TimeDriver Enters General Beta; Delivers 56% Increase in Confirmed Appointments

Early Results for TimeTrade's Free Web-Based Personal Appointment Scheduler Also Show 76% Reduction in Time-to-Book Overhead; New and Enhanced Features Unveiled


BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire - August 25, 2008) - TimeTrade Systems, the leader in customer self-service appointment scheduling, today announced the general beta availability of TimeDriver, the company's groundbreaking personal appointment scheduler for anyone who wants to invite others to schedule a professional interaction with them -- either on the phone or in person. Since being introduced at DEMO 2008, TimeDriver has been put through its paces by more than 2,000 users as part of a "private" beta program. Early test results show that TimeDriver delivers an average 56% increase in confirmed appointments and a dramatic 76% reduction in back-and-forth email or phone tag to find an appointment time that works.

Starting today, any Web user can visit the TimeDriver Web site and -- for free -- immediately begin using this innovative and intuitive tool. It requires nothing more than an Internet connection and a Web browser.

TimeDriver lets users add a self-service scheduling link to Web pages and emails so their customers and colleagues can schedule time with them. Rather than a shared calendar or simple meeting scheduler, TimeDriver is an appointment automation system that drives a steady flow of appointments into a user's Outlook or Google calendar, without email or phone tag. TimeDriver offers times that fall inside user-defined "availability windows" and do not conflict with other commitments in their calendar.

"We help students with admissions to medical, dental, allied health, MBA, and law school, as well as Masters and PhD programs," said Don Osborne, president and founder of INQUARTA. "We book between 14 and 20 appointments a week. Until I started using TimeDriver, scheduling was nearly 30% of my workload. With TimeDriver, I create a lens on my calendar unveiling times I have available and making it easy for clients to schedule time with me. TimeDriver has eliminated a major stress factor in our business and reduced our workload, while increasing our availability to our clients. College kids are in class from 9 to 5. Now they can get access to my calendar when it's easiest for them. You'd be surprised how often people schedule with me through TimeDriver while I'm asleep."

When an invited guest ("invitee") clicks a TimeDriver schedule link, they are invited to choose a convenient time for their appointment. Double-booking is never a problem because as soon as someone selects a timeslot it is no longer offered to others.

"There's no question about it -- customer convenience is just good business," said Ronni Marshak, senior vice president, Patricia Seybold Group. "TimeDriver is designed to help small businesses and individuals inside mid-size and large enterprises book appointments effortlessly -- and it adds great convenience for their customers or prospects. Keeping customers satisfied because it is easy to get time with you is a much more effective strategy than dealing with constant turnover and the acquisition of new customers. Even a 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10%. TimeDriver is an appointment scheduling tool that will have broad appeal because it addresses real challenges."

TimeTrade is the leader in online appointment scheduling for enterprises large and small, with over 200 million appointments booked. Drawing on that experience as well as feedback from early TimeDriver users, new TimeDriver features introduced today include:

-- New wizards to speed creation of new campaigns and one-off invitations

-- A dashboard that displays
     -- access to the new wizards
     -- recent scheduling activities and availability
     -- email invitations sent out, including status of responses

-- A new TimeDriver toolbar for Outlook, so users can easily create emails
   that include a TimeDriver "click here" invitation.

-- Enhanced worldwide time zone support -- for phone meetings where each
   party is in a different time zone.

-- Ability to color-code appointments that flow from TimeDriver into
   Outlook, so they stand out. The color coding can also be used to
   distinguish face-to-face appointments from phone appointments.

"We provide a world-class capability for clients to better define and manage their business and software requirements, and have worked with hundreds of project managers and executives to ensure their next project quickly develops clear, accurate and complete requirements," said Keith Ellis, vice president of Marketing & Strategic Alliances at IAG Consulting. "Lead generation is vital for us to extend our reach to new prospects. We are already leveraging TimeDriver, both through email and on our web site to drive improved performance in our inbound and outbound campaigns by making it easier for prospects to connect with the right person at the right time."

A Powerful Solution to a Complex Challenge

TimeDriver is free and easy to use, but under the hood is the power of TimeTrade's proven rules-based technology, which has scheduled millions of appointments for businesses of all sizes. TimeDriver brings this expertise to a powerful "one-to-many" tool, with robust tracking and customization capabilities.

TimeDriver's built-in rich text editor makes it easy to add images and text to welcome messages, as well as custom text to invitation emails. And like TimeTrade's enterprise solution, TimeDriver manages workflow after the appointment is made: it automatically confirms appointments, sends reminders, gathers relevant information and organizes the status of meetings, for display on the dashboard.

"TimeDriver will immediately change the way individuals book their time, without any disruption of their current business workflow," said Marco Peterson, co-founder and chairman of TimeTrade Systems. "TimeDriver is the first rules-based appointment solution that enables people to offer a 'click to schedule' link so invited guests can pick whatever time works best for them. TimeDriver is intuitive, allowing a seamless transition to a vastly improved appointment-setting process for individuals. Email and phone tag are instantly a thing of the past."


Getting Started

A Getting Started video provides a quick overview of how TimeDriver can be used to book a steady stream of appointments and shares best practices. Additionally, online Help, including FAQs and "How To," is a click away.

TimeDriver works with popular browsers including Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox. Security is ensured because although it reads the user's Outlook or Google calendar, no details are revealed: it only shows free-busy status.

The Industry Leader in Customer Self-Service Appointment Scheduling Solutions

TimeTrade Systems has been providing on-demand, appointment scheduling solutions to large enterprises since 2000. Customers include government agencies, retail, healthcare and other organizations that depend on scheduled appointments for services and products to drive revenue and/or serve the public sector efficiently. TimeTrade customers include PETCO, Ritz Camera, David's Bridal, HQ/Regus, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Department of Homeland Security.

TimeTrade offers the industry's most proven, extensible and scalable Web-based software to solve complex scheduling issues with high-performance and highly-configurable products. The company uses its own products to schedule conferences rooms and to schedule introductory calls through its Web site.

About TimeTrade Systems

TimeTrade Systems is the leader in customer self-service appointment scheduling solutions for enterprises and individuals. More than 200 million appointments have been scheduled through TimeTrade. Headquartered in Bedford, MA, TimeTrade offers Web-based solutions that enable customers to streamline operations, improve workflow and increase marketing and sales outreach. The company's customers include some of the largest government agencies, retailers, healthcare and other organizations as well as small-to-medium sized businesses. TimeTrade solves complex scheduling issues with high-performance, highly configurable solutions that are scalable to handle hundreds of thousands of appointments across multiple locations. TimeTrade Systems can be reached at www.timetrade.com.

All product names and references contained herein remain the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information: Contact: Kevin Kosh CHEN PR, Inc. 781-672-3111