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. , is enhancing its consumer and franchisee service and support initiatives with Astutes's ePowerCenter(TM) 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 consumer interaction and case management solutions, Astute enables consumer-focused companies to differentiate through service excellence. Its award-winning PowerCenter(TM) product family is the number one user-endorsed solution for optimizing operations through immediate, actionable feedback to better address the consumer need for more personalized experiences. Engineered to solve day-to-day consumer interaction challenges, while meeting the complex technical requirements of the enterprise, PowerCenter(TM) integrates best-of-breed consumer contact center software with advanced telephony offerings. The choice of leading Global 1000 companies, Astute's customers include McDonald's, British Airways, Levi Strauss & Co., L'Oreal USA, Scott's, GlaxoSmithKline, Neutrogena, Abbott Labs, Dunkin' Brands, and Sara Lee Branded Apparel. 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.