Stamford, Conn. (February 7, 2001) - Developing lasting and profitable customer relationships may be as simple as giving customers the ability to choose the time, place and channel of contact, according to study findings released today by Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI). The study found that 60 percent of household members would be more receptive to business communications if they could choose the point of contact, offering a strong incentive for businesses to re-evaluate the timing, frequency and method of their communications. Furthermore, 75 percent of respondents agreed that too many offers they receive are not geared toward their interests or needs, underscoring the importance of personalized business communications for today's information overloaded consumers. The study found that a business can reach customers more effectively when it allows them to control when and how messages flow in and out of their homes. Establishing this two-way communication is an important step in fostering strong brand loyalty, which drives lifelong customer relationships and, ultimately, company profits. "Interrupting people during dinner with unwanted, robot-like phone calls is not likely to increase sales, especially considering consumers prefer to be contacted by direct mail," said Meredith Fischer, co-author of the study and a vice president at Pitney Bowes Inc. "Consumers are more responsive and likely to favorably consider your product or service when initial communications are made in less intrusive ways that allow them to interact on their own terms. Once they are your customer, consumers do want to establish a relationship with you and will welcome talking to one point of contact who understands the history of their business relationship and respects their boundaries."