Gottaquit.com Elects InstantService as Their Chat Technology Provider - Teens Gain Online Quit Smoking Support

SEATTLE, WA - September 5th, 2001 - InstantService™, an ASP provider of chat, e-mail, FAQ and other integrated CRM solutions for businesses, announced today that their chat technology has been selected by Gottaquit.com, an online non-profit aimed at helping teens quit smoking.

"Our research shows us that teenagers who smoke want to quit, but they don't know how to get help," said Monroe County Executive Jack Doyle. "We hope GottaQuit.com's unique style and its online help will create a cultural shift for teenagers that will allow them to think about kicking their smoking habit now."

Research shows that three-quarters of adolescents want to stop smoking and that some 3,400 teenagers start smoking each day. The GottaQuit.com smoking cessation initiative was developed to assist nicotine-addicted kids in the 14-18 age group to quit by using the tools on a highly interactive Web site. A key element of the site is a section called "Talk to Us. Live." where Monroe County teens are able to connect with trained quit coaches with just two clocks of the mouse.

"CRM chat technology is critical to GottaQuit.com's success," added Doyle. "Most teens are Internet savvy and know their way around Instant Messaging, however, InstantService has made it possible for us to reach even those who have never dabbled in chat. No download is required. This has been an incredible customer value add for us because sometimes all a teen needs to get them started and eventually quit smoking is a little help - from a personal quit coach."

InstantService appealed to Monroe County because it offered fast, easy and reliable service. The free chat offering for non-profits surpassed the program's expectations - notably, the multiple chat sessions and agents transfer options. The ability to Instant Message a quit coach is offered during hours when kids are most likely to be tempted to have a cigarette. InstantService allows the program managers to customize screens and inform visitors when quit coaches are available. Furthermore, the transfer functionality of InstantService allows teens to build a rapport with quit coaches by returning to chat with the same person.

Co-browsing is also a feature utilized to push helpful web pages to chatters with specific questions. Additionally, customized surveys and activity reports are generated on the backend of InstantService to help program management ensure customer satisfaction and monitor the program's performance.

"Our non-profit offering is designed to help community services meet their online support needs," said Mike Lande, CEO of InstantService. "Non-profits have enough to worry about in just meeting the needs of their communities, which is why qualified non-profits receive InstantService chat services for free. And our proven stability means Gottaquit.com can be assured our services will be up whenever teens seek support for quitting."

About Gottaquit.com
Gottaquit.com is a non-profit, social marketing campaign created by Monroe County in Rochester, New York to encourage the 35 percent of the county's teenagers who smoke to quit. The Web site aims to entertain and educate teens about tobacco use, and most importantly give them personalized help in quitting smoking. The project is the first in the nation to utilize Internet Instant Messaging technology to connect youth smokers to young adults who have smoked and quit. GottaQuit.com is funded through a portion of the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement.

About InstantService
InstantService™ is a Seattle-based company, which meets the need for real-time human interaction over the Internet. Currently, InstantService does this by delivering chat, e-mail management, a dynamic FAQ tool, collaborative browsing, and a suite of industrial strength administrative reporting and queuing tools combined with CRM integration capabilities - all offered in a secure format.

InstantService's ASP model eliminates the need for companies to purchase, install, and maintain onsite hardware or software. With fees based upon usage, InstantService pricing is as scalable as its technology. InstantService is in use on over 600 sites that average up to 50,000 chat minutes per day. InstantService has local and global representation. Clients include Sento, DiTech, GMAC, GE, Sundance, BoeingStore.com, Gerber Insurance, and Venus Swimwear. For more information on InstantService's live online interaction technology, please go to www.instantservice.com or call (206) 956-8000.