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RANCHO CORDOVA , CA., January 22, 2001 - DST Innovis announced today the availability of Affinity™ customer information system (CIS), a completely customizable and modular solution that allows utility service providers to respond to the issues of a deregulated and ever-evolving marketplace. The Affinity CIS is built specifically to a utility's business process and completely integrates with DST Innovis' customer relationship management (CRM) and Internet products to create a comprehensive and customizable customer management solution.

"With Affinity, we are offering a solution that builds on our two decades of experience in the utility industry with Custima International and the collected wisdom of utility executives from around the world," said James L. Anderson, director, product marketing, utilities for DST Innovis.

New benefits and functions of the Affinity CIS include:

• Business process driven throughout the system, allowing a utility to customize the data fields necessary to process a task
  
• Drives call center efficiencies through an extremely usable graphical user interface designed through human factors modeling as well as the ability to customize the front-end to include most relevant information
  
  • Reduces training time for call center representatives (CSRs)
  • Work time for the CSR and call time with the customer is reduced
    
• Inclusion of the executive reporting, sales and marketing, interactive voice response and archiving modules promotes functional scalability for the global marketplace
  
• Extended application programming interfaces (APIs) to enable easy integration to third parties
  
• Includes option for interactive voice response allowing customers to check their current balance, last payment and meter reading
  
• Easily integrated to CyberCSR® allowing customer self-care to detailed account information and electronic bill presentment and payment
  
• Offers online access to archived customer database decreasing CSR work time
  
• Database and platform independent
  
• Allows a utility to customize the rules engine, determining default values thus minimizing errors

"The strength of the Affinity system is its agility which allows utility service providers to quickly respond to varying and complex customer management and billing changes," Anderson said. "The flexibility of Affinity comes from both the system itself - being able to adapt and apply business rules - as well as its easy integration with our Internet and CRM products and other third-party software."

DST Innovis provides a complete suite of customer management products to the utility industry including: a powerful customer relationship management and workflow solution, AWD®; online access to Customer account information via CyberCSR®; complete support capabilities in an application service provider environment through the company's Platinum Global Data CenterSM; and outsourced printing and electronic billing through its sister company Output Technology Solutions.

About DST Innovis
DST Innovis leverages more than 30 years as a market leader to provide innovative customer management and open billing solutions to the global communications and utility industries.  DST Innovis' business solutions transform typical billing and customer care tasks into valuable and efficient communications, resulting in loyal customers, increased revenues and decreased expenses.

DST Innovis, named for its innovation and vision, remains on the technological forefront and continues to be an industry leader by providing the latest customer management and billing solutions. The company maintains a strong network of alliances with industry leaders to ensure its systems are fully functional and continue to meet customers' needs. Headquartered in Rancho Cordova, California, the company has ten offices worldwide. More information can be found at www.dstinnovis.com.

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