ATLANTA
(August 13, 2000) -- CheckFree (NASDAQ: CKFR),
the leading provider of electronic billing and payment
(EBP) services, today named Pitney Bowes, as a Premier
Certified Partner through its CheckFree Partner Certification
Program. The CheckFree Partner Certification Program is
designed to offer partner organizations CheckFree's leading
distribution and payment systems as a complement to the
partners' products and services.
Pitney
Bowes provides software and services that enable enterprises
to custom-tailor and deliver traditional and newer forms
of critical customer communications such as electronic
bills and statements via the Internet and other electronic
channels. By certifying its technology with CheckFree's
services, Document Messaging Technology can offer its
corporate clients fast-track implementations since its
products and connection to CheckFree have been tested
and certified. As a result Document Messaging Technology
billers have a quick and easy method to present their
online bills and statements to more than 3.5 million consumers
through CheckFree's distribution network. Document Messaging
Technologies corporate clients can also receive payments
electronically using CheckFree's payment network.
"CheckFree's
partnership program is designed to simplify and accelerate
the process for financial institutions and billers to
enter the electronic billing and payment market, thus
stimulating consumer adoption," said Michael Sapienza,
senior vice president of channel and partner management
at CheckFree. "By designating proven partners such as
Document Messaging Technologies as a Premier Certified
Partner, billers can be confident that Document Messaging
Technologies will quickly implement an EBP solution to
provide their customers with the leading payment and distribution
systems available."
"Our
new designation as a CheckFree Premier Certified Partner
will help us to increase our market position and enhance
our EBP offering. To receive premier certification from
an industry leader in electronic payment is further validation
of the depth and breadth of our Digital Document Delivery
TM solution," said Karl Schumacher, President of Pitney
Bowes Document Messaging Technology. "From sales planning
and marketing materials to technical training and ongoing
support, CheckFree has established an innovative way to
work with us to grow our customer base."
About
CheckFree's Partner Certification Program
CheckFree's Partner Certification Program offers two levels
of certification: CheckFree Certified Partner and CheckFree
Premier Certified Partner. The designations are based
on the level of electronic billing and payment functionality
supported by the partner organization. CheckFree Certified
Partners support the essential electronic billing and
payment functions. CheckFree Premier Certified Partners
offer their customers not only the essential EBP functions,
but also advanced marketing, customer care and tracking
features available though CheckFree, as well. Certification
Partners receive comprehensive training in the areas of
sales, marketing/communications and technical solutions
as they complete the program. In order to remain certified,
partner organizations must participate in a quarterly
business review with CheckFree, in which the partner will
discuss product direction and sales goals. Certified partners
will also receive ongoing training and support as new
products are released.
The
CheckFree Partner Certification Program entails four steps
for successful certification, all of which Pitney Bowes
has completed. The four components are as follows:
- Business
Analysis and Sales Planning - This initial
component is designed to set accurate expectations and
provide partner organizations with an understanding
of CheckFree products and business rules. The partner
organization receives a customized business plan that
includes a sales plan, identifies partnership goals,
defines how the objectives will be achieved and determines
and measures how results are to be evaluated.
- Marketing
Support and Communications Planning - The purpose
of this step is to provide the partner organization
with materials and programs that will aid in effective
marketing/communications efforts. CheckFree provides
tools to help partners promote their status as a Certified
Partner or Premier Certified Partner, and establishes
guidelines for collaboration on marketing and public
relations initiatives. Partner organizations receive
a marketing toolkit, including a Certified Partner Logo,
trade show signage and a listing on the CheckFree corporate
Web site (www.checkfree.com).
- Certification
Requirements Training/Interface Design - The
goal of this component is to educate the partner organization's
development staff on the details of interfacing with
CheckFree and supporting this new interface. Partners
receive Web-based and classroom training on product
functions and features, connectivity issues and architecture
design guidelines. A CheckFree Partner Certification
Manager supports the partner organization as it designs
and codes its interface solution.
- Product
Validation - This final step ensures that the
interface solution is efficiently integrated with CheckFree
services and meets CheckFree compliance standards. The
testing plan developed during the Technical Development
component is implemented during this step. CheckFree
executes a series of tests in order to guarantee proper
data movement among all parties.
About
Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes is the premier solutions provider for the creation
and distribution of efficient and effective documents in
paper and digital form. Pitney Bowes Digital Document Delivery™
(D3™) solution provides billers with a proven method to
distribute digital statements, bills and other customer-oriented
communications. Using Pitney Bowes D3 technology, postagebyphone.com
has more than 3 million statements on the internet, which
represents one of the largest applications of Electronic
Statement Presentment in production today. The D3 Internet
billing technology, will enable consumers to view and pay
bills online with nearly 200 consumer service providers
(CSPs), including banks, brokerage firms, Internet portals
and content sites and personal financial management (PFM)
software.
About
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4.4 billion global provider and
worldwide leader of integrated mail and messaging management.
About
CheckFree
CheckFree (www.checkfree.com)
is the leading provider of financial electronic commerce
services and products. Founded as an electronic payments
processor in 1981, CheckFree launched the first fully
integrated electronic billing and payment solution in
March of 1997. Today, CheckFree services enable 3.5 million
consumers to receive and pay bills over the Internet or
electronically. The company has multi-year contracts with
157 of the nation's top billers to provide on-line billing
and payment through its network of partnerships with nearly
200 consumer service providers (CSPs), including banks,
brokerage firms, Internet portals and content sites and
personal financial management (PFM) software. CheckFree's
Investment Services division provides a range of investment
management services to help more than 255 institutions
provide portfolio management and reporting services to
their clients. CheckFree clients manage over 962,000 portfolios
totaling more than $480 billion in assets. Software and
services provided by CheckFree's Compliance and Financial
Service division are used to process more than two-thirds
of the nation's six billion Automated Clearing House payments.
In addition, nearly 400 banks and businesses use reconciliation
products and services the division provides.
Media
Contact:
Scott Gerschwer
Manager, Media Relations
203-739-3163
Scott.Gerschwer@pb.com
Judy Morris
(678) 375-1595
jdmorris@checkfree.com
Tina
Moore
Investor Relations
(678) 375-1278
tmoore@checkfree.com
Analyst
Reports