Contactual Named to Red Herring 100 List of Top Private Tech Firms

San Mateo, California - May 22, 2006 — Contactual, a provider of hosted contact center services, today announced that it has been selected as a winner of the annual “Red Herring 100 North America” award by Red Herring magazine.  This list of 100 privately held companies in North America recognizes those that play a leading role in innovating the technology business. 

“With venture capital flowing again, we’re seeing a lot of innovative new companies taking on the established players with disruptive technologies and innovative business plans,” said Joel Dreyfuss, Editor-in-Chief of Red Herring. “The Red Herring 100 North America companies, among them Contactual, are pushing and breaking the boundaries of the technology business and we are excited to report on their success stories.”

Contactual provides a hosted contact center platform that enables organizations to deploy and operate enterprise-class multi-channel contact centers without the time and expense of purchasing, installing and maintaining equipment.  The company is the only provider that can provision a complete hosted contact center in as little as four hours, operate with any kind of phone infrastructure from PBX to VoIP, and provide integrated email and chat functionality.

“The on-demand contact center is precisely the kind of disruptive technology that Red Herring knows can have a major impact on the business community,” said Mansour Salame, Contactual founder and CEO.  “This award recognizes our central role in creating the hosted contact center model, its significant cost and flexibility advantages, and its ability to eliminate the months-long deployment process involved in provisioning a traditional premises-based contact center.”   

As one of the winners, Salame will present the company at the exclusive Red Herring Spring 2006 CEO summit, May 23-25 in Monterey, California.  This invitation-only conference will explore “The Pursuit of Disruption” and how it spawns unexpected opportunities, novel alliances, and great success stories.

Red Herring’s lists of top private companies are an important part of the magazine’s tradition of identifying new and innovative technology firms and entrepreneurs.  Companies like Google and eBay were spotted in their early days by Red Herring editors as some that would change the way we live and work.
 
After receiving more than 1,000 submissions and nominations for the 2006 North American list, Red Herring’s editorial staff rigorously evaluated the contenders through a careful analysis of financial data and subjective criteria, including quality of management, execution of strategy, and dedication to research and development.  The full list of Red Herring 100 North America companies is posted at www.redherring.com.

About Contactual
Contactual pioneered the use of hosted contact centers that dramatically reduce the costs of outfitting customer service, help desk, technical support and inside sales team operations by eliminating the need for premise-based infrastructure. The Contactual OnDemand Contact Center eliminates all upfront hardware and software costs; enables organizations to operate virtual contact centers with agents working from home and/or multiple sites; and unifies customer communications from phone, VoIP, voicemail, email and Web channels into one routing, queuing and tracking system for maximum efficiency. Contactual has earned the Frost & Sullivan 2005 Global Excellence in Technology Award as well as TMC Labs' Customer Interaction Magazine 2005 Innovation Award. For more information, visit www.contactual.com.

About Red Herring Spring 2006
Red Herring Spring 2006 will assemble 300 of the continent’s most innovative and successful CEOs, investors, and corporate developers and feature a dynamic group of over 100 speakers that are pushing and breaking the boundaries of the business of technology. Themed “The Pursuit of Disruption,” it will be held May 23-25 in Monterey, California. Please contact Michael Felber at 650.428.2900 or email mfelber@redherring.com to request an invitation to attend the event. More information is available online at www.herringevents.com/rhspring06.

About Red Herring Magazine
Red Herring magazine is a sophisticated insider's guide to the business of technology, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy, from the Internet to wireless communications and digital entertainment. Red Herring's journalists report on how innovation and entrepreneurship are transforming business and how the business of technology is transforming the world, providing readers with a deep understanding of venture capital and capital markets. Recognized as an essential resource in today's fast-changing business world, Red Herring gets the right answers before anyone else even thinks to ask the questions. More information on Red Herring is available on the Internet at www.redherring.com.