SAN JOSE, Calif., July 12, 2004 -- Netspoke has spoken. And the message is clear. Using a business intelligence solution from Business Objects for enterprise performance management has improved the company's bottom line, increased customer response time and helped inform management about ongoing operational results. Netspoke, a provider of audio and web conferencing services, relies on Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ) (Euronext Paris ISIN code FR0004026250-BOB), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, to give company managers immediate access to the latest information on profitability, customer satisfaction, operations, sales, and marketing.

Netspoke was created in 1998 as a way for mid-sized firms to connect via audio and web conferencing, or "virtual" meetings. The company grew rapidly as the changing economy and business climate dictated that workers from all industries be able to meet without incurring travel expenses. With BusinessObjects(TM) and WebIntelligence(R), Netspoke tracks customer activity and use of their conferencing services to the dollar and minute. This helps Netspoke determine how the business is doing today, and helps the company position itself for the future. With Business Objects, Netspoke executives have access to the latest financial picture in minutes, rather than waiting for IT to build reports, which often took two to three weeks prior to the implementation of the business intelligence solution.

"Business Objects has changed our ability to access information and has helped us improve our business," said Scott D'Entremont, CEO of Netspoke. "We are a fast growing company in a fast growing market place and things change very quickly. Having real-time access to data gives us a better handle on how things are going and helps us to respond to our customers more quickly -- ultimately improving customer satisfaction and enhancing our company profitability."

In addition to tracking overall business performance, Netspoke's operations department uses Business Objects solutions to track customer activity over time so the company can offer services that best fit a particular customer's needs. The sales and marketing teams use Business Objects to segment the customer base and monitor market trends to improve sales and promotional outreach. For example, Netspoke sales representatives access an intranet for the day-to-day management of their accounts and to track customer activity in order to improve account management and customer service.

"Netspoke is the perfect example of how medium size businesses rely on Business Objects for insight across the enterprise," said Chris Caren, vice president of corporate marketing for Business Objects. "Netspoke is turning information into action because they know the future of their business relies on the ability to view how they are performing on a day-to-day basis. Companies in every industry must have the ability to make decisions quickly. Business Objects allows Netspoke to do more analysis, at a faster pace, and ultimately improve the bottom line."

About Netspoke

Netspoke delivers unified web and audio conferencing capabilities through its Conferencing Hub(TM). By combining this technology with traditional customer care services, Netspoke provides mid-market businesses with the communications tools to operate and grow as efficiently as global enterprises that have greater resources. Based in Woburn, Mass., the company has more than 2,000 customers that use its Netspoke Conferencing product as an affordable, yet complete conferencing environment for one-to-one or one-to-many collaboration. For more information, visit the web site at www.netspoke.com or call 877-611-2255.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading business intelligence (BI) software company. Business intelligence enables organizations to track, understand, and manage enterprise performance. The company's solutions leverage the information that is stored in an array of corporate databases, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Popular uses of BI include enterprise reporting, management dashboards and scorecards, customer intelligence applications, financial reporting, and both customer and partner extranets. These solutions enable companies to gain visibility into their business, acquire and retain profitable customers, reduce costs, optimize the supply chain, increase productivity, and improve financial performance.

In December 2003, Business Objects completed the acquisition of Crystal Decisions, the leader in enterprise reporting. The combined product line includes software for reporting, query and analysis, performance management, analytic applications, and data integration. In addition, Business Objects offers consulting and education services to help customers effectively deploy their business intelligence projects.

Business Objects has more than 24,000 customers in over 80 countries. The company's stock is traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB). It is included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and http://www.businessobjects.com.

Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries.

Business Objects
Sherry Lowe, 408-953-6038 
sherry.lowe@businessobjects.com
or
Eastwick Communications
Katie Zack, 650-480-4041
katie@eastwick.com

At A Glance Business Objects 
 
Headquarters: San Jose, CA 
Website: http://www.businessobjects.com 
CEO: Bernard Liautaud 
Employees: 3900 
Ticker: BOBJ (NASDAQ);  12074 (EURONEXT)  
Revenues: $560.8M (2003) 
Net Income: $22.6M (2003)