction. VoiceAssist creates the code using SupportSoft’s patented SmartIssue® technology, which can automatically gather diagnostic information about the computing system which, when coded, can be delivered live via the phone or an interactive voice response (IVR) system. This enables subscribers unable to connect to customer service via the Internet to still receive the benefits of service automation.

“SupportSoft solutions are essential ingredients in helping Cox Communications provide multiple service channels to our broadband subscribers, whether they prefer the Web, online chat or the telephone,” said Keith Lindsay, director internet support applications at Cox. “With the addition of SupportSoft VoiceAssist software, we are ensuring that our subscribers always enjoy a great customer service experience. This also allows Cox to efficiently scale to meet the customer service needs of our rapidly growing population of broadband subscribers.”

In a separate release:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- SupportSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRT), a leading provider of Real-Time Service Management (RTSM™) software, today announced that BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) will trial the new SupportSoft VoiceAssist™ software, which can speed the resolution of technical issues for its retail DSL subscribers even when a Web connection is not available.

SupportSoft VoiceAssist software provides the ability for the automated, offline diagnosis of technical problems via the telephone, and enables the customer to share complex information with a customer service representative through communication of a simple code number created by the software. The result is that the service representative is already well on the way to resolving the issue once the phone call is received, without having to prompt the customer for basic information that can contribute to a frustrating and often costly delay in responding to a customer’s support needs.

“We are looking for a tool like SupportSoft VoiceAssist, to help decrease the customer contact time and increase first call resolution,” said Dirk Palenik, Director of eTools and Center Support for BellSouth. “Such a tool would complement our strategy of improving customer satisfaction while simultaneously reducing our operational support costs.”

“BellSouth has an unwavering commitment to maintaining high levels of award-winning customer satisfaction. Its use of SupportSoft VoiceAssist can provide yet another innovative support channel to meet their customer needs,” said Radha Basu, chairman and CEO of SupportSoft. “VoiceAssist is the latest offering from SupportSoft to help companies deliver on the promise of the real-time enterprise by keeping technology users up and running, whether they are online or off, and to help service representatives more quickly resolve customer issues via the phone.”

SupportSoft Inc.

Cox Communications Inc.

BellSouth Corp.