FARMINGDALE, N.J., April 5, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Level 8 Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:LVEL) announced today that N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. (NEW), the nation's leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs, has selected the Cicero application integration platform to enhance the company's standard agent desktop.
"The choice of Cicero will enable our Customer Service Representatives to provide quicker response to consumers while reducing the overall time a consumer spends on the phone with us. Quicker response and better service are two essential ingredients in our commitment to deliver best-in-class customer service," said Bob Moran, Senior Vice President and CIO of NEW. "Cicero's unique integration capabilities will help us extend our leadership position in the industry."
NEW has consistently delivered many industry "firsts" since its inception more than 20 years ago. Many of the innovations it has pioneered are now standard practices throughout the industry, including 24x7x365 call center operations, insurance underwriting for every plan sold, 48-hour claims processing, price interval underwriting and replacement plans for lower-price merchandise. Recently NEW achieved another "first", when it became the first company in the service plan industry ever to be recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for delivering "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience."
NEW protects the purchases of more than 100 million consumers. Last year, the company's communication centers handled over 8 million telephone, e-mail and fax interactions with consumers. Cicero will help improve customer service by providing NEW the ability to streamline and enhance customer interaction thereby increasing operational efficiencies and return on investment.
"NEW's decision to deploy Cicero as a key business differentiator is a powerful endorsement of our unique technology and its compelling business value," said Ralph Martino, Chairman of Level 8 Systems. "The competitive edge that NEW will gain from Cicero's ability to streamline and enhance business processes faster and more completely across a myriad of industries will clearly differentiate them from their competition."
About NEW
N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. (www.newcorp.com) is the nation's leading provider of extended service plans, buyer protection services and product support for businesses and consumers. With more than 20 years experience, NEW provides exceptional post-sale consumer care for many of the nation's largest retailers, manufacturers, utilities and financial services firms, providing coverage last year to more than 100 million consumers. Through its commitment to customer care, NEW delivers ongoing revenue, unrivaled customer support, seamless service administration and the competitive edge needed to succeed in a rapidly changing marketplace. This philosophy has positioned the company as the leader in the marketing and administration of extended service plans and other value-added buyer protection and information services.
NEW is headquartered in Dulles, VA, and operates six communication centers located in Montana, Florida, Virginia, Kansas and Oregon. NEW has over 2,200 employees nationwide. For more information, please visit N.E.W. at www.newcorp.com or call 1-800 WHAT'S NEW
About Level 8 Systems
Level 8 Systems, Inc. is a provider of high-performance, productivity-enhancing application integration software solutions that enable companies to extend the life, flexibility and operational effectiveness of their mission critical IT investments, substantially improve IT portfolio ROI and more efficiently maximize the business value of complex business systems in use throughout the enterprise. Level 8's breakthrough technologies, products and services assist leading companies in diverse industries such as financial services, government, healthcare, contact center and business process outsourcers, communications, retail and travel and hospitality.
Level 8 Systems, Level 8, and Cicero are trademarks of Level 8 Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Other company names are for identification purposes and are the property of, and may be trademarks of, their respective owners.
Except for any historical information contained herein, this news release contains "forward-looking statements" on such matters as strategic direction, anticipated return on investment, business prospects, the development and capabilities of the Cicero product group, new products and similar matters. Actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release of a variety of factors, including risks that customers may not adopt the Cicero technology that Level 8 may not successfully execute its new strategic initiative and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For a description of other factors that could cause such a difference, please see Level 8's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.