NORWALK, Conn., July 24, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- BBBOnLine, a program of the Better Business Bureau system to foster trust and confidence in the Internet, has selected Quelsys as the exclusive e-learning provider for the BBB Code of Online Business Practices. The specially tailored programs will reinforce Better Business Bureau outreach to the business community to encourage adoption of high e-commerce standards and practices.
In a two-phase e-learning project, Quelsys will offer training on the BBB Code of Online Business Practices to BBB staff and member companies participating in the BBBOnLine Reliability program. The largest trustmark program on the Web, BBBOnLine Reliability currently covers more than 10,000 Websites, signifying merchant adherence to specific marketplace standards.
Starting this fall, those standards will include adherence to the BBB Code of Online Business Practices.
The first phase of the training, being rolled out currently, is providing helpful tools and information for Better Business Bureaus to use in evaluating and assessing a company's online conduct. The second phase, scheduled to launch in early August, will help educate BBB member companies that have qualified for the BBBOnLine Reliability program on the specifics of the BBB Code of Online Business Practices.
"By offering a simple, effective means to understand and become compliant with our Code, the Quelsys e-learning initiative will assist BBBOnLine Reliability seal holders in continuing to meet our stringent standards. We're expecting thousands of BBB member companies to complete the training, providing a major boost to effective self-regulation of the Internet," said Ken Hunter, president of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the umbrella organization for the nation's 129 Better Business Bureaus.
"We are excited to partner with a leading organization such as BBBOnLine and we are pleased they have chosen Quelsys to help them educate people on the best practices of doing business on the Internet," said Peter Cholnoky, Quelsys president and CEO. "BBBOnLine is impacting the safety and trustworthiness of e-commerce and we are proud to be part of this effort."
About the Council of Better Business Bureaus and BBBOnLine
The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) has almost 300 leading-edge national corporate members and serves as the umbrella organization (www.bbb.org) for the 129 Better Business Bureaus in the United States, which in turn are supported by 300,000 business members throughout the country. The first BBB was founded in 1912, and the network has grown to include BBBs in Canada, becoming the most recognized advocate for promoting ethical business and advertising practices. Each year, BBBs provide more than 24 million instances of service to consumers and businesses. The BBB system is dedicated to fostering fair and honest relationships between businesses and consumers, instilling consumer confidence and contributing to an ethical business environment in both the traditional and online marketplaces. Founded in 1997, BBBOnLine (www.bbbonline.org) is a program of the BBB system that helps consumers identify online merchants that meet BBB standards through its reliability and privacy "trustmark" programs, and the BBB Code of Online Business Practices. More than 10,000 Websites have qualified to display one or both of the BBBOnLine trustmarks.
About Quelsys
Quelsys is a privately held e-learning company offering SocratEase, a Web-based corporate training platform that allows professionals to author and deploy scalable, media-rich training courses in less than half an hour. Using SocratEase, managers can communicate knowledge about products, technology and processes to staff, vendors, sales representatives and customers via the Internet. SocratEase includes a customized site, authoring tool, learning management system and an e-commerce feature, and is scalable to e-learning projects of all sizes, from enterprise-wide virtual universities to project-specific training. Pricing is based on a pay-as-you-go model; there are no software costs, no upgrade fees, no per user fees and no fees for creating courses. Companies using SocratEase as their corporate training platform include Graduate School USDA, FedEx, Lucent, Compaq, OfficeMax, eBay, SEI and Volvo. More information about Quelsys can be found at http://www.Quelsys.com or by calling (203) 852-4200.
-0-
CONTACT: Quelsys
Ellen Willen
(203) 852-4217
ewillen@quelsys.com