ORCOM

BEND, OR., April 16, 2001 - Thanks to implementation of a new Internet Access System (IAS™) by ORCOM, Montana Power Company's customers can now go online to research an individual property's energy consumption, or view multiple energy accounts with a single login.

ORCOM, the premier vertical application service provider (VSP) of billing and customer care services to the utility industry, has provided hosted customer information and billing services for Montana Power since October 1999. To help its VSP clients like Montana Power meet the demand for web-based services, ORCOM and Montana Power cooperatively developed its Internet Access System (IAS™). This web-based customer service center incorporates features such as the Realtor's Corner - which gives real estate agents the ability to show potential property buyers energy consumption for a property - and the ability to view more than one energy account from one user login.

According to ORCOM President Hack Heyward, "These two features mark the successful completion of the third phase of a multi-phased IAS implementation." The first two phases brought Montana Power's customers a variety of Internet-based self-service capabilities, including the ability to access their accounts securely online with a user-defined user name and password and to view comparative energy consumption graphs for a 24-month period. Features built into ORCOM's IAS also allow customers to use the Internet to research billing questions, sign up for services like automatic fund transfers from checking or savings accounts, and make or cancel a customer service appointment.

When a customer makes an appointment online, a service order is automatically generated at the appropriate Montana Power field service office. IAS's automation of such Internet-based requests allows for the real-time update of customer account records, a service integral to both customer service and customer relationship management efforts.

Additionally, IAS™ provides an interface to Montana Power's new online electronic bill presentment and a variety of payment options specifically designed for customer convenience and efficiency. Customers now can make payments via the web and have them deducted from a checking account or credit card - a feature so well-received that Montana Power received in excess of $225,000 of its payments this way the first two weeks the option became available.

The next IAS™ implementation phase, now underway, involves the new IAS™ Service Order Engine, which will allow Montana Power to offer its customers new types of online service order requests and the ability to view a list of all their service order requests.

According to Mike Johnson, Director of Distribution Services for Montana Power, "ORCOM's IAS not only provides an additional portal through which to serve our customers, it allows us to take our overall customer service operations to the next level."

ORCOM's Heyward notes that "IAS™ is a powerful feature because it even keeps track of site usage and how frequently various features are used. This in turn allows Montana Power to get to know its customers better while continually enhancing its Internet customer self-service capabilities."

About Montana Power Company
The Montana Power Company was formed in 1912 through the merger of four small regional electric companies. Today, Montana Power's energy companies provide regulated electric and natural gas transmission and distribution to 288,000 electric customers and 151,000 natural gas customers in the western two-thirds of Montana. Montana Power is currently being acquired by NorthWestern Corporation of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

About ORCOM
ORCOM is Where Utilities Go Next for Customer Information and Customer Relationship Management services. ORCOM is the premier provider of billing and customer care services to the utility industry, handling more clients than any other Vertical Application Service Provider. Based in Bend, Oregon, ORCOM has an office in Denver, Colorado and a service delivery facility in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. ORCOM is a LiveWire company. LiveWire is a diversified software and Internet company focused on business-to-business and mission critical software and products and services for media, telecom, utility and Internet companies.

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