Nuance Named 2005 ''Speech Technology Excellence'' Award Winner by

Nuance Named 2005 ''Speech Technology Excellence'' Award Winner by Technology Marketing Corporation's Customer Inter@ction Solutions Magazine

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2005--

Nuance Call Steering(TM) Improves Customer Experience, Increases Bottom Line Results
    Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN), the voice automation expert, today announced that Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC(TM))'s Customer Inter@ction Solutions(R) Magazine (www.cismag.com) has named Nuance Call Steering(TM) a recipient of its 2005 Speech Technology Excellence Award. Selected for its ability to enhance the customer experience and improve an organization's overall bottom line, Nuance Call Steering allows callers to speak naturally to an automated voice automation solution, quickly routing them to the correct destination after "listening" their request. Nuance Call Steering eliminates the need for multiple phone numbers and touchtone mazes that confuse customers and cost companies millions of dollars a year to maintain.
    New this year, the Speech Technology Excellence Award recognizes companies that have developed innovative speech technology solutions to help improve the bottom line.
    "Voice automation is becoming more prevalent -- not only in telephony-based applications, but also in hand-held computers, kiosks and mobile applications. Nuance and the other award winners give their customers a competitive advantage," said Nadji Tehrani, Executive Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Customer Inter@ction Solutions.
    Nuance Call Steering is the industry's first and only packaged voice automation application designed to address a multi-million Dollar problem that all enterprises and telecommunications carriers face -- accurately and cost-effectively routing customer phone calls to the correct customer care destination, such as the billing department, orders department, or store locator. Powered by AccuRoute(TM) and Say Anything(TM), Nuance's advanced natural language technologies, Nuance Call Steering enables callers to describe their requests naturally. Customer satisfaction rates increase, as confusing touch-tone menus are eliminated and lengthy on-hold waiting times are avoided. The application is highly configurable and can be rapidly tailored to meet the needs of a specific company. Deployment is possible in less than half the time than is often required for other similar types of speech applications built from scratch. Early data and projections indicate that large call centers with 50-100 million calls per year could save up to $20 million annually using Nuance Call Steering. Smaller call centers with 5 million calls per year could save up to $2 million annually.
    "Voice automation has become an integral component of today's competitive business environment. We are constantly working to anticipate business needs and improve and update our voice automation solutions so they exceed the needs of both the enterprise and the customer," said Chuck Berger, president and CEO, Nuance. "Nuance Call Steering is a great application for users and enterprises alike -- we are proud to be recognized as a Customer Inter@ction Solutions' Speech Technology Excellence Award winner."
    Customer Inter@ction Solutions has been a premier publication in the CRM, call center and teleservices industries since 1982. A full list of Speech Technology Excellence award recipients will appear in the publication's February 2005 issue.

    About TMC(TM)

    Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publishes two print magazines: Customer Interaction Solutions and Internet Telephony; five digital publications, SIP Magazine, Speech-World, WiFI Telephony Magazine, VoIP Developer and WiMAX Magazine; and the online publications TMCnet.com, Planet PDA Magazine, WiFi Revolution, Alternative Power and BiometriTech. TMC is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs. TMC also produces The VoIP Developer Conference, Speech-World Conference, IP Contact Center Summit and The Global Call Center Outsourcing Summit. TMCnet.com publishes more than 25 topical online newsletters. For more information about TMC, visit its Web site at www.tmcnet.com.

    About Nuance

    In an era where a focus on the customer is essential to business success, Nuance provides leading companies with voice-automation solutions that enable both an outstanding customer experience and corporate cost efficiency. Nuance is a leader in the voice automation market, providing software and solutions to more than 1,000 companies worldwide. Clients include Avon, British Airways, Nomura Securities, OnStar, Sprint PCS, United Parcel Service, Vodafone and Wells Fargo. Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN) is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information, visit www.nuance.com or call 1-888-NUANCE-8.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to Nuance, including, for example, those relating to the business and customer benefits attainable by using Nuance Call Steering. There is no assurance that the results contemplated by any forward-looking statements will be realized. The following factors, risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements: the risk that Nuance Call Steering will not improve the user experience and satisfaction, improve the customer's bottom line, perform accurately, or deploy quickly, or will not achieve other benefits in some or all circumstances; and other factors described in Nuance's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Nuance's last-filed Form 10-Q. Nuance does not undertake to update any oral or written forward-looking statements that may be made by or on behalf of Nuance.

    Nuance and Nuance Call Steering are registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Nuance Gwen Murphy, 650-847-7131 gmurphy@nuance.com or Eastwick Communications for Nuance Becky Quinlan, 650-480-4032 bquinlan@eastwick.com or TMC Bill MacRae, 203-852-6800 ext. 226 bmacrae@tmcnet.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PUBLISHING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE PRODUCT SOURCE: Nuance Communications, Inc.

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