PEABODY, Mass., April 1, 2002 - - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech, and language solutions, today announced that ScanSoft's award-winning software is helping major insurance providers such as AFLAC® set the standard for paperless insurance claims processing. Through the use of ScanSoft's OmniForm® electronic forms software and PaperPort® document-management software, insurance companies are better able to convert, manage, and distribute paper-based documents as digital files. Insurance companies can now offer premium customer service with faster claims processing and lightning-quick response time to inquiries.

The use of ScanSoft® products has gained momentum in the insurance industry as sales agents from leading organizations such as AFLAC to smaller independent agents across the country, recognize the advantages of fillable electronic forms, digital file management, and record keeping. This technology helps save significant time and costs, while increasing business efficiency and employee productivity to better serve and maintain their critical customer relationships.

ScanSoft's leading software products allow users to capture paper documents and photographs, and convert them into digital files that can be easily edited, organized, and shared on PCs and over the Internet. These popular products are based on patented optical character recognition and image processing technologies that form the document imaging and management foundation for thousands of companies and millions of users.

AFLAC Streamlines Claims Processing With PaperPort

"PaperPort has given AFLAC an edge with efficient paperless claims processing," said Tom Mielke, Michigan district sales coordinator for American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC). "PaperPort has become an essential component of the core business management systems of top-selling district offices. These offices are more productive than ever and better equipped to provide superior, personalized customer service. PaperPort has enabled the Michigan offices of the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance and cafeteria plan services to implement a streamlined, paperless claims-processing system that shaves days off the time to process a claim."

Interface Technologies Forms Are Standardized Using OmniForm

Four years ago, Interface Technologies, a designer and publisher of electronic forms, standardized their forms using ScanSoft's OmniForm electronic forms software for its ease of use and autofill features. The company's LegalEaseÔ forms libraries for family, corporate, workers' compensation, and bankruptcy law are used by some of the nation's major insurance companies and leading law firms. Tim Murray, president of Interface Technologies, was sold on the recently released OmniForm Premium 5.0 when he was able to complete in a matter of days a forms design job that would normally have taken him a month. "With the new automatic Javascripting capabilities, I was able to quickly and easily create the 100 PDF forms, complete with calculations, field validations, and signature fields without any programming expertise," said Murray. "OmniForm Premium 5.0 represents a bold leap forward, rescuing e-form designers from the hassle of working with Javascript, and makes a programmer out of anyone."

Independent Insurance Agency Relies on PaperPort to Reduce Paper Load and Clutter

"Anyone who wants to cut out the clutter and paper load should check out PaperPort Deluxe," said Philip A. Glantz, an independent insurance agent. "Scanning and storing documents is so simple with PaperPort that it's second nature. With ScanSoft software, I can track a claim without ever opening a filing cabinet." Philip A. Glantz Insurance Agency has relied on PaperPort to track payments, purchase orders, bills, bank statements, and other financial documents for more than four years. The PaperPort index is the primary filing and record keeping system for his small agency. Every important document is scanned and converted to digital format, and the original is shredded and discarded. The visual document management system makes it easy for Glantz and his co-workers to organize and file the documents as well as store customer information. Glantz finds the new PaperPortOnlineÔ service, which is part of the most recent version allowing users to securely store and share documents online, to be a valuable addition for business professionals like himself, who work away from the office or occasionally work on another desktop. PaperPortOnline lets him easily move and share files between his office computer and home PC, and gives him the ability to collaborate online with others. No more e-mailing documents to himself.

"The insurance industry is important to ScanSoft and represents another key market that recognizes the value of how our technology offers an edge on the competition by providing quality customer service through the use of ScanSoft solutions," said Robert Weideman, vice president of worldwide marketing at ScanSoft. "ScanSoft is pleased to play a pivotal part in the paperless claims-processing movement."

About ScanSoft

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a leading supplier of imaging, speech, and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity, and improving customer service. For more information about ScanSoft products and technologies, please visit www.scansoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, the ScanSoft logo, OmniForm, PaperPort, and PaperPortOnline are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company or product names mentioned may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events, or performances are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in the company's SEC filings. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.

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