DENVER - March 14, 2005 - Quark Inc. announced today that customers have lined up to laud the company’s recent introduction of free English technical support and other service improvements over the last 12 months. The improvements have been an overwhelming success. "I want to sincerely congratulate you at Quark for your commitment with users and your unique corporate vision," said Ignacio A. Llorente, Institutional Communication CDTI and ESA Comm Liaison, Spain. "I am relieved to know that we users are not left to our own devices as usually happens, and that a high-quality and professional service is still possible in the software business." Quark introduced free English language technical support in November 2004 in conjunction with increased staffing and phone lines. Quark CEO Kamar Aulakh has helped Quark implement many changes to demonstrate the company’s desire to improve its relationships with customers. Quark has changed policies and pricing, embraced new partners, and committed substantial resources to customer outreach. "Wonderful! I love the ‘new’ Quark Inc. company," said Cheryl Nemazie, Studio C. Design & Photography Inc., United States. "You’ve made it worthwhile to stick with Quark. Your response was fast! And free! Keep up the great work and all the new improvements." "To be honest, my initial reaction after ringing the number and finding I was speaking to someone in India was surprise and apprehension," wrote Ian Ainslie, FlyLife Publishing, Australia. "However, I soon began to have complete confidence in the support person I was talking to as I began to realize his tremendous depth of knowledge of the Quark program and the operating system I was using. The purpose of this e-mail is firstly to thank you for the technical support and secondly to give praise to the professionalism of the person I was talking with. He was very interested in solving my problem, obviously highly skilled, and possessed excellent communication skills." "In a world where talking to a real human being regarding technical support is quickly becoming a thing of the past, I was amazed and delighted to see that Quark was offering free tech support," said Neal Lewis, Shenandoah National Park, United States. "Today I spoke with Quark and solved a couple of pesky issues that had been driving me nuts. This single incident has restored my faith in QuarkXPress. You have earned my continued business and support as a customer." The improvements include more than free and much improved technical support for QuarkXPress; customer service improvements are also winning many fans among QuarkXPress customers. "I just wanted to let you know about the excellent experience I had yesterday," wrote Joel Prussky, Canada. "I needed to buy a Quark upgrade as a present for my wife. Your customer service helped explain everything that I needed and even took care of the fact that the shipping and confirmation addresses were different (since it’s a surprise present). It was definitely the best phone software purchase I’ve ever experienced." "Your representative was very knowledgeable about the Quark product as well as the competitor’s product," said Steven Fiorenza, Stefio Inc., United States. "It is customer service like this that will make QuarkXPress the software of choice." "I was dreading the phone call, expecting ‘you are in a queue’ and the usual hours of listening to the sound of music," said Paul Tavener, Hoseasons, UK. "Got through straight away and was up and running in minutes. Great stuff." The company’s decision to provide free English technical support and the improved support and service levels are part of an on-going commitment to give customers world-class service and support. The entire Quark management team, especially Vice President of Operations Monique Wirz-Grutter, is driving the changes. "We have a dedicated group of employees who are focused on providing world-class service to our customers," said Wirz-Grutter. "Our aim is not only to be known for creating leading software products and solutions, but also to be recognized for the quality of service and support that goes with them. Knowing that the many recent improvements are positively impacting the experiences of our customers is gratifying, but it also drives us to continue to raise the bar."