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Consumers Demand Improved Customer Care from Mobile Devices

On-Device Self Service for Simple Fixes Eliminates Need to Sit in Queue

BURLINGTON, MA — April 14, 2009 — Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced findings that show consumers are more demanding than ever, and require access to customer care directly from their mobile devices. The results of the study revealed that 62 percent of users said they want to bypass automated systems and be given an opportunity to use their mobile phone screen to complete simple inquiries that should not require agent intervention.

The study focused on how consumers want to receive customer support from enterprises and mobile carriers in the U.S. The report shows that over 60 percent of mobile users believe on-device self service is an important offer and want access to it on their mobile phone. Additionally, over 80 percent of users surveyed want the ability to complete an entire customer service interaction, such as paying a bill or upgrading an account, directly on their mobile device versus enduring long wait times for a live agent.

On-device self service provides carriers a solution that solves basic consumer inquiries, like paying a bill, directly on the mobile phone. This leads to a meaningful bottom line savings considering over 60 percent of consumers have contacted customer care more than three times in the last six months.

“Wireless carriers and enterprises need to adjust their customer care offerings by providing consumers information when they want it, where they want it and how they want it,” said Sheryl Kingstone, director of Mobile and Wireless Communications at Yankee Group. “On-device self service provides this capability by solving many of the problems subscribers have on the device – providing a powerful user experience and significant cost savings to the operator.”

“Nuance is seeing an increase in consumer awareness across the board, which has increased the options that carriers can consider when they are thinking about their customer care strategy.” said Mikael Berner, SVP and GM Enterprise Division at Nuance. “Self-service on the mobile device is the next natural progression of the call center.”

Consumers are becoming more comfortable with utilizing the handset for more than just basic calls. The mobile users surveyed had an age span across all demographics, with 18-24 year-olds admitting to using their mobile phone all the time, even at home, while the 55-58 year age group also held strong at 42 percent. Additionally, the study illustrates trends similar to that of desktop internet use stating by 2012 mobile internet habits are forecasted to resemble that of today’s PC habits. Based on the Yankee Group research, there are many reasons consumers contact customer care, including:

  • 50 percent of respondents call to question a line item on a bill
  • 44 percent call to pay a bill
  • 24 percent call just to get a confirmation of an automated transaction

The following is excerpted from a commissioned work conducted by Yankee Group on behalf of Nuance Communications as of March 2009.

All of these call drivers are solved with Nuance Mobile Care’s simple, on-device self-service solution, including the ability to make account inquiries or pay bills directly without having to wait in queue. Nuance has seen an automation rate of over 60 percent thus far, and through external focus groups has found that 90 percent of users preferred on-device self service to other forms of self service.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: www.nuance.com.

Nuance and the Nuance logo are registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and other countries. All other companies or product names are the property of the respective owners.

The statements in this press release, relating to future plans or future events or services, are forward-looking statements which are subject to specific risks and uncertainties. These could involve particular market trends, competition factors and other risks described in the documents submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results, events and services may vary significantly from the forecasts. The reader is warned not to rely on these forward-looking statements without reservation, since these are simply reflections of the current situation.

© 2002-2009 Nuance Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.