www.webtonetech.com

WebTone Technologies is a customer service vendor focusing on the financial services industry.

The Company: WebTone Technologies (Atlanta, GA) is a spinoff of S1/Security First Network Bank (SFNB is now owned by Royal Bank, a large investor in S1). Former S1/SFNB talent makes up a large portion of the founding team, including Chairman Michael McChesney (a co-founder of SFNB/S1), VP Ron Curtis, and CTO Lawrence Catchpole. The new CEO, (as of Jan. 11, 2000), James Szyperski is from the communications industry.

COO Dave Armento (who was CEO at the time of our discussion) characterizes the company as the
“first to integrate call center telephony with Internet customer service (email).” The company provides
end-to-end customer care solutions integrating telephone and Web-based communications. Using WebTone products, banks can consolidate, track,
and respond to customer service requests using the consumer’s preferred channel, improving service quality and potentially reducing servicing costs.

Company Timeline:

Product Line:

Ensemble Suite

1. WebTone Response: Email management and response tools.

How it Works:

•  Emails directed to the bank are collected, identified, and sorted into common workflow categories, such as check requests, address changes, and bill pay issues.
•  Upon receipt of the user’s email, an immediate acknowledgment is emailed back containing either the requested information or the estimated time the bank will respond.
•  The customer email is automatically distributed to the appropriate staff based on expertise and work queue. Authorized staff can easily change workflow rules.
•  SmartResponse: An artificial intelligence engine reads and interprets the customer’s message and creates a suggested response based on its existing knowledge base. The suggested reply is sent to the appropriate agent who can modify and personalize it before forwarding to the customer.
•  Customer emails and company responses are stored in the Event Tracker database for use in solving future problems, customizing future correspondence, analyzing trends, or training employees.

2. WebTone Guides: A forms-based tool to
move customers away from free-form email, increasing the overall efficiency of e-service support. With the use of a form, customers are less likely to omit information needed to resolve their problem.

3. WebTone Gram: A Web-based, secure email program for exchanging account data and other sensitive information. Email files remain on the institution’s server, providing secure communications with users.

How it Works: Two alerts are sent to the customer.

•  Internet: A notice is sent to the user’s standard Internet email account with a link to the message waiting in their secure mailbox.
•  Web site: A second notification appears as a “New Mail” icon within the Internet banking application.

Other Products:

1. Lyric: An integrated Windows NT-based telephony solution with full ACD, CTI, IVR, and PBX capabilities; includes Web-based customer interaction for more seamless customer service.

2. Duet (coming in 2000): Will enable real-time interaction between financial institutions and customers. Bank reps and customers can simultaneously review forms and documents and “push” documents back and forth to resolve service issues. Currently, the product features real-time chat (typed) and will eventually support voice conversations.

Clients:

•  SFNB (division of Royal Bank, which owns
  12% of WebTone) servicing 50,000+ users
•  ebank.com
•  the online banking division of an undisclosed
  top-3 insurance company
•  Citicorp (Web forms only)

Pricing: WebTone products can be licensed or used on a service-bureau basis. Prices are negotiable and depend on products, volume, and so on.

1. Service Bureau: Customer emails are routed to WebTone’s secure data center, where they are collected, categorized, and processed. Emails needing personal attention are routed to the bank’s contact center, along with suggested responses.

2. Licensed: The required technology components, counsel, and training are purchased outright.

Funding: Investors include Royal Bank of Canada, which exercised options on 10/13/99 to acquire an additional 8% of WebTone, bringing its total ownership to 12 percent; and S1 with a “small,” undisclosed stake.

Contact:

3400 Peachtree Road, Suite 200

Atlanta, GA 30326-1108

(404) 812-8580

WebTone Executive Team

Source: company, 12/99

*co-founders **username@webtonetech.com