EMERYVILLE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/07/13 -- VirtuOz, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) for online marketing, sales, and support, today announced that Windstream Communications (www.windstream.com), a provider of high-speed Internet, streaming entertainment, home phone and digital TV services to residential customers in 18 states, has launched Wendy (www.windstream.com/Support/), the company's intelligent virtual agent that provides a new online customer engagement channel to its customers. Windstream is the latest telecommunications company to select VirtuOz and leverage their domain expertise in the telecommunications sector.

Wendy is an integral component in Windstream's vision to become the leading telecommunications innovator with the most cutting edge technology -- not only in the services they offer, but also in how they support their customers. Her initial mission is to provide an engaging customer experience, while lowering operational costs by quickly and effectively answering customers' support questions.

"Our decision to use a virtual agent is part of our commitment to being innovators in the telecommunications space," said Sarah Day, vice president of Consumer Marketing at Windstream. "In order to win in our markets, Windstream must keep pace with customers and that means delivering content and support to them when, where and how they want it. Using a virtual agent will deliver the kind of always on, engaging, and contextual experience that our Web savvy consumers expect. And with VirtuOz's proven track record, we knew we would produce a world-class agent."

Offering a compelling customer engagement alternative to email, live chat or phone calls, Wendy provides 24/7 online support across a range of topics, including frequent customer inquiries around billing and technical support. Prominently displayed on Windstream's main support page as well as product specific and contact pages, Wendy is also tightly integrated with the company's live chat, powered by VirtuOz partner Moxie Software, to ensure 100 percent resolution of the customer's problem.

"We are extremely excited to partner with Windstream," said Alex LeBrun, CEO and president of VirtuOz. "Windstream's commitment to innovation and a superior customer experience, combined with our telecommunications best practices and proven technology, is delivering a truly compelling virtual agent solution that is elevating their reputation in the industry."

About Wendy

Employer: Windsteam Communications (www.windstream.com)
Powered by: VirtuOz (www.virtuoz.com)
Born: January 3, 2013
Location: http://www.windstream.com/Support/
Mission: Wendy is an integral component in Windstream's vision to become the leading telecommunications innovator with the most cutting edge technology -- not only in the services they offer, but also in how they support their customers. Her initial mission is to provide an engaging customer experience, while lowering operational costs by quickly and effectively answering customers' support questions.

About VirtuOz
VirtuOz is the leader in Digital Customer Relationships, enabling large and mid-market enterprises to use Intelligent Virtual Agents to provide world-class online marketing, sales, and support channels, ensuring a high quality user experience while improving operational performance. Recognized by CRM Idol 2012, the American Business Awards, Best in Biz, Network Products Guide and the TiE50 Awards, the company's award winning intelligent virtual agents offer companies a new channel for online self-service that delivers the best possible customer experience at one-tenth the cost of traditional channels. VirtuOz solutions combine best-in-class virtual agent solutions with best practices across agent development, deployment, and optimization to deliver predictable and measurable results. Intelligent virtual agents are predicted to become the new standard for customer interaction in the next few years. VirtuOz leads the market for successful use of intelligent virtual agents, having processed over 166 million conversations on behalf of its customers in 2011 and with the largest number of live enterprise intelligent virtual agents for Global 2000 companies including PayPal, Michelin, SFR, GameFly, and Symantec. More information about VirtuOz can be found at www.virtuoz.com.

About Windstream
Windstream Corp. (NASDAQ: WIN) is a leading provider of advanced network communications, including cloud computing and managed services, to businesses nationwide. The company also offers broadband, phone and digital TV services to consumers primarily in rural areas. Windstream has more than $6 billion in annual revenues and is listed on the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit www.windstream.com.

VirtuOz is a trademark of VirtuOz, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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