Wachovia selects Convergys to provide automated customer care services; Convergys will provide advanced speech solutions utilizing its patented open hosting environment to support self-service customer care.

M2 PRESSWIRE-20 October 2004-CONVERGYS CORPORATION: Wachovia selects Convergys to provide automated customer care services; Convergys will provide advanced speech solutions utilizing its patented open hosting environment to support self-service customer care(C)1994-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:10202004

Cincinnati - Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in integrated billing, employee care, and customer care services, announced today it signed a multi-year contract to provide a wide range of professional services and automated customer care capabilities to Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB). Wachovia is the fifth largest U.S. bank based on assets, third largest U.S. full-service brokerage firm based on client assets, and a leading provider of financial services to retail, brokerage, and corporate customers.

Convergys will provide services through its open hosting environment - a flexible model of outsourced customer care automation and managed services, which allows clients to create or modify interactive voice response (IVR) applications from a remote location. Convergys` open hosting, a recent U.S. patent recipient, offers a high level of control, economic advantages, and flexibility to Wachovia. Wachovia`s current premises-based IVR and advanced speech recognition (ASR) applications will migrate to the Convergys SpeechPort [r] platform, thereby allowing Wachovia to focus on its core business.

"Wachovia is a leader in customer satisfaction and loyalty in the highly competitive financial services industry, and our customers expect us to deliver convenient and fast service 24 hours a day, every day," said Steve Boehm, General Manager of Wachovia Contact Centers. "The advanced automated speech recognition program Convergys has developed takes us to the next level in offering our customers the best service possible. Convergys is a proven industry leader, and we are looking forward to working with them to create an even better experience for our customers."

"Convergys` self-care solutions, including advanced speech recognition, will enable Wachovia to keep pace with its customers` interest in prompt and reliable customer service and self-directed account management options," said Jack Freker, President of Convergys` Customer Management Group. "Throughout its history, Convergys has led the customer care industry with innovative new capabilities, such as integrated speech solutions, fully equipped with powerful and proven applications to improve customer contact options and the caller`s experience."

As an industry leader in providing advanced speech solutions, Convergys has developed a large repository of tested and proven reusable speech and advanced network components, which are key to clients` operational reliability and time to market. Additionally, Convergys clients benefit from the company`s recent innovations that present alpha or numeric strings that mimic conversational delivery. Convergys also continues to bring about new speech technology developments and explore areas such as natural language understanding, speaker verification, and other new breakthrough capabilities in the speech marketplace. Convergys develops and hosts IVR and ASR solutions for a wide variety of enterprises, including: financial services providers, wireless and wireline carriers, retail chains, travel industry companies, and federal, state, and local governments.

Convergys' customer care solutions offer a blended approach that combines world-class customer care specialists in Convergys' integrated service centers with advanced information management technologies and communication channels, such as Web and integrated voice response systems. Convergys' comprehensive customer management services enable clients to achieve greater customer loyalty and increase revenue.

About Wachovia

Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) is one of the largest providers of financial services to retail, brokerage, and corporate customers, with retail operations from Connecticut to Florida and retail brokerage operations nationwide. Wachovia had assets of $436.7 billion, market capitalization of $61.4 billion and stockholders` equity of $33.9 billion at September 30, 2004. Its four core businesses, the General Bank, Capital Management, Wealth Management, and the Corporate and Investment Bank, serve 12 million client relationships (including households and businesses), primarily in 11 states and Washington, D.C. Its full-service retail brokerage firm, Wachovia Securities, LLC, serves clients in 49 states. Global services are offered through 33 international offices. Online banking and brokerage products and services also are available through Wachovia.com.

About Convergys

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a member of the S&P 500 and a Fortune Most Admired Company, is a global leader in integrated billing, employee care, and customer care services provided through outsourcing or licensing.

We serve top companies in telecommunications, Internet, cable and broadband services, technology, financial services, and other industries in nearly 60 countries. We also provide integrated, outsourced, human resource services to leading companies across a broad range of industries.

We bring together world-class resources, software, and expertise to help create valuable relationships between our clients and their customers and their employees. This commitment is validated by the more than 1.5 million individual bills our software produces each day to support more than 100 million subscribers, and by the more than 1.7 million separate customer and employee contacts we manage each day, both live and via electronic interaction.

Convergys[r] employs more than 63,000 people in 62 customer contact centers and in our data centers and other offices in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Convergys is on the net at www.convergys.com and has world headquarters in Cincinnati.

(Convergys, SpeechPort, and the Convergys logo are registered trademarks of Convergys Corporation.)

CONTACT: John Pratt, Convergys Corporate PRTel: +1 513 723 3333Tel: +1 888 284 9900e-mail: john.pratt@convergys.comJeff Hazel, Trade Media and Industry Analysts, Convergys Media RelationsTel: +1 513 723 7153e-mail: jeff.hazel@convergys.com

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