Source: Aberdeen Group - Boston

Response Time to Exceptions Proves Critical for Obtaining Best-in-Class Status

Best-in-Class Companies Are 86% More Likely to Take Action on Exceptions Within Minutes or Hours; Thus Making Day-to-Day Decisions Easier

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 10, 2007) - Volatility in the marketplace caused by rapidly changing market and economic conditions is the predominant pressure faced by 65% of survey respondents in the recently published "Intelligent Performance Management Benchmark Report" by Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS). Where change is the only constant, response time can be the critical success factor in day-to-day decision making. Findings in the report concluded that: 

--  Best-in-Class companies are 86% more likely to be able to take action
    on most exceptions within minutes or hours
--  The Best-in-Class are also 66% more likely to be able to use data
    extracted or derived from systems of record without manual manipulation and
    scrubbing
--  As a result, Best-in-Class companies have a 94% confidence level in
    the data they use for daily decision-making
"In order for decision makers to be able to take action on exceptions quickly, they must also be able to create new views quickly. What seemed a comprehensive view of the data yesterday could fall far short of today's needs," said Cindy Jutras, vice president of enterprise application research, Aberdeen. "Putting the ability to easily set up a view of desired data in a dashboard, query, or report in the hands of a (non-IT) business user can significantly reduce the lag time between identifying a need and resolving it." The report also found that business professionals of Best-in-Class companies are 106% more likely to be able to set up new views of data within hours or minutes, although for 26% this is still not possible.

This study is made available to the public through the underwriting of: Exact Software and Sage Software. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=3991

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com. 

© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com

Contact Information: Media Contact: Cindy Jutras Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5247 cindy.jutras@aberdeen.com