BOSTON, MA–( EMWNews – April 1, 2008) – Leading service firms are turning to improved

vehicle management practices not only as a medium to cut costs but also to

drive service delivery and customer satisfaction, according to a recent

research report entitled “Improving Productivity and Profitability through

Service Fleet Management” published by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks

Company (NYSE: HHS).

Aberdeen’s benchmark survey investigated the pressures that are increasing

the focus on fleet management as attained through enhanced location

tracking and scheduling, improved in-vehicle navigation, and improved

maintenance practices. Of the 200+ companies surveyed, resource cost

pressures were cited as the most important driver, as reported by 60% of

responding firms. However, leading firms were more likely to consider fleet

management initiatives as enablers of improved workforce productivity and

customer satisfaction.

“With oil prices at record levels near $100/barrel, there is an increasing

focus on fleet management and vehicle tracking to alleviate resource cost

pressures,” said Sumair Dutta, Research Analyst at the Aberdeen Group.

“While fleet tracking initiatives have enabled adopting firms to experience

significant reductions in operating costs to the tune of $1100/vehicle, the

most successful fleet initiatives have also looked to drive workforce

productivity to ensure service delivery as per customer expectations.”

The report also finds that leading service firms are also twice as likely

as all other firms to currently follow a preventive model with regards to

the maintenance of their service vehicles, primarily to reduce breakdowns

and other service-related interruptions. Coupled with increased adoption of

processes and technology in support vehicle tracking and navigation, these

firms are experiencing:

--  A 42% increase in work order completion over the last two years,

    compared to a 12% increase for other firms.

    

--  A 23% reduction in maintenance costs/vehicle over the last two years,

    compared to a 1% reduction for all other firms.

    

--  A 69% wrench time performance for their technicians, when compared to

    a 40% performance for technicians of all other firms.

    

Over 200 companies participated in this quantitative study, including:

AmeriGas, Bell, DHL Global Management, Fujitsu, Honeywell International,

IBM, MT Trucking Company, SHK Transport, Southwestern Energy Company,

Thermo Fisher Scientific, UPS Logistics, and Volvo Trucks North America.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the

following underwriters: Navtrak Inc., Teletrac and Discrete Wireless. To

obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:

http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4656.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market

intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more

than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely

positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating

demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment

analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,

corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in

context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen’s

analytical and independent view of the “customer optimization” process of

Harte-Hanks (Information – Opportunity – Insight – Engagement –

Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role

Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit

Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more

about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company

260 Franklin Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112

Telephone: (617) 723-7890

Fax: (617) 723-7897

www.aberdeen.com