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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

     
þ
  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.
  For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2004

OR

o
  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.
  For the transition period from          to

Commission file number: 0-18391

ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
     
California
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  94-2974062
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

1320 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2312
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number: (408) 325-2200

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ            No o

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes þ            No o

     The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $.01 par value, was 58,488,566 at March 31, 2004.

 


Table of Contents

ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

             
        Page Number
Part I:
  Financial Information        
Item 1:
  Financial Statements (unaudited)        
 
  Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003      
 
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 and 2003      
 
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 and 2003      
 
  Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements      
  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations     13   
  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk     27   
  Controls and Procedures     27   
  Other Information     28   
  Legal Proceedings     28   
  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K     28   
        30   
 EXHIBIT 31.1
 EXHIBIT 31.2
 EXHIBIT 32.1

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ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except par value and share amounts — unaudited)

                 
    March 31, 2004
  December 31, 2003
ASSETS
               
Current assets:
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 78,918     $ 75,653  
Short-term investments
    116,081       88,339  
Accounts receivable, net
    39,062       39,561  
Inventories
    5,607       6,176  
Other current assets
    20,663       19,145  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total current assets
    260,331       228,874  
Property and equipment, net
    66,225       68,599  
Intangible assets, net
    4,480       5,223  
Goodwill, net
    2,707       2,707  
Other assets
    5,528       5,182  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total assets
  $ 339,271     $ 310,585  
 
   
 
     
 
 
LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
Current liabilities:
               
Short-term borrowings
  $ 143     $ 1,732  
Accounts payable
    6,590       4,936  
Accrued compensation and related benefits
    19,518       17,773  
Other accrued liabilities
    56,568       64,790  
Deferred revenues
    63,407       50,200  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total current liabilities
    146,226       139,431  
Long term borrowings
    40,013       39,436  
Other long-term liabilities
    9,219       11,021  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total liabilities
    195,458       189,888  
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, $0.01 par value: 2,000,000 shares authorized, 50,000 outstanding.
    35,817       33,681  
Shareholders’ equity:
               
Common stock, $0.01 par value: 200,000,000 shares authorized, shares outstanding: 58,488,566 at March 31, 2004 and 56,959,444 at December 31, 2003, respectively
    585       570  
Additional paid-in capital
    239,825       232,199  
Accumulated other comprehensive income
    449       548  
Accumulated deficit
    (132,863 )     (146,301 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total shareholders’ equity
    107,996       87,016  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total liabilities, redeemable convertible preferred stock and shareholders’ equity
  $ 339,271     $ 310,585  
 
   
 
     
 
 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data — unaudited)

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net revenues:
               
Software license
  $ 16,605     $ 14,952  
Hardware
    11,530       9,165  
Services:
               
Software license updates and product support
    54,257       52,304  
Professional services and education
    9,095       7,987  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Services
    63,352       60,291  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total net revenues
    91,487       84,408  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cost of revenues:
               
Cost of software license revenues
    2,280       3,636  
Cost of hardware revenues
    8,331       8,977  
Cost of services revenues
    25,239       27,024  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total cost of revenues
    35,850       39,637  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Gross margin
    55,637       44,771  
Operating expenses:
               
Research and development
    11,360       13,035  
Selling, general and administrative
    26,539       24,670  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total operating expenses
    37,899       37,705  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Income from operations
    17,738       7,066  
Interest income
    757       917  
Interest expense
    (1,127 )     (2,751 )
Other income (expense)
    316       68  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income before income taxes
    17,684       5,300  
Provision for income taxes
    2,110       1,247  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
    15,574       4,053  
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
          (777 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income
    15,574       3,276  
Accrued preferred stock dividend and accretion of redemption premium
    (1,779 )     (1,274 )
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature
    (357 )     (265 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income attributable to common shareholders
  $ 13,438     $ 1,737  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle (See Note 8)
  $ 0.17     $ 0.04  
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
  $     $ (0.01 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders
  $ 0.17     $ 0.02  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted
    57,740       53,315  

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands-unaudited)

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Cash flows from operating activities:
               
Net income
  $ 15,574     $ 3,276  
Reconciliation of net income to cash provided by operating activities:
               
Depreciation
    6,105       6,431  
Amortization of intangible assets and deferred stock compensation
    743       1,390  
Loss on disposal of property
    9        
Loss on extinguishment of debt
          17  
Loss on short-term investment, net
    267        
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
          777  
Non-cash interest expense on debentures
          1,804  
Deferred taxes
          14  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
               
Accounts receivable, net
    206       9,734  
Inventories
    507       (2,998 )
Other current assets and other assets
    (732 )     (3,285 )
Accounts payable
    1,658       203  
Accrued compensation and related benefits
    1,741       (377 )
Other accrued liabilities
    (10,177 )     (9,835 )
Deferred revenues
    13,078       11,408  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash provided by operating activities
    28,979       18,559  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash flows from investing activities:
               
Purchase of investments
    (61,054 )     (55,266 )
Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments
    33,317       47,468  
Property and equipment purchases
    (3,827 )     (1,047 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash used in investing activities
    (31,564 )     (8,845 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash flows from financing activities:
               
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net
    7,642       898  
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock, net
          43,736  
Payments on capital lease obligations
    (33 )     (179 )
Proceeds from borrowings
    40,000        
Payments on borrowings
    (40,979 )     (1,730 )
Payments on financing costs
    (1,053 )      
Payments on repurchase of convertible debentures
          (5,612 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash provided by financing activities
    5,577       37,113  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
    273       (132 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
    3,265       46,695  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents:
               
Beginning of period
    75,653       66,051  
 
   
 
     
 
 
End of period
  $ 78,918     $ 112,746  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
               
Cash paid for interest
  $ 643     $ 764  
Cash paid for income taxes
  $ 2,967     $ 235  
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:
               
Accrued preferred stock dividend and amortization of redemption premium
  $ 1,779     $ 1,274  
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature
  $ 357     $ 265  
Beneficial conversion feature
  $     $ 17,583  

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS-UNAUDITED

Note 1: Basis of Presentation

     The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Aspect Communications Corporation (Aspect or the Company) and all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

     The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2004 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2004. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A.

Note 2: Stock Based Compensation

     As of March 31, 2004 the Company had four active stock option plans used as a part of employee compensation and one active employee stock purchase plan. The Company accounts for those plans under the recognition and measurement principles of APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and related Interpretations. The following table illustrates the effect on net income and earnings per share as if the Company had applied the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, to stock-based employee compensation (in thousands, except per share amounts).

SFAS No. 123

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net income attributable to common shareholders as reported
  $ 13,438     $ 1,737  
Deduct: Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair value method for all awards
    (2,228 )     (2,234 )
Add back: Amortization of deferred stock compensation
          118  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Pro forma net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders
  $ 11,210     $ (379 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Basic and diluted income per share:
               
As reported
  $ 0.17     $ 0.02  
Pro forma
  $ 0.14     $ (0.01 )

Note 3: Inventories

     Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or market. Inventories consist of (in thousands):

                 
    March 31,   December 31,
    2004
  2003
Raw materials
  $ 3,467     $ 3,512  
Work in progress
    219       6  
Finished goods
    1,921       2,658  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total inventories
  $ 5,607     $ 6,176  
 
   
 
     
 
 

Note 4: Other Current Assets

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     Other current assets consist of (in thousands):

                 
    March 31,   December 31,
    2004
  2003
Prepaid expenses
  $ 14,999     $ 10,749  
Other receivables
    2,471       2,278  
Restricted cash
    3,193       6,118  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total other current assets
  $ 20,663     $ 19,145  
 
   
 
     
 
 

Note 5: Product Warranties

     The Company generally warrants its products against certain manufacturing and other defects. These product warranties are provided for specific periods of time depending on the nature of the product, geographic location of its sale and other factors. The Company accrues for estimated product warranty claims for certain customers based primarily on historical experience of actual warranty claims as well as current information on repair costs. Accrued warranty costs as of March 31, 2004 were immaterial. Most customers purchase extended warranty contracts, which are accounted for under FASB Technical Bulletin 90-1, Accounting for Separately Priced Extended Warranty and Product Maintenance Contracts.

     The Company also indemnifies its customers against claims that its products infringe certain copyrights, patents or trademarks, or incorporate misappropriated trade secrets. The Company has not been subject to any material infringement claims by customers in the past and does not have any significant claims pending as of March 31, 2004.

Note 6: Other Accrued Liabilities

     Other accrued liabilities consist of (in thousands):

                 
    March 31,   December 31,
    2004
  2003
Accrued sales and use taxes
  $ 7,071     $ 8,066  
Accrued restructuring
    7,281       7,193  
Accrued income taxes
    15,485       16,817  
Other accrued liabilities
    26,731       32,714  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total
  $ 56,568     $ 64,790  
 
   
 
     
 
 

Note 7: Comprehensive Income

     Comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31 is calculated as follows (in thousands):

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net income attributable to common shareholders
  $ 13,438     $ 1,737  
Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net
    273       (22 )
Accumulated translation adjustments, net
    (372 )     (131 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total comprehensive income
  $ 13,339     $ 1,584  
 
   
 
     
 
 

Note 8: Earnings Per Share

     Basic earnings per common share (EPS) is generally calculated by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. However, due to the Company’s issuance of redeemable convertible preferred stock on January 21, 2003, which contains certain participation rights, EITF Topic

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D-95, Effect of Participating Convertible Securities on the Computation of Basic Earnings, requires those securities to be included in the computation of basic EPS if the effect is dilutive. Furthermore, Topic D-95 requires that the dilutive effect to be included in basic EPS may be calculated using either the if-converted method or the two-class method. The Company has elected to use the two-class method in calculating basic EPS.

     Basic earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, are calculated using the two-class method as follows (in thousands, except percentages and per share data):

Basic EPS — Two-Class Method

                                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
    Amount
  EPS
  Amount
  EPS
Net income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
  $ 15,574             $ 4,053          
Preferred Stock dividend accretion and amortization
    (2,136 )             (1,539 )        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Net income attributable to common shareholders before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
    13,438               2,514          
Amount allocable to common shareholders(1)
    72.2 %             75.8 %        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Rights to undistributed income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
  $ 9,702     $ 0.17     $ 1,905     $ 0.04  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
  $             $ (777 )        
Amount allocable to common shareholders(1)
    72.2 %             75.8 %        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Rights to undistributed cumulative effect of change in Accounting principle
  $     $     $ (589 )   $ (0.01 )
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Net income attributable to common shareholders
  $ 13,438             $ 1,737          
Amount allocable to common shareholders(1)
    72.2 %             75.8 %        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Rights to undistributed income
  $ 9,702     $ 0.17     $ 1,316     $ 0.02  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Weighted average common shares outstanding
    57,740               53,420          
Weighted average shares of restricted common stock
                  (105 )        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding
    57,740               53,315          
 
   
 
             
 
         
(1) Weighted average common shares outstanding
    57,740               53,315          
Weighted average additional common shares assuming Conversion of Preferred Stock
    22,222               17,037          
 
   
 
             
 
         
Weighted average common equivalent shares assuming Conversion of Preferred Stock
    79,962               70,352          
 
   
 
             
 
         
Amount allocable to common shareholders
    72.2 %             75.8 %        

Diluted EPS

                                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
    Amount
  EPS
  Amount
  EPS
Net income used to calculate diluted earnings per share
  $ 13,438             $ 2,514          
Preferred Stock dividend accretion and amortization
    2,136                        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Net income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
  $ 15,574             $ 2,514          
 
   
 
             
 
         
Weighted average common shares outstanding
    57,740               53,315          
Dilutive effect of weighted average shares of restricted common stock
                  105          
Dilutive effect of stock options
    6,219               1,171          
Dilutive effect of Preferred Stock assuming conversion
    22,222                        
 
   
 
             
 
         
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding
    86,181               54,591          
Diluted earnings per share before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
          $ 0.18             $ 0.05  
 
           
 
             
 
 
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
          $             $ (0.01 )
 
           
 
             
 
 
Diluted earnings per share attributable to common Shareholders
          $ 0.18 *           $ 0.04 *
 
           
 
             
 
 


  Diluted earnings per share cannot be greater than basic earnings per share. Therefore, reported diluted earnings per share and basic earnings per share for the three months ended March 31 were the same. The diluted earnings per share calculation for the three months ended March 31, 2003 excluded shares issuable from the convertible subordinated debentures, as the inclusion of these shares would have been anti-dilutive. For purposes of this computation, the Company used $47.08, the conversion price of subordinated debentures as of August 2003, to determine the dilution effect of convertible subordinated debentures.

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     The Company had approximately 1 million and 8 million anti-dilutive stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively, that have been excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculations.

Note 9: Restructuring Charge

     In fiscal years 2002 and 2001, the Company reduced its workforce by 22% and 28%, respectively, and consolidated selected facilities in its continuing effort to better optimize operations. As of March 31, 2004, the total restructuring accrual was $15 million, of which, $7 million was a short-term liability recorded in other accrued liabilities, and $8 million was a long-term liability. Components of the restructuring accrual were as follows (in thousands):

                                 
                    Other    
    Severance and   Consolidation of   Restructuring    
    Outplacement
  Facilities Costs
  Costs
  Total
Balance at January 1, 2002
  $ 2,157     $ 27,507     $ 101     $ 29,765  
2002 provisions
    7,120       1,744             8,864  
2002 adjustments
    (534 )     14,074             13,540  
2002 property write-downs
          (1,744 )           (1,744 )
2002 payments
    (7,459 )     (21,622 )           (29,081 )
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Balance at December 31, 2002
  $ 1,284     $ 19,959     $ 101     $ 21,344  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
2003 adjustments
    (471 )     4,284             3,814  
2003 payments
    (813 )     (7,295 )     (101 )     (8,210 )
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Balance at December 31, 2003
  $     $ 16,948     $     $ 16,948  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
2004 payments
          (1,737 )           (1,737 )
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Balance at March 31, 2004
  $     $ 15,211     $     $ 15,211  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 

     Severance and outplacement costs are related to the termination of employees in 2001 and 2002. Employee separation costs include severance and other related benefits. Functions impacted by the restructuring included sales infrastructure, support services, manufacturing, marketing, research and development, and corporate functions. In 2003, the Company reduced its estimate of remaining severance and outplacement costs.

     The consolidation of facilities costs component of the restructuring accrual includes rent of unoccupied facilities, net of expected sublease income of $1.2 million. The Company revised its estimate of future facility related obligations and increased the accrual by approximately $4 million in 2003 due to an increase in the estimate of the period of time necessary to sublet abandoned facilities as a result of the then-current real estate market conditions. The remaining accrual balance relates primarily to facilities identified in the 2001 restructurings and will be paid over the next six years.

Note 10: Lines of Credit and Borrowings

     On February 13, 2004, the Company entered into a $100 million revolving credit facility with a number of financial institutions led by Comerica Bank, which is also administrative agent, and The CIT Group/Business Credit, Inc., which is also collateral agent. This credit facility amended the Company’s prior $50 million credit facility with Comerica Bank entered into on August 9, 2002. It eliminated the prior facility’s borrowing base requirements and other related restrictions. The revolver has a three-year term and the amounts borrowed are secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets, including the stock of its significant subsidiaries. The Company can select interest options for advances based on the prime rate or eurocurrency rates, which include margins that are subject to quarterly adjustment. The revolver includes a $10 million sub-line for issuance of stand-by letters of credit. Mandatory prepayment and reduction of the facility is

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required in the amount of 100% of permitted asset sales over $1 million annually and 100% of the proceeds of future debt issuances, subject to certain exclusions. The revolver can be used for working capital, general corporate purposes and the financing of capital expenditures. The credit agreement includes customary representations and warranties and covenants. The financial covenants include minimum liquidity ratio, minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, minimum earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, maximum debt to EBITDA ratio and minimum tangible net worth tests.

     At December 31, 2003, the Company had $41 million outstanding under its borrowing agreements of which $2 million was paid prior to February 13, 2004 in accordance with the original payment terms and the remaining $39 million was refinanced with this new $100 million revolving credit facility on February 13, 2004. As of March 31, 2004, the Company had $40 million outstanding under the $100 million revolving credit facility classified as long-term borrowings in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company was in compliance with all related covenants and restrictions as of March 31, 2004.

     In addition to the line of credit the Company has two outstanding bank guarantees with a European bank, which are required for daily operations such as payroll, import/export duties and facilities. As of March 31, 2004, approximately $3 million is recorded as restricted cash in other current assets on the balance sheet related to these bank guarantees.

     Note 11: Convertible Preferred Stock

     On January 21, 2003, the Company and Vista Equity Fund II, L.P. (“Vista”) closed a private placement for the sale of $50 million of the Company’s Series B convertible preferred stock with net proceeds of $44 million after expenses. The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock were sold for $1,000 per share and the holders of the 50,000 outstanding shares of Series B convertible preferred stock are entitled to vote (on an as-converted basis) on all matters subject to a stockholder vote. On most issues, the holders of Series B preferred stock and common stock vote together as a single class; however, the holders of Series B convertible preferred stock have veto rights with respect to certain Company actions. The actions which require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series B convertible preferred stock are fully described in the Company’s Certificate of Determination of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Series B convertible preferred stock. The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock are initially convertible into 22.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock (subject to certain anti-dilution protection adjustments) and are mandatorily redeemable at 125% of the original purchase price of the stock plus accumulated unpaid dividends on January 21, 2013. Each holder of the Series B convertible preferred stock has the right, at any time, to convert all or a portion of its outstanding shares of Series B convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock. As more fully described in the Company’s Certificate of Determination of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Series B convertible preferred stock, the Company may elect to cause all, or under certain circumstances portions, of the outstanding shares of Series B convertible preferred stock to be converted into common stock. In order for the Company to cause such a conversion to occur, all the shares issued pursuant to such conversion must be sold pursuant to an underwritten public offering of common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act in which the price per share paid by the public exceeds $8.00 (subject to adjustments to reflect any stock dividends, stock splits and the like) and the Company would need to notify each holder of Series B convertible preferred stock no later than ten business days prior to the conversion date. Prior to such offering, the holder could convert all or a portion of its shares into common stock to avoid selling such shares in such offering.

     The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock have a liquidation preference over the shares of common stock such that (i) upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of Series B convertible preferred stock receive payments equal to 100% of their investment amount, plus unpaid dividends prior to payments to the holders of common stock, or (ii) in the event of a change of control of the Company, the holders of Series B convertible preferred stock receive payments equal to 125% of their investment amount plus accumulated unpaid dividends, prior to payments to the holders of common stock (or, in each case, if greater, the amount they would have received had the Series B convertible preferred stock converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation or change of control). Additionally, in the event that the Company declares a dividend or distribution to the holders of common stock, the holders of Series B convertible preferred stock shall be entitled to equivalent participation on an as if converted basis in such dividend or distribution.

     During the time that the Series B Convertible preferred stock is outstanding, the Company is obligated to accrue dividends on each share of the Series B convertible preferred stock, compounded on a daily basis at the rate of 10% per

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annum. The undeclared preferred stock dividends are forfeited in the event of conversion. Accrued dividends were $1.4 million the three months ended March 31, 2004. In addition to the dividend accrual, the Company is recording accounting charges associated with the accretion of the 125% redemption premium and the amortization of the beneficial conversion feature under the net interest method through January 21, 2013. The redemption premium of $17.6 million is calculated based on a redemption value of $62.5 million. Accretion of the redemption premium was $388,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The beneficial conversion feature of $17.6 million is computed based on the difference between the conversion price of the preferred equity and the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on January 21, 2003. Amortization of the beneficial conversion feature was $357,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

     The sale and issuance of the Series B convertible preferred stock to Vista followed the approval of the transaction by the Company’s shareholders at the Special Meeting of Shareholders on January 21, 2003. Pursuant to Vista’s contractual rights, following the sale and issuance of the Series B convertible preferred stock, Vista elected two new members to the Company’s Board of Directors.

Note 12: Convertible Preferred Stock Conversion and Public Offering

     On February 13, 2004, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-3 for the registration of 12,000,000 shares of its common stock, 2,700,000 of which will be offered by the Company and 9,300,000 of which will be offered by selling shareholders. In connection with the offering, Vista agreed to convert all of its Series B convertible preferred stock into 22,222,222 shares of the Company’s common stock immediately prior to the completion of the offering. In consideration for this voluntary conversion, the Company agreed to issue Vista 200,000 additional shares of the Company’s common stock and pay Vista a $3 million transaction fee. Additionally, Vista will have the right to nominate two directors to serve on the Company’s board and maintain an approval right over certain significant corporate matters until such time as its share ownership falls below 4,500,000 shares of the common stock originally issued upon conversion of the Series B convertible preferred stock. The fair market value of the 200,000 shares of common stock issuable to Vista and the $3 million transaction fee will be charged to net income attributable to common shareholders in the quarter in which the offering closes, together with the $16 million unamortized balance of the beneficial conversion feature associated with the issuance of the preferred stock. On May 3, 2004, the Company announced that it was postponing the offering of the 12,000,000 shares of its common stock due to current market conditions.

Note 13: Segment Information

     Under SFAS 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information, the Company’s operations are reported in two operating segments, which are product and services. All financial segment information required by SFAS 131 can be found in the consolidated financial statements. For geographical reporting, revenues are attributed to the geographic location in which customers are invoiced and revenue is recognized. Long-lived assets consist of property and equipment and are attributed to the geographic location in which they are located. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of net revenues or accounts receivable for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003.

     The following presents net revenues for the three months ended March 31, and property and equipment as of March 31, by geographic area (in thousands):

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net revenues:
               
United States
  $ 51,444     $ 55,789  
United Kingdom
    14,373       10,130  
Other International (<10%)
    25,670       18,489  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total consolidated
  $ 91,487     $ 84,408  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Long-lived assets (property and equipment):
               
United States
  $ 62,065     $ 75,188  
United Kingdom
    2,266       3,841  
Other International (<10%)
    1,894       2,683  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total consolidated
  $ 66,225     $ 81,712  
 
   
 
     
 
 

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     For management reporting purposes, the Company organizes software license revenues into five groups: call center, contact center integration, workforce management, customer self service and other. The following presents net revenues by product group for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands):

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Software license:
               
Call Center (ACD)
  $ 7,284     $ 6,103  
Workforce Management
    4,949       3,359  
Contact Center Integration
    2,902       3,209  
Customer Self Service (IVR)
    753       1,619  
Other
    717       662  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total software license
    16,605       14,952  
Hardware:
    11,530       9,165  
Services:
               
Software license updates and product support
    54,257       52,304  
Professional services and education
    9,096       7,987  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total services:
    63,352       60,291  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total consolidated
  $ 91,487     $ 84,408  
 
   
 
     
 
 

Note 14: Legal Proceedings

     The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the normal course of business. While the outcome of these proceedings and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, management does not believe that the outcome of any of these legal matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results or financial condition. However, litigation in general, and intellectual property litigation in particular, can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict.

     On May 20, 2003, Electronic Data Systems Corporation, or EDS, made a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association in connection with the Master Services Agreement entered into with the Company and EDS in December 2000 where the Company outsourced certain IT needs to EDS. A dispute arose between the Company and EDS over the services and charges to be performed and paid under the Master Services Agreement and the Company terminated the Master Services Agreement for EDS’s breach of the agreement. EDS alleged that the Company breached the Master Services Agreement and implied warranties associated with the Master Services Agreement, and committed fraud and engaged in negligent misrepresentation in inducing EDS to enter into the Master Services Agreement. EDS claimed that it was entitled to approximately $18.5 million in damages. On June 11, 2003, the Company filed its answer and counterclaims in which it denied every allegation made by EDS, denied that EDS was owed any amount in damages, and counterclaimed that EDS breached the Master Services Agreement, committed fraud in inducing the Company to not terminate for cause the Master Services Agreement earlier, and engaged in fraudulent and unfair business practices. The Company claimed that it was entitled to damages, restitution and disgorgement in an amount of approximately $6 million. On May 4, 2004, the Company received the interim award of the arbitrator. The arbitrator ruled that EDS breached the Master Services Agreement and ordered EDS to pay damages to the Company in an amount which is not material to the Company. The arbitrator rejected the parties’ claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent and unfair business practices. The arbitrator also allowed further briefing, if desired by EDS, to consider whether the Company performed services that should have been transferred to EDS, and if so whether EDS should be entitled to any lost profits associated with those services. Subject to agreement by the parties on the schedule, final briefing is expected to conclude in mid-June 2004, with a final ruling expected by mid-July 2004. The Company believes that its exposure to EDS (if any) is not material.

Note 15: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

SFAS No. 149

     In April 2003, FASB issued SFAS No. 149, Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. SFAS 149 amends and clarifies accounting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts and for hedging activities under SFAS 133, Accounting for Derivatives and Hedging Activities. SFAS 149 is generally effective for derivative instruments, including derivative instruments embedded in certain contracts, entered into or modified after June 30, 2003. The adoption of SFAS 149 did not have a material impact on the operating results or financial condition of the Company.

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SFAS No. 150

     In May 2003, the FASB issued SFAS 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both Liabilities and Equity. SFAS 150 clarifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity and requires that those instruments be classified as liabilities in statements of financial position. Previously, many of those financial instruments were classified as equity. SFAS 150 is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003 and otherwise is effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003. On November 7, 2003, FASB Staff Position 150-3 was issued, which indefinitely deferred the effective date of SFAS 150 for certain mandatory redeemable non-controlling interests. As the Company does not have any of these financial instruments, the adoption of SFAS 150 did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

FIN No. 46R

     In December 2003, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 46 (“FIN 46R”) (revised December 2003), Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an Interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51 (“ARB 51”), which addresses how a business enterprise should evaluate whether it has a controlling interest in an entity though means other than voting rights and accordingly should consolidate the entity. FIN 46R replaces FASB Interpretation No. 46 (FIN 46), which was issued in January 2003. Before concluding that it is appropriate to apply ARB 51 voting interest consolidation model to an entity, an enterprise must first determine that the entity is not a variable interest entity (VIE). As of the effective date of FIN 46R, an enterprise must evaluate its involvement with all entities or legal structures created before February 1, 2003, to determine whether consolidation requirements of FIN 46R apply to those entities. There is no grandfathering of existing entities. Public companies must apply either FIN 46 or FIN 46R immediately to entities created after January 31, 2003 and no later than the end of the first reporting period that ends after March 15, 2004. The adoption of FIN 46 had no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. We will apply the consolidation requirements of FIN 46 in future periods should interest in a variable interest entity be acquired.

     SAB No. 104

     In December 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 104, Revenue Recognition. SAB 104 revises or rescinds portions of the interpretive guidance included in Topic 13 of the codification of staff accounting bulletins in order to make this interpretive guidance consistent with current authoritative accounting and auditing guidance and SEC rules and regulations. The adoption of SAB 104 did not have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations

     The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Part I-Item 1 of this Quarterly Report and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and Management’s Discussion and Analysis in our 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A.

Forward-looking Statements

     The matters discussed in this report including, but not limited to, statements relating to (i) the Company’s belief that its installed base represents a recurring revenue base and expectation that services and support revenues will continue to account for a significant portion of its revenues for the foreseeable future (ii) anticipated spending levels in capital expenditures, research and development, selling, general and administrative expenses; and (iii) the adequacy of the Company’s financial resources to meet currently anticipated cash flow requirements for the next twelve months are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995; and are made under the safe-harbor provisions thereof. Forward-looking statements may be identified by phrases such as “we anticipate,” “are expected to,” and “on a forward-looking basis,” and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements. Specific

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factors that could cause actual earnings per share results to differ include a potentially prolonged period of generally poor economic conditions that could impact our customers’ purchasing decisions; the hiring and retention of key employees; changes in product line revenues; insufficient, excess, or obsolete inventory and variations in valuation; and foreign exchange rate fluctuations. For a discussion of these and other risks related to our business, see the section entitled “Business Environment and Risk Factors” below. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date hereof. Aspect undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Overview

     We are a leading provider of enterprise communication solutions that manage and optimize the contact center by integrating the applications that drive customer communications, customer and contact center information and workforce productivity. Our software and hardware solutions allow businesses to better service their customers by connecting them to appropriate resources, functionalities or applications, regardless of user location or method of communication. We understand the importance of unifying the applications that support customer communications, collect customer information and enhance workforce productivity, and we have focused exclusively on contact center solutions since our inception in 1985. We have a well established customer base, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 50.

     The Current Economic Environment

     The economic climate in which we operate has been difficult over the last three years, and capital spending decreased dramatically. This climate has had a pronounced effect on our ability to generate new license fees, as IT budgets have been tightly managed and large capital expenditures like those required to purchase some of our products have been quite limited, with senior executive approval required in many cases. Additionally, competition for these more limited sales opportunities has increased, and we have seen price competition both for new licenses and for support services. While we believe our installed base continues to represent a solid recurring revenue opportunity and a significant cash flow generator, and while our pricing has remained relatively consistent, we cannot provide any assurance that these pressures on IT spending will ease, or that the general economic climate will continue to improve. Continued competitive pressure and a weak economy could have a continuing pronounced effect on our operating results.

     Significant Financial Events in the First Quarter of 2004

     In the first quarter of 2004, we generated $29 million in cash flow from operations and entered into a $100 million revolving credit facility which amended our prior $50 million credit facility.

     Sources of Revenue

     Our product revenues are derived from license fees for software products and, to a lesser extent, sales of hardware products. With respect to our product revenues, a limited number of product lines, including call center hardware and software, workforce management, customer self service and contact center integration products, have accounted for substantially all our product revenues. We also generate a substantial portion of our revenues from fees for services complementing such products, including software license updates, product support (maintenance), and professional services. We typically license our products on a per user basis with the price per user varying based on the selection of products licensed. Our software license updates and support fees are generally based on the level of support selected and the number of users licensed to use our products. Our professional service fees are generally based on a fixed price or time and materials basis. Our education services are generally billed on a per person basis.

     We currently expect that services and support revenues will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future.

     To date, revenues from license fees have been derived from direct sales of software products to end users through our direct sales force and to a lesser extent from our channel and other alliance partners. Our ability to achieve revenue

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growth and improved operating margins, as well as increased worldwide sales, in the future will depend in large part upon our success in expanding and maintaining these indirect sales channels worldwide.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

     The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting standards generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The most significant estimates and assumptions relate to the allowance for revenue reserves, doubtful accounts, valuation allowance and realization of deferred income taxes, excess and obsolete inventory, and impairment of long-lived assets and restructuring reserves. Actual amounts could differ significantly from these estimates. We are not currently aware of any material changes in our business that would cause these estimates to differ significantly. Our critical accounting polices and estimates are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003.

Results of Operations

     The following table sets forth statements of operations data for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 expressed as a percentage of total revenues:

                 
    Three months
    ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net revenues:
               
Software license
    18 %     18 %
Hardware
    13       11  
Services:
               
Software license updates and product support
    59       62  
Professional services and education
    10       9  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Services
    69       71  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total net revenues
    100       100  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Cost of revenues:
               
Cost of software license revenues
    2       4  
Cost of hardware revenues
    9       11  
Cost of services revenues
    28       32  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total cost of revenues
    39       47  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Gross margin
    61       53  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Operating expenses:
               
Research and development
    13       15  
Selling, general and administrative
    29       30  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total operating expenses
    42       45  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Income from operations
    19       8  
Interest income
    1       1  
Interest expense
    (1 )     (3 )
Other income (expense)
           
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income before income taxes
    19       6  
Provision for income taxes
    2       1  
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
          (1 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income
    17       4  
Less preferred stock dividend, accretion and amortization
    (2 )     (2 )
 
   
 
     
 
 
Net income attributable to common shareholders
    15 %     2 %
 
   
 
     
 
 

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Revenues
($ in thousands)

                         
    Three months ended, March 31
    2004
  % Change
  2003
Software license
  $ 16,605       11 %   $ 14,952  
Hardware
    11,530       26       9,165  
Services:
                       
Software license updates and product support
    54,257       4       52,304  
Professional services and education
    9,095       14       7,987  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 
Services
    63,352       5       60,291  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 
Total net revenues
  $ 91,487       8 %   $ 84,408  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 

     Net revenues increased by 8% in the first quarter of 2004 as compared to the first quarter of 2003. The increase to total net revenues was primarily a result of increased sales in Europe and Asia Pacific due to higher customer demand.

     Net revenues derived from the Americas constituted 59% and 68% of total revenues for the first quarter ended in 2004 and 2003, respectively.

     Software license revenues increased by 11% to $17 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2004 as compared to $15 million in 2003. Hardware revenues increased by 26% to $12 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004 compared to $9 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2003. The increase in sales was primarily attributable to increased demand for software products and related hardware products by our customers and, we believe, an improving economic environment which has caused some customers to increase capital spending on information technology. The fluctuation in the rate of growth in software and hardware revenues was a result of the product mix between hardware and software. Although we have moved over the last several years to selling more solutions with more functionality embodied in software as opposed to hardware, a substantial portion of our revenues in the quarter ended March 31, 2004 were derived from ACD hardware systems.

     Software license updates and product support revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004 resulted in an increase of 4% to $54 million from $52 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2003. The increase in revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004 compared to the first quarter ended March 31, 2003 was due primarily to growth in our installed base.

     Professional services and education revenues for the three month period ended March 31, 2004 increased by 14% as compared to the same period in 2003. Professional services and education revenues consist primarily of installation of product, consulting services, and education fees. The increase in service revenues resulted primarily from increased installation revenues due to the increase in hardware sales.

Gross Margin

                 
    Three months ended, March 31,
    2004
  2003
Gross software license margin
    86 %     76 %
Gross hardware margin
    28       2  
Gross services margin
    60       55  
 
   
 
     
 
 
Total gross margin
    61 %     53 %
 
   
 
     
 
 

     Gross margin on total revenues increased to 61% in the first quarter of 2004 from 53% in the corresponding period of 2003.

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     Gross software license margin. Cost of software license revenues includes fees paid to various third parties and amortization of intangible assets. A reduction in license fees paid to third-party licensors resulting from license arrangements renegotiated in 2003 and increased sales of 11% from the first quarter of 2003 contributed to the higher gross software license margin for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

     Gross hardware margin. Cost of hardware revenues includes labor, materials, overhead, and other directly allocated costs involved in the manufacture and delivery of our products. The increase in gross margin was primarily attributable to sales of products incorporating inventory for which we had previously written down.

     Gross services margin. Cost of service revenues consists primarily of employee salaries and benefits, facilities, systems costs to support maintenance, consulting and education. The increase in gross margin from 53% to 61% was mainly attributable to increased sales and a reduction in facilities and IT expenses.

Operating Expenses

($ in thousands)

                         
    2004
  % Change
  2003
Research and development
  $ 11,360       (13 )%   $ 13,035  
Selling, general and administrative
    26,539       8       24,670  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 
Total operating expenses
  $ 37,899       1 %   $ 37,705  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 

     Research and development, or R& D, expenses relate to the development of new products, enhancements of existing products and quality assurance activities. These costs consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits, facilities and IT expenses and consulting expenses. R&D expenses decreased by 13% to $11 million in the first quarter of 2004, from $13 million in the corresponding period of 2003 mainly due to decreased IT allocations of $1.2 million and a reduction in salaries and benefits related to lower headcount. We anticipate that R&D expenses in each of the remaining quarters of 2004 will be slightly larger compared to the three months ended March 31, 2004.

     Selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits, commissions, facilities, information technology costs and administrative support. SG&A increased by 8% to $27 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004 from $25 million in the three months ended March 31, 2003. The increase was primarily due to a $1 million increase in legal fees and a reduction of $2 million credit to bad debt expense, partially offset by a decrease of $1 million in facilities and IT expenses. We anticipate that SG&A expenses in each of the remaining quarters of 2004 will be slightly larger compared to the three months ended March 31, 2004.

Interest and Other Income (Expense):
($ in thousands)

                         
    2004
  % Change
  2003
Interest income
  $ 757       (17 )%   $ 917  
Interest expense
    (1,127 )     (59 )     (2,751 )
Other income (expense)
    316       364 %     68  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 
Total other income (expense)
  $ (54 )     (97 )%   $ (1,766 )
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
 

     Interest income represents, primarily, earnings on short-term investments. Interest income decreased for the first quarter of 2004 as the result of lower rates of return.

     Interest expense decreased $1.6 million to $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004 compared to $2.7 million for the comparable period in 2003 primarily due to reduced debt obligations associated with our convertible subordinated debentures which we repurchased in the second half of 2003.

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     Other income (expense) includes fees charged for bank services, gains or losses recognized on sale of investments and other non-operating income and expenses.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

                 
    Three months ended March 31,
    2004
  2003
Net income before income taxes
  $ 17,684     $ 5,300  
Effective tax rate
    11.9 %     23.5 %

     The tax rate for the first quarter of 2004 and 2003 varied from the statutory rate primarily due to having a full valuation allowance against U.S. based deferred tax assets. As a result, we provided only a nominal amount of tax expense in federal and state jurisdictions after utilizing a portion of our substantial U.S. net operating losses. Our tax rate for the first quarter of 2004 and 2003 further varied from the statutory rate as a result of nondeductible expenses and the effect of tax rates in foreign jurisdictions differing from the U.S. statutory rate. The difference in the effective tax rate between the first quarter of 2004 and the corresponding period of 2003 was primarily due a higher percentage of net income and related income taxes attributable to foreign jurisdictions in 2003. We reassess the necessity of our valuation allowance on a periodic basis.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

     As of March 31, 2004 cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaled $195 million, which represented 58% of total assets and our principal source of liquidity. In addition, we had restricted cash of $3 million related to various letter of credit agreements.

     The net cash provided by operating activities was $29 million for the first quarter of 2004, as compared to $19 million in the corresponding period of 2003. The main contributor to the increase in net cash provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2004 was our significantly improved profitability. Cash collections from customers during the first quarter 2004 were $113 million. In addition, we reduced our days sales outstanding during the period as compared to the same period in 2003 by 6 days to a days sales outstanding of 33 days as of March 31, 2004.

     The net cash used in investing activities was $32 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared to $9 million in the corresponding period of 2003. Net cash used in investing activities for the three month ended March 31, 2004 related to the net purchase of short-term investments of $28 million and property and equipment of $4 million compared to the similar period in 2003 in which the net purchase of short-term investments amounted to $8 million and purchase of property and equipment amounted to $1 million.

     The net cash provided by financing activities was $6 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared to $37 million net cash provided in financing activities in the corresponding period of 2003. Net cash provided by financing for the period ended March 31, 2004 was primarily the result of $8 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock relating to the exercise of employee stock options less payments for financing costs of $1 million and net payment on borrowings of $1 million. For the similar period in 2003, net cash provided by financing activities was the result of net proceeds of $44 million related to issuance of Series B preferred stock and $1 million in proceeds from issuance of common stock relating to employee stock purchase plan and the exercise of employee stock options, offset by payments on borrowings of $2 million and the repurchase of convertible debentures of $6 million.

     On February 13, 2004, we entered into a $100 million revolving credit facility with a number of financial institutions led by Comerica Bank, which is also administrative agent, and The CIT Group/Business Credit, Inc., which is also collateral agent. This credit facility amended our prior $50 million credit facility with Comerica Bank entered into on August 9, 2002. It eliminated the prior facility’s borrowing base requirements and other related restrictions. The revolver has a three-year term and the amounts borrowed are secured by substantially all of our assets, including the stock of our significant subsidiaries. We can select interest options for advances based on the prime rate or eurocurrency rates, which include margins that are subject to quarterly adjustment. The revolver includes a $10 million sub-line for issuance of stand-by letters of credit. Mandatory prepayment and reduction of the facility is required in the amount of 100% of permitted asset sales over $1 million annually and 100% of the proceeds of future debt issuances, subject to

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certain exclusions. The revolver can be used for working capital, general corporate purposes and the financing of capital expenditures. The credit agreement includes customary representations and warranties and covenants. The financial covenants include minimum EBITDA, minimum liquidity ratio, minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, maximum total debt to EBITDA ratio and minimum tangible effective net worth tests, defined as follows:

  EBITDA of no less than $10 million each quarter.
 
  Liquidity Ratio of not less than 1.5 to 1.0 for the period from December 31, 2003 to September 29, 2004; 1.75 to 1.0 for the period from September 30, 2004 through March 30, 2005; and 2.0 to 1.0 thereafter.
 
  Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of not less than 1.5 to 1.0 as of the last day of each quarter.
 
  Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio of no more than 1.25 to 1.0 as of the end of each quarter.
 
  Tangible Effective Net Worth balance greater than the Base Tangible Effective Net Worth.

     The preceding financial covenants are applicable to the quarter ended March 31, 2004 and all quarters thereafter. The definitions of the terms for these financial covenants can be found in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement filed as Exhibit 99.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 20, 2004. We were in compliance with all related covenants and restrictions for the revolving credit facility as of March 31, 2004.

     In addition to the above revolving credit facility, we had outstanding bank guarantees with a European bank that are required for daily operations such as payroll, import/export duties and facilities. As of March 31, 2004, approximately $3 million is recorded as restricted cash on the balance sheet related to these bank guarantees.

     In January 2003, we consumated a Preferred Stock financing with Vista pursuant to which Vista purchased $50 million of our Series B convertible preferred stock, which, assuming conversion at the initial conversion price, represented at that time approximately 30% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis. We received $44 million in net proceeds from this transaction. This equity entitled the holders to receive cumulative dividends, which accrued daily at 10% per annum. On or after the tenth anniversary of the closing, January 21, 2013, we had an obligation to redeem each share of unconverted Series B convertible preferred stock for cash at a redemption price equal to 125% of the original purchase price plus accrued and unpaid dividends. Additionally, in the event that we declare a dividend or distribution to the holders of common stock, the holders of Series B convertible preferred stock would have been entitled to equivalent participation on an as-if-converted basis in such dividend or distribution.

     We believe that cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our operating cash needs for at least the next twelve months. However, we continually evaluate opportunities to improve our cash position by selling additional equity, debt securities, obtaining and re-negotiating credit facilities, and restructuring our long-term debt. The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities could result in additional dilution to our stockholders. In addition, we will, from time to time, consider the acquisition of or investment in complementary businesses, products, services and technologies, and the retirement of debt, which might affect our liquidity requirements or cause us to issue additional equity or debt securities. There can be no assurance that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Contractual Obligations

     The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of March 31, 2004 (in thousands):

                                         
    Payments Due by Period
            Less                    
            Than                   After
Contractual Obligations
  Total
  1 Year
  1-3 Years
  4-5 Years
  5 Years
                    (In thousands)                
Line of credit
  $ 40,000     $     $ 40,000     $     $  
Capital lease obligations
    156       143       13              
Operating leases
    77,768       12,303       27,759       8,905       28,801  
Purchase obligations(a)
    61,897       22,477       20,420       14,000       5,000  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 
Total contractual obligations
  $ 179,821     $ 34,923     $ 88,192     $ 22,905     $ 33,801  
 
   
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
 

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(a)   Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. Purchase obligations exclude agreements that are cancelable without penalty.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

     We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements other than operating leases that are discussed in Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A.

Business Environment and Risk Factors

We may experience a shortfall in revenues or earnings or otherwise fail to meet public market expectations in any particular quarter, which could materially and adversely affect our business and the market price of our common stock.

     Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate significantly because of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Some of these factors include:

  changes in demand for our products and services;
 
  a shift in the timing or shipment of a customer order from one quarter to another;
 
  product and price competition;
 
  our ability to develop and market new products and control costs;
 
  timing of new product introductions and product enhancements;
 
  failure by our customers to renew existing support or maintenance agreements in a timely manner, if at all;
 
  mix of products and services sold;
 
  delay or deferral of customer implementations of our products;
 
  size and timing of individual license transactions;
 
  length of our sales cycle;
 
  changes in domestic and foreign markets;
 
  success in growing our distribution channels;
 
  acquisitions by competitors; and
 
  performance by outsourced service providers, and the costs of the underlying contracts of these providers, that are critical to our operations.

     One or more of the foregoing factors may cause our operating expenses to be disproportionately high during any given period or may cause our revenues and operating results to fluctuate significantly. Based upon the preceding factors, we may experience a shortfall in revenues or earnings or otherwise fail to meet public market expectations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our common stock.

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Reductions in information technology spending could continue or worsen, which could decrease demand for our products and harm our business.

     Our products typically represent substantial capital commitments by customers. As a result, customer purchase decisions may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including trends in capital spending for telecommunications and enterprise software, competition and the availability or announcement of alternative technologies. Weakness in global economic conditions in recent periods and related reductions in information technology, or IT, spending have resulted in many of our customers delaying or substantially reducing their spending on contact center hardware, software and services. If the weakness in the global economy were to continue or worsen, demand for our products and services would likely continue to decrease and our business would be harmed.

Our failure to successfully address industry changes resulting from the convergence of voice and data networks could cause us to lose customers and harm our business.

     Historically, we have supplied the hardware, software and associated support services for implementing contact center solutions. Contact center technology is undergoing a change in which voice and data networks are converging into a single integrated network. Our approach to this convergence has been to provide migration software permitting the integration of existing telephony environments with networks in which voice traffic is routed through data networks. This integration is provided by a software infrastructure that requires enterprise-level selling and deployment of enterprise-wide solutions, rather than selling and deployment efforts focused solely on telephone communication. This industry transition has caused us to change many aspects of our business and as a result we have had to:

  make changes in our management and technical personnel;
 
  change our sales and distribution models;
 
  expand relationships with our customers as sales are now often made throughout the organization;
 
  modify the pricing and positioning of our products and services;
 
  address new competitors; and
 
  increasingly rely on systems integrators to deploy our solutions.

     If we fail to successfully address the changed conditions in which we operate, our business could be harmed.

Our failure to timely develop and market products and services that meet customer requirements could cause us to lose customers and could harm our business.

     Demand for our products and services could be adversely affected by any of our products and services not meeting customer specifications or by problems with system performance, system availability, installation or service delivery commitments, or market acceptance. We need to continue to develop new products and services and manage product transitions in order to succeed. If we fail to introduce enhanced versions and releases of products, or enhancements to our service offerings, in a timely manner, customers may license competing products, we may suffer lost sales and we could fail to achieve anticipated results. Our future operating results will depend on the demand for our product suite, including new and enhanced releases that are subsequently introduced. If our competitors release new products and services that are superior to our products and services in performance or price, demand for our products and services may decline. Our products may not be released on schedule or may contain defects when released which could result in the rejection of our products, damage to our reputation, lost revenues, diverted development resources and increased customer service and support costs and warranty claims. Any of the foregoing results could harm our business.

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Because we rely on our installed customer base for support contract renewals and much of our future revenues, those revenues could be significantly impaired if our existing customers do not continue to purchase and use our products and services.

     We derive a significant portion of our revenues from support contracts. As a result, if we lose a major customer or if a support contract is delayed, reduced or cancelled, our revenues would be adversely affected. In addition, customers who have accounted for significant revenues in the past may not generate revenues in future periods. We also depend on our existing customers to purchase new products that we introduce to the market. We may not be able to obtain new customers to replace any existing customers that we lose.

If we are unable to successfully compete with the companies in our market, including against those that have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do, we might lose customers which would hurt sales and harm our business.

     The market for our products is intensely competitive, and competition is likely to intensify as companies in our industry consolidate to offer integrated solutions. Our principal competitors currently include companies in the contact center market and companies that market traditional telephony products and services. As the market develops for converged voice and data networks and products and the demand for traditional, telephony-based call centers diminishes, companies in these markets are merging, creating potentially larger and more significant competitors. Many current and potential competitors, including Avaya Inc., Cisco Systems, Genesys, a subsidiary of Alcatel and Nortel Networks, may have considerably greater resources, larger customer bases and broader international presence than us. If we are unable to improve and expand the functionality of our products and services, we might lose customers, which would hurt our sales and harm our business.

If we are not be able to adapt our products and services quickly or efficiently enough to respond to technological change, our customers might choose products and services of our competitors which would hurt our sales and harm our business.

     The market for our products and services is subject to rapid technological change and new product introductions. Current competitors or new market entrants have in the past developed, and may in the future develop new, proprietary products with features that have adversely affected or could in the future adversely affect the competitive position of our products. We may not successfully anticipate market demand for new products or services or introduce them in a timely manner.

     The convergence of voice and data networks, and of wired and wireless communications could require substantial modification and customization of our current products and sales and distribution model, as well as the introduction of new products. Further, customer acceptance of these new technologies may be slower than we anticipate. We may not be able to compete effectively in these markets. In addition, our products must readily integrate with major third-party security, telephony, front-office and back-office systems. Any changes to these third-party systems could require us to redesign our products, and any such redesign might not be possible on a timely basis or achieve market acceptance.

If we are not able to properly anticipate demand for our products and services, our operating results could suffer.

     The demand for and sales mix of our products and services depends on many factors and is difficult to forecast. If forecasted demand does not develop, we could have excess production resulting in higher inventories of finished products and components, which would use cash and could lead to write-offs of some or all of the excess inventories or returns, which could result in lower gross margins. In addition, we may also incur certain costs, such as fees for excess manufacturing capacity and cancellation of orders and charges associated with excess and obsolete materials and goods in our inventory, which could result in lower margins. If demand increases beyond what we forecast, we may have to increase production at our third-party manufacturers or increase our capacity to deliver products and services. We depend on our suppliers to provide additional volumes of components and those suppliers might not be able to increase production rapidly enough to meet unexpected demand or may choose to allocate capacity to other customers. Even if we are able to procure enough components, our third-party manufacturers might not be able to produce enough of our products to meet market demand. The inability of either our manufacturers or our suppliers to increase production rapidly enough or our inability to obtain qualified services personnel could cause us to fail to meet customer demand. Rapid increases or decreases in production levels could result in higher costs for manufacturing, supply of components

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and other expenses. These higher costs could reduce our margins. Furthermore, if production is increased rapidly, manufacturing yields could decline, which may also reduce our margins.

We are involved in litigation which could be expensive and divert our resources.

     We have in the past and continue to be involved in litigation for a variety of matters. Any claims brought against us will likely have a financial impact, potentially affecting the market performance of our common stock, generating costs associated with the disruption of business and diverting management’s attention. There has been extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights in our industry, and we are periodically notified of such claims by third parties. We have been sued in the past for alleged patent infringement. We expect that software product developers and providers of software in markets similar to ours will increasingly be subject to infringement claims or demands for infringement indemnification as the number of products and competitors in our industry grows and the functionality of products overlap. Any claims, with or without merit, could be costly and time-consuming to defend, divert our management’s attention, cause product delays and have an adverse effect on our revenues and operating results. If any of our products were found to infringe a third party’s proprietary rights, we could be required to enter into royalty or licensing agreements to be able to sell our products, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Moreover, even if we negotiate license agreements with a third party, future disputes with such parties are possible. If we are unable to resolve an intellectual property dispute through a license, settlement or successful litigation, we would be subject to pay damages and be prevented from making, using or selling certain products or services. In the future, we could become involved in other types of litigation, such as shareholder lawsuits for alleged violations of securities laws, claims by employees, and product liability claims.

We are subject to risks inherent in doing business internationally which could negatively impact our business and competitive position.

     We market our products and services worldwide and may enter additional foreign markets in the future. If we fail to enter certain major markets successfully, our competitive position could be impaired and we may be unable to compete on a global scale. The financial resources required to enter, establish and grow new and existing foreign markets may be substantial, and foreign operations are subject to additional risks which may negatively impact our business including:

  the cost and timing of the multiple governmental approvals and product modifications required by many countries;
 
  fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies;
 
  less effective protection of intellectual property;
 
  difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;
 
  difficulties in identifying and securing appropriate partners;
 
  global economic climate considerations including potentially negative tax and foreign and domestic trade legislation, which could result in the creation of trade barriers such as tariffs, duties, quotas and other restrictions;
 
  longer payment cycles; and
 
  seasonal reductions in business activity in international locales, such as during the summer months in Europe.

Our failure to grow and maintain our relationships with systems integrators or VARs could impact our ability to market and implement our products and reduce future revenues.

     Failure to establish or maintain relationships with systems integrators or VARs would significantly harm our ability to sell our products. Systems integrators sell and promote our products and perform custom integration of systems and

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applications. VARs market, sell, service, install and deploy our products. If these relationships fail, we will have to devote substantially more resources to the sales and marketing, implementation and support of our products than we would have had to otherwise. In addition, there could be channel conflict among our varied sales channels, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to expand our distribution channels, we may not be able to increase sales and our operating results could be hurt.

     We have historically sold our products and services through our direct sales force and a limited number of distributors. Changes in customer preferences, the markets we target, the competitive environment or other factors may require us to expand our third-party distributor, VARs, systems integrator, technology alliances, electronic and other alternative distribution channels, and we have continued to work on such expansion in recent periods. We may not be successful in expanding these distribution channels, and such failure could hurt our operating results by limiting our ability to increase or maintain our sales through these channels or by increasing our sales expenses faster than our revenues.

We are dependent on third-party suppliers for certain services and components and underperformance by these suppliers could cause us to lose customers and could harm our business.

     We have outsourced our manufacturing capabilities to third parties and rely on those suppliers to order components; build, configure and test systems and subassemblies; and ship products to meet our customers’ delivery requirements in a timely manner. Failure to ship product on time or failure to meet our quality standards would result in delays to customers, customer dissatisfaction or cancellation of customer orders.

     Should we have performance issues with our manufacturing sub-contractors, the process to move from one sub-contractor to another or manufacture products ourselves is a lengthy and costly process that could affect our ability to execute customer shipment requirements and might negatively affect revenues and costs. We depend on certain critical components in the production of our products. Some of these components such as certain server computers, integrated circuits, power supplies, connectors and plastic housings are obtained only from a single supplier and only in limited quantities. In addition, some of our major suppliers use proprietary technology and software code that could require significant redesign of our products in the case of a change in vendor. Further, suppliers could discontinue their products, or modify them in a manner incompatible with our current use, or use manufacturing processes and tools that could not be easily migrated to other vendors. Our inability to obtain these components from our current suppliers or quickly identify and qualify alternative suppliers could harm our ability to timely and cost-effectively produce and deliver our products.

     We also outsource certain of our information technology activities to third parties. We rely heavily on these vendors to provide day-to-day support. We may experience disruption in our business if these vendors or we have difficulty meeting our requirements, or if we need to transition the activities to other vendors or ourselves, which could negatively affect our revenues and costs.

If we fail to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified key personnel, our ability to operate our business could be impaired.

     Our future success will depend to a significant extent on our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified technical, marketing, sales and management personnel. Competition for these employees is intense and the process of recruiting personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to operate our business can be time consuming and expensive. We have recently undergone significant changes in senior management and other personnel. For example, our Chief Executive Officer was appointed in January 2004 after having been named Interim Chief Executive Officer in August 2003. Our failure to recruit, retain and motivate qualified personnel could be disruptive to our operations, and could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

We intend to upgrade or replace certain parts of our information systems and may not be successful in implementing the changes.

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     We intend to upgrade or replace certain information systems that support our operations, including systems to manage order processing, shipping, support entitlement, accounting and internal computing operations. Many of these systems are proprietary to us and are very complex. We may not be successful in implementing these new systems and transitioning data from our old systems to the new systems. Any failure or significant downtime in our information systems could prevent us from taking customer orders, shipping products, providing services or billing customers and could harm our business. In addition, our information systems require the services of personnel with extensive knowledge of these information systems and the business environment in which we operate. In order to successfully implement and operate our systems, we must continue to attract and retain a significant number of highly skilled employees. If we fail to attract and retain the highly skilled personnel required to implement, maintain and operate our information systems, our business could suffer.

If our intellectual property is copied, obtained or developed by third parties, competition against us could increase, which could reduce our revenues and harm our business.

     Our success depends in part upon our internally developed technology. Despite the precautions we take to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized third parties may copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology. In addition, third parties may develop similar technology independently. Unauthorized copying, use or reverse engineering of our products or independent development of technology similar to ours by competitors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on licenses from third parties for rights to the technology used in several of our products. If we are unable to continue these relationships and maintain our rights to this technology, our product offerings could suffer.

     We depend on licenses for some of the technology used in our products from a number of third-party vendors. If we were unable to continue using the technology made available to us under these licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we may have to discontinue, delay or reduce product shipments until we obtain equivalent replacement technology, which could hurt our business. In addition, if our vendors choose to discontinue support of the licensed technology in the future, we may not be able to modify or adapt our own products.

Regulatory changes affecting our industry and future changes to generally accepted accounting principles may negatively impact our ability to operate our business.

     The electronic communications industry is subject to a wide range of regulations in the markets and countries in which we currently operate or may wish to operate in the future. In addition, new products and services may involve entering different or newly regulated areas. Changes in these environments may impact our business and could affect our ability to operate in certain markets or certain regions from time to time.

     Revisions to generally accepted accounting principles or related rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission will require us to review our accounting and financial reporting procedures in order to ensure continued compliance. From time to time, such changes have an impact on our accounting and financial reporting, and these changes may impact market perception of our financial condition. Additionally, recently adopted or new legislation or regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, may lead to an increase in our costs related to audits in particular and regulatory compliance generally. A failure to comply with these new laws and regulations could materially harm our business.

We may engage in future acquisitions or investments that could prove difficult to integrate with our business and which may impair our operations.

     We have made a number of acquisitions in the past. Acquisitions or investments we make may experience significant fluctuations in market value or may result in significant write-offs or the issuance of additional equity or debt securities to finance or fund them. Acquisitions and investments can be costly and disruptive, and we may be unable to successfully integrate a new business or technology into our business. There are a number of risks that future transactions could entail, including:

  inability to successfully integrate or commercialize acquired technologies or otherwise realize anticipated synergies or economies of scale on a timely basis;

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  diversion of management attention;
 
  disruption of our ongoing business;
 
  inability to assimilate or retain key technical and managerial personnel for both companies;
 
  inability to establish and maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and processes;
 
  governmental, regulatory or competitive responses to the proposed transactions;
 
  impairment of relationships with employees, vendors or customers including, in particular, acquired distribution and VAR relationships;
 
  permanent impairment of our equity investments;
 
  adverse impact on our annual effective tax rate; and
 
  dilution of existing equity holders.

Our operations are geographically concentrated and we are subject to business interruption risks.

     Significant elements of our product development, manufacturing, information technology systems, corporate offices and support functions are concentrated in San Jose, California, Nashville, Tennesse and Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Significant sales, administrative and support functions and related infrastructure to support our international operations are also concentrated at our U.K. offices. In the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or flood, or localized extended outages of critical utilities or transportation systems that affects us, our customers or our suppliers, we could experience a significant business interruption.

Fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies could result in currency transaction losses.

     As we expand our international operations, we expect that our international business will increasingly be conducted in foreign currencies. Fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies relative to the United States dollar have caused, and we expect such fluctuations to continue to increasingly cause, currency transaction gains and losses. We cannot predict the effect of exchange rate fluctuations upon future quarterly and annual operating results. We may experience currency losses in the future.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

The market price for our common stock may be particularly volatile, and our shareholders may be unable to resell their shares at a profit.

     The market price of our common stock has been subject to significant fluctuations and may continue to fluctuate or decline. From January 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004, the closing price per share of our common stock has ranged from a low of $2.86 to a high of $19.45. The stock markets have experienced significant price and trading volume fluctuations. The market for technology has been extremely volatile and frequently reaches levels that bear no relationship to the past or present operating performance of those companies. General economic conditions, such as recession or interest rate or currency rate fluctuations in the United States or abroad, could negatively affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, our operating results may be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors. If this were to occur, the market price of our common stock would likely significantly decrease. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company. Such litigation could result in substantial cost and a diversion of management’s attention and resources.

     The market price of our common stock may fluctuate in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

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  changes in market valuations or earnings of our competitors or other technology companies;
 
  actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
 
  changes in financial estimates or investment recommendations by securities analysts who follow our business;
 
  technological advances or introduction of new products by us or our competitors;
 
  the loss of key personnel;
 
  our sale of common stock or other securities in the future;
 
  intellectual property or litigation developments;
 
  changes in business or regulatory conditions;
 
  the trading volume of our common stock; and
 
  disruptions in the geopolitical environment, including war in the Middle East or elsewhere or acts of terrorism in the United States or elsewhere.

Vista has been granted certain approval rights as to particular corporate actions and owns Series B convertible preferred stock representing, on an as converted basis, approximately 30% of our common stock.

     Vista’s ownership of our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock together with its right to nominate two of our eight directors provides Vista with a substantial degree of control over our operations. Additionally, Vista’s consent is required for the issuance of additional capital stock, a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, the consummation of any transaction the result of which is that any person becomes the beneficial owner of more than fifty percent of our voting securities, the incurrence of certain indebtedness, a voluntary liquidation or dissolution, acquisitions by us of any material interest in any company, business or joint venture, the consummation of certain related party transactions by us, the execution by us of any agreement which restricts our right to comply with certain of our obligations to Vista, the approval of our annual budget or any material deviations from our annual budget, the declaration or payment of any dividends or distributions on our common stock, or a change in the compensation paid to, the termination of the employment of, or the replacement of, certain of our executive officers including our Chief Executive Officer. If Vista viewed these matters differently from us, we might not be able to accomplish specific corporate actions, and this failure could harm our business.

We have implemented anti-takeover provisions that could make it more difficult to acquire us.

     Our articles of incorporation, our bylaws and our shareholder rights plan contain provisions that may inhibit potential acquisition bids for us and prevent changes in our management. Certain provisions of our charter documents could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transactions. These provisions of our charter documents could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares, and as a result, these provisions may prevent the market price of our common stock from reflecting the effects of actual or rumored takeover attempts. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     Reference is made to the information appearing under the caption “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” of the Registrant’s 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, which information is hereby incorporated by reference. The Company believes there were no material changes in the Company’s exposure to financial market risk during the first quarter of 2004.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

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     Our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, after evaluating the effectiveness of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this interim report (the “Evaluation Date”), have concluded that as of the Evaluation Date, our disclosure controls and procedures were adequate and designed to ensure that material information relating to us and our consolidated subsidiaries would be made known to them by others within those entities.

     There were no significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rules 13a-15e or 15d-15(e)) that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

     Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.

Part II: Other Information

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

     We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the normal course of business. While the outcome of these proceedings and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe that the outcome of any of these legal matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. However, litigation in general, and intellectual property litigation in particular, can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict.

     On May 20, 2003, Electronic Data Systems Corporation, or EDS, made a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association in connection with the Master Services Agreement entered into by us and EDS in December 2000 in which we outsourced certain of our IT needs to EDS. A dispute arose between us and EDS over the services and charges to be performed and paid under the Master Services Agreement and we terminated the Master Services Agreement for EDS’s breach of the agreement. EDS alleged that we breached the Master Services Agreement and implied warranties associated with the Master Services Agreement, and committed fraud and engaged in negligent misrepresentation in inducing EDS to enter into the Master Services Agreement. EDS claimed that it was entitled to approximately $18.5 million in damages. On June 11, 2003, we filed our answer and counterclaims in which we denied every allegation made by EDS, denied that EDS was owed any amount in damages, and counterclaimed that EDS breached the Master Services Agreement, committed fraud in inducing us to not terminate for cause the Master Services Agreement earlier, and engaged in fraudulent and unfair business practices. We claimed that we were entitled to damages, restitution and disgorgement in an amount of approximately $6 million. On May 4, 2004, we received the interim award of the arbitrator. The arbitrator ruled that EDS breached the Master Services Agreement and ordered EDS to pay damages to us in an amount which is not material to us. The arbitrator rejected the parties’ claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent and unfair business practices. The arbitrator also allowed further briefing, if desired by EDS, to consider whether we performed services that should have been transferred to EDS, and if so whether EDS should be entitled to any lost profits associated with those services. Subject to agreement by the parties on the schedule, final briefing is expected to conclude in mid-June 2004, with a final ruling expected by mid-July 2004. We believe that our exposure to EDS (if any) is not material.

Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

A. Exhibits

31.1   Gary E. Barnett’s Certification pursuant to 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
31.2   Gary A. Wetsel’s Certification pursuant to 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
32.1   Gary E. Barnett’s Certification pursuant to 18. U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
32.1   Gary A. Wetsel’s Certification pursuant to 18. U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

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B. Reports on Form 8-K

     The Company filed two reports on Form 8-K during the quarter ended March 31, 2004 as follows:

     
Date
  Item Reported On
January 22, 2004
  Item 12. On January 22, 2004, the Company announced its earnings results for the fourth quarter of 2003.
 
   
February 2, 2004
  Item 12. On February 2, 2004, the Company filed a current report relating to a February 2004 presentation.

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SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

     
 
  ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
  (Registrant)
  By: /s/ GARY A. WETSEL
 
 
  Gary A. Wetsel
  Executive Vice President, Finance,
  Chief Financial Officer and
  Chief Administrative Officer

Date: May 7, 2004

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EXHIBIT INDEX

31.2   Gary E. Barnett’s Certification pursuant to 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
31.2   Gary A. Wetsel’s Certification pursuant to 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
32.1   Gary E. Barnett’s Certification pursuant to 18. U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
32.1   Gary A. Wetsel’s Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.