Midas International Raises the Bar on
Service and Support with Astute Solutions
Consumer Interaction Solution Increases Agent
Productivity, Streamlines Operations
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 27, 2006 - Leading the charge to help consumer based companies
differentiate through service excellence, Astute Solutions today announced that Midas International Corporation,
an operating unit of Midas, Inc. (NYSE: MDS), is enhancing its consumer and franchisee service and support initiatives
with Astute's ePowerCenter™ solution.
Midas is one of the world's largest providers of automotive service through its franchised,
licensed and company-owned Midas shops. Its business model is centered on servicing and supporting its consumers,
store managers, company stakeholders, and through its business support group (BSG), the franchisees. The company
implemented Astute's ePowerCenter to provide a comprehensive interaction and relationship management solution to
simplify processes, support field personnel, create multi-channel communications and reporting, and reduce the number
of phone systems and technology platforms that its agents had to negotiate.
"Our focus is on serving those who serve our customers," said Jim Crum, manager, customer support,
Midas. "We found a true partner in Astute Solutions. Beyond the functionality of the ePowerCenter solution,
we gained a level of knowledge, expertise and dedication that continues to be invaluable in the quest to optimize
our consumer relations."
"Our objective has always reached beyond creating exceptional software. Simply stated,
we are in business to enable companies to strengthen their consumer relationships by managing them better,"
said Astute Solutions President and CEO, Joe Sanda. "The Midas implementation exemplifies the strength and
flexibility of our solution. We admire the company's commitment to excellence and look forward to helping them
expand their service offering in the months to come."
Midas realized measurable results from ePowerCenter upon implementation. Astute
consolidated seven different platforms into a single operational system. The returns from implementing
Astute's solution continued from there. Within six months, Midas agents leveraged ePowerCenter's expanded
capabilities and efficiencies to realize a significant productivity increase. This included raising the percentage
of cases materializing from calls. In addition to increasing efficiency and streamlining processes, Astute's
ePowerCenter provided Midas with configurable reporting capabilities, visibility into day-to-day store operations,
and multichannel communications, which include a Web portal for store managers and franchisees.
"Prior to working with Astute, the process of answering an e-mail was cumbersome, not to
mention the limitations this placed on our reporting. In its ePowerCenter solution, Astute provided advanced
functionality without complexity," said Crum. "Astute's out-of-the-box reporting capabilities are unmatched. Our
agents have the ability to easily and rapidly capture valuable information. And in turn, our managers and franchisees
have fingertip access to a wide range of reports to help make strategic business decisions. We are already seeing
significant results."
Astute's ePowerCenter product family enables multi-channel consumer interactions via telephone,
e-mail, fax, mail, survey response, chat and web inquiry. It provides an interface for agents to easily answer
consumer questions and document their issues and needs. It then enables the business to make use of that information
on a timely basis.
About Astute Solutions
Through its award-winning contact center automation, customer relationship management and knowledge management solutions, Astute Solutions enables consumer-focused companies to differentiate through service excellence. Its ePowerCenter™ and RealDialog™ solutions solve day-to-day interaction challenges and enable high quality customer experiences across all touch points. These solutions optimize operations through immediate, actionable feedback, while meeting the complex technical requirements of the enterprise. Astute Solutions’ Global 1000 customers include: McDonald’s, British Airways, Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oreal USA, Scott’s, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Labs, and Dunkin’ Brands. For further details, visit
www.astutesolutions.com or call (877) 769-3750.
About Midas
Midas is one of the world's largest providers of automotive service, offering brake, exhaust, maintenance,
tires, steering and suspension services at more than 2,600 franchised, licensed and company-owned Midas shops
in 19 countries, including nearly 1,900 in the United States and Canada.
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