CLEARWATER, Fla. — CIQ Inc./Voisys, an 800- and Internet-based lead generation system serving the automotive nonprime, prime and lease markets, announced the acquisition of Employee Notification Services Inc. (www.employeenotification.com), a disaster recovery/business continuity product that can be used every day by small and medium size businesses to communicate with employees. Employee Notification provides a cost-effective solution for both employee notification and disaster recovery that does not require the purchase of equipment or software.

“After Katrina, the inability to establish contact with employees was a key factor that prevented businesses from recovering. For just $49.95 per month, Employee Notification can keep businesses in touch with all staff members for regular announcements and at any time it is important to reach each employee. Messages can be delivered via phone, PDA or e-mail," said Nick Spiridellis, chairman of the Board of Employee Notification Services Inc.

Employee Notification is targeted to small and medium size businesses of up to 150 employees, or branches of larger organizations that have under 150 employees. It is the only product currently on the market specifically targeted to this audience.

The system is very simple to set up and use.

•The first step is to set up the Emergency Contact Manager:

The names, phone numbers and email addresses of all employees are entered into an Emergency Contact Manager. The contact list can be created by function, location, vendors; any way that works for the employer. The information can be updated at any time or Employee Notification can keep it up-to-date with its automated maintenance feature.

•Messages can be created and sent via email, PDA or phone to Employee Notification for distribution to all employees:

A disaster can strike at any time and it is hard to know what communication options will be available. With Employee Notification, as long as the user can get to a land phone, cell phone, pager, e-mail, Internet or wireless Web, they'll be able to get their message out to employees.

The system converts e-mail, Internet and PDA text to voice files and delivers them by phone to contacts that do not have e-mail, or vice versa.

•System enables employers to reach all employees, anytime, anywhere:

In the midst of a crisis, Employee Notification relentlessly dials every number for every contact on the list (and e-mails every e-mail address) until it gets through.

•Real-Time Message Delivery Tracking:

Users can check delivery status any time via the Employee Notification real-time reporting system.

Employees can respond selectively to any message using the Employee Notification system, ensuring the steady and efficient flow of communication so the employer can get its employees to safety and back to normal in a worst-case scenario.

•System can be used to reach multiple people with a specific message to ensure the same message reaches each individual in a specific group or sub-group:

If a car dealership, for example, is running a sale and wants to ensure that all salespeople are on the same page, the message can be sent to just the sales staff.

•Billed on telephone bill at just $49.95/month:

For one low monthly fee, the service offers unlimited usage with no hardware or software purchase required.

•System is totally compliant with Homeland Security recommended plan at www.ready.gov.

“Disaster preparation plans are a necessity for everyone and communication is the key. As long as users have a dial tone or access to the Internet, Employee Notification keeps them connected at any time, including times of crisis,” said Spiridellis.