STORY:
Microsoft Launching Push To Fix Y2K

Company involved in massive online, email campaign targeting PC users

In anticipation of its customers' needs, Microsoft Corp. has issued its own call to action for Y2K preparedness. With just five months to go until Jan. 1, 2000, the company has launched a massive effort to remind its customers that "sooner is better than later" in preparing to meet the challenges of Y2K. Concerned that many PC users won't take action until December 1999 -- potentially overloading the computer industry's support facilities-Microsoft has embarked on a proactive plan to contact an estimated 60 million customers and raise awareness about Year 2000 issues.

"We're trying to embrace as many customers as we can and help them, first and foremost, understand how the Y2K challenge could affect their PCs," explains Don Jones, director of Year 2000 Readiness at Microsoft in a company press release. "We also want to inspire them to take action now, in hopes of making Year 2000 a non-event for people who use Microsoft software, as it relates to their PCs."

Microsoft is contacting 60 million customers via email and direct mail through July and August, urging them to take action early on Y2K issues. The effort is believed to be the largest consumer campaign in history, except for mailings sent out by the government. The size of the mailing reflects Microsoft's broad customer base, encompassing business and home users as well as developers who write software using Microsoft development tools.

The company sent an initial notice via email in July to approximately 1 million customers in the United States. Another 21 million email messages were scheduled for worldwide delivery in subsequent weeks. Microsoft will begin sending a similar message via direct mail in August, when U.S. customers will begin receiving Microsoft's Y2K postcards. Postcard mailings will continue through October, culminating in total email and direct mail distribution to 60 million customers worldwide.

Consumer focus group research and customer feedback indicated that the typical customer would not begin actively seeking remedies for potential Y2K problems until after the summer of 1999. Armed with that knowledge, Microsoft chose the months of July and August as the best time to broadly inform and educate customers on Year 2000 issues.

The effort urges PC users to address their Y2K concerns in a timely fashion by taking advantage of the preparedness resources available on the Microsoft Y2K Web site or a toll-free support line at (888) MSFT-Y2K (673-8925), and free-of-charge support for any Y2K-related issues.

Source: Company Press Release

DATE: 8/09/99

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