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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.3

                        ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

                        1990 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

     The following constitute the provisions of the 1990 Employee Stock Purchase
Plan of Aspect Communications Corporation.

     1. Purpose. The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of the Company
and its Designated Subsidiaries with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock of
the Company through accumulated payroll deductions. It is the intention of the
Company to have the Plan qualify as an "Employee Stock Purchase Plan" under
Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The provisions of
the Plan shall, accordingly, he construed so as to extend and limit
participation in a manner consistent with the requirements of that section of
the Code.

     2. Definitions.

        (a)    "Board" shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

        (b)    "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

        (c)    "Common Stock" shall mean the Common Stock of the Company.

        (d)    "Company" shall mean Aspect Communications Corporation, a
California corporation.

        (e)    "Compensation" shall mean all base straight time gross earnings
plus commissions, overtime, shift differential, on-call pay, call-in pay,
incentive compensation, bonus or other cash compensation but exclusive of fringe
benefits (including disability benefits).

        (f)    "Designated Subsidiaries" shall mean the Subsidiaries which have
been designated by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion as
eligible to participate in the Plan.

        (g)    "Employee" shall mean any individual who is an employee of the
Company for purposes of tax withholding under the Code whose customary
employment with the Company or any Designated Subsidiary is at least twenty (20)
hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year. For purposes
of the Plan, the employment relationship shall be treated as continuing intact
while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of absence approved by the
Company. Where the period of leave exceeds 90 days and the individual's right to
reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract, the employment
relationship will be deemed to have terminated on the 91st day of such leave.

        (h)    "Enrollment Date" shall mean the first day of each Offering
Period.

        (i)    "Exercise Date" shall mean the last day of each Offering Period.

        (j)    "Offering Period" shall mean a period of approximately six (6)
months, commencing on February 16 and terminating on August 15, or commencing on
August 16 and terminating on February 15 of the next year, during which an
option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised. If February 16 or August
16 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, then the period will

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commence on the next business day. If August 15 or February 15 falls on a
Saturday, Sunday or holiday, then the period will terminate on the preceding
business day.

        (k) "Plan" shall mean this Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

        (l) "Reserves" shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock covered
by each option under the Plan which have not yet been exercised and the number
of shares of Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan
but not yet placed under option.

        (m) "Subsidiary" shall mean a corporation, domestic or foreign, of which
not less than 50% of the voting shares are held by the Company or a Subsidiary,
whether or not such corporation now exists or is hereafter organized or acquired
by the Company or a Subsidiary.

        (n) "Trading Day" shall mean a day on which national stock exchanges and
the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System are
open for trading.

     3. Eligibility.

        (a) Any Employee as defined in paragraph 2 who shall be employed by the
Company on a given Enrollment Date shall be eligible to participate in the Plan.

        (b) Any provisions of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no
Employee shall be granted an option under the Plan (i) if, immediately after the
grant, such Employee (or any other person whose stock would be attributed to
such Employee pursuant to Section 425(d) of the Code) would own stock and/or
hold outstanding options to purchase stock possessing five percent (5%) or more
of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the
Company or of any subsidiary of the Company, or (ii) which permits his or her
rights to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans of the Company
and its subsidiaries to accrue at a rate which exceeds Twenty-Five Thousand
Dollars ($25,000) worth of stock (determined at the fair market value of the
shares at the time such option is granted) for each calendar year in which such
option is outstanding at any time.

     4. Offering Periods. The Plan shall be implemented by consecutive Offering
Periods with a new Offering Period commencing on February 16 and August 16 of
each year (if February 16 or August 16 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday,
the period will commence on the next business day), or on such other date as the
Board shall determine, and continuing thereafter until terminated in accordance
with paragraph 19 hereof. The Board shall have the power to change the duration
of Offering Periods with respect to future offerings without shareholder
approval if such change is announced at least fifteen (15) days prior to the
scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected.

     5. Participation.

        (a) An eligible Employee may become a participant in the Plan either by
completing a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions in the form
provided by the Company's Stock Administration department. Enrollment must be
received by the Stock Administration department prior to the close of business
on the applicable Enrollment Date, unless a later time for filing the
subscription agreement is set by the Board for all eligible Employees with
respect to a given Offering Period.

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        (b) Payroll deductions for a participant shall commence on the first
payroll following the Enrollment Date and shall end on the last payroll in the
Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner
terminated by the participant as provided in paragraph 10.

     6. Payroll Deductions.

        (a) At the time a participant files his or her subscription agreement,
he or she shall elect to have payroll deductions made on each payday during the
Offering Period in an amount not exceeding ten percent (10%) of the Compensation
which he or she receives on each payday during the Offering Period, and the
aggregate of such payroll deductions during the Offering Period shall not exceed
ten percent (10%) of the participant's Compensation during said Offering Period.

        (b) All payroll deductions made for a participant shall be credited to
his or her account under the Plan and will be withheld in whole percentages
only. A participant may not make any additional payments into such account.

        (c) A participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan
as provided in paragraph 10, or may decrease, but not increase, the rate of his
or her payroll deductions during the Offering Period (within the limitations of
Section 6(a)) by completing and filing with the Company a new subscription
agreement authorizing a change in payroll deduction rate. The Board shall be
authorized to limit the number of participation rate changes during any Offering
Period. The change in rate shall be effective with the first full payroll period
following ten (10) business days after the Company's receipt of the new
subscription agreement or change in payroll deduction rate unless the Company
elects to process a given change in participation more quickly. A participant's
subscription agreement or change in payroll deduction rate shall remain in
effect for successive Offering Periods unless revised as provided herein or
terminated as provided in paragraph 10.

        (d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply
with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and paragraph 3(b) herein, a participant's
payroll deductions may be decreased to 0% during an Offering Period. Payroll
deductions shall recommence at the rate provided in such participant's
subscription agreement at the beginning of the first Offering Period which is
scheduled to end in the following calendar year, unless terminated by the
participant as provided in paragraph 10.

        (e) At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the
time some or all of the Company's Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed
of, the participant must make adequate provision for the Company's federal,
state, or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the
exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock. At any time, the
Company may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from the participant's
compensation the amount necessary for the Company to meet applicable withholding
obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company
any tax deductions or benefit attributable to sale or early disposition of
Common Stock purchased by the Employee under this Plan.

     7. Grant of Option.

        (a) On the Enrollment Date of each Offering Period, each eligible
Employee participating in such Offering Period shall be granted an option to
purchase on each Exercise Date during such Offering Period (at the per share
option price) up to a number of shares of the Company's Common Stock determined
by dividing such Employee's payroll deductions accumulated prior to such
Exercise Date and retained in the Participant's account as of the Exercise Date
by the lower of (i) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of a
share of the Company's Common Stock on the '

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Enrollment Date or (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of a
share of the Company's Common Stock on the Exercise Date; provided, however,
that the maximum number of shares an Employee may purchase during each Offering
Period shall be 750 Shares, subject to a pro rata adjustment upon a change in
the duration of a future Offering Period and subject to adjustment pursuant to
Section 18 below and provided further that such purchase shall be subject to the
limitations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 12 hereof. Exercise of the option
shall occur as provided in Section 8, unless the participant has withdrawn
pursuant to Section 10, and shall expire on the last day of the Offering Period.
Fair market value of a share of the Company's Common Stock shall be determined
as provided in Section 7(b) herein.

         (b) The option price per share of the shares offered in a given
Offering Period shall be the lower of: (i) 85% of the fair market value of a
share of the Common Stock of the Company on the Enrollment Date; or (ii) 85% of
the fair market value of a share of the Common Stock of the Company on the
Exercise Date. The fair market value of the Company's Common Stock on a given
date shall be the closing sale price of the Common Stock for such date, as
reported by the Nasdaq National Market, or, in the event the Common Stock is
listed on a stock exchange, the fair market value per share shall be the closing
price on such exchange on such date, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

     8.  Exercise of Option. Unless a participant withdraws from the Plan as
provided in paragraph 10 below, his or her option for the purchase of shares
will be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of
full shares subject to option shall be purchased for such participant at the
applicable option price with the accumulated payroll deductions in his or her
account. No fractional shares will be purchased and any payroll deductions
accumulated in a participant's account which are not sufficient to purchase a
full share shall be retained in the participant's account for the subsequent
Offering Period, as the Board or its committee shall determine, subject to an
earlier withdrawal by the participant as provided in paragraph 10. Any other
monies left over in a participant's account after an Exercise Date shall be
refunded to the participant. During a participant's lifetime, a participant's
option to purchase shares hereunder is exercisable only by him or her.

     9.  Delivery. As promptly as practicable after each Exercise Date on which
a purchase of shares occurs, the Company shall arrange the delivery to each
participant or deposit with the designated broker, as appropriate, of a
certificate representing the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her
option.

     10. Withdrawal; Termination of Employment.

         (a) A participant may withdraw all but not less than all the payroll
deductions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or
her option under the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Company.
All of the participant's payroll deductions credited to his or her account will
be paid to such participant promptly after receipt of notice of withdrawal and
such participant's option for the Offering Period will be automatically
terminated, and no further payroll deductions for the purchase of shares will be
made during the Offering Period. If a participant withdraws from an Offering
Period, payroll deductions will not resume at the beginning of the succeeding
Offering Period unless the participant delivers to the Company a new
subscription agreement.

         (b) Except as otherwise provided below, upon a participant's ceasing to
be an Employee for any reason or upon termination of a participant's employment
relationship (as described

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in Section 2(g)), the payroll deductions credited to such participant's account
during the Offering Period but not yet used to exercise the option will be
returned to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person
or persons entitled thereto under paragraph 14, and such participant's option
will be automatically terminated. In the event a participant's employment
terminates by reason of death within three (3) months of an Exercise Date, the
payroll deductions credited to the participant's account during the Offering
Period up to the date of death, but not yet used to exercise the option, will be
held in the participant's account and the maximum number of full shares subject
to such option shall be purchased for the participant's account on the Exercise
Date at the applicable option price. The shares purchased for the participant
will be issued to the person or persons entitled thereto under Section 14.

          (c) In the event an Employee fails to remain an Employee of the
Company for at least twenty (20) hours per week during an Offering Period in
which the Employee is a participant, he or she will be deemed to have elected to
withdraw from the Plan and the payroll deductions credited to his or her account
will be returned to such participant and such participant's option terminated.

          (d) A participant's withdrawal from an Offering Period will not have
any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan which
may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which
commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the participant
withdraws.

     11.  Interest. No interest shall accrue on the payroll deductions of a
participant in the Plan.

     12.  Stock.

          (a) The maximum number of shares of the Company's Common Stock which
shall be made available for sale under the Plan shall be 8,250,000 shares,
subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company as provided
in paragraph 18. If on a given Exercise Date the number of shares with respect
to which options are to be exercised exceeds the number of shares then available
under the Plan, the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares
remaining available for purchase in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable
and as it shall determine to be equitable.

          (b) The participant will have no interest or voting right in shares
covered by his option until such option has been exercised.

          (c) Shares to be delivered to a participant under the Plan will be
registered in the name of the participant or in the name of the participant and
his or her spouse.

     13.  Administration. The Plan shall be administered by the Board of the
Company or a committee of members of the Board appointed by the Board. The Board
or its committee shall have full and exclusive discretionary authority to
construe, interpret and apply the terms of the Plan, to determine eligibility
and to adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan. Every finding,
decision and determination made by the Board or its committee shall, to the full
extent permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties. Members of the
Board who are eligible Employees are permitted to participate in the Plan,
provided that:

          (a) Members of the Board who are eligible to participate in the Plan
may not vote on any matter affecting the administration of the Plan or the grant
of any option pursuant to the Plan.

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          (b) If a Committee is established to administer the Plan, no member of
the Board who is eligible to participate in the Plan may be a member of the
Committee.

     14.  Designation of Beneficiary.

          (a) A participant may designate a beneficiary by giving written notice
to the Company. Such beneficiary will receive any shares and cash, if any, from
the participant's account under the Plan in the event of such participant's
death within three (3) months of, or subsequent to, an Exercise Date on which
the option is exercised but prior to delivery to such participant of such shares
and cash. In addition, a participant may file a written designation of a
beneficiary who is to receive any shares and/or cash from the participant's
account under the Plan in the event of such participant's death prior to
exercise of the option.

          (b) Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant
at any time by written notice. In the event of the death of a participant and in
the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at
the time of such participant's death, the Company shall deliver such shares
and/or cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant,
or if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of
the Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares and/or
cash to the spouse or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the
participant, or if no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company,
then to such other person as the Company may designate.

     15.  Transferability. Neither payroll deductions credited to a
participant's account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or
to receive shares under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or
otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and
distribution or as provided in paragraph 14 hereof) by the participant. Any such
attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without
effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw
funds from an Offering Period in accordance with paragraph 10.

     16.  Use of Funds. All payroll deductions received or held by the Company
under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose, and the
Company shall not be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions.

     17.  Reports. Individual accounts will be maintained for each participant
in the Plan. Statements of account will be given to participating Employees at
least semi-annually, which statements will set forth the amounts of payroll
deductions, the per share purchase price, the number of shares purchased and the
remaining cash balance, if any.

     18.  Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization. Subject to any required
action by the shareholders of the Company, the Reserves, the maximum number of
shares that can be purchased by a participant during an offering period as set
forth in Section 7(a), as well as the price per share of Common Stock covered by
each option under the Plan which has not yet been exercised, shall be
proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued
shares of Common Stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock
dividend, combination or reclassification of the Common Stock, or any other
increase or decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock effected without
receipt of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of
any convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been
"effected without receipt of consideration." Such adjustment shall be made by
the Board, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and
conclusive. Except as expressly provided herein, no issue by the Company of

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shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of
any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with
respect to, the number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to an option.

          In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the
Company, the Offering Period will terminate immediately prior to the
consummation of such proposed action, unless otherwise provided by the Board. In
the event of a proposed sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the
Company, or the merger of the Company with or into another corporation, each
option under the Plan shall be assumed or an equivalent option shall be
substituted by such successor corporation or a parent or subsidiary of such
successor corporation, unless the Board determines, in the exercise of its sole
discretion and in lieu of such assumption or substitution, to shorten the
Offering Period then in progress by setting a new Exercise Date (the "New
Exercise Date"). If the Board shortens the Offering Period then in progress in
lieu of assumption or substitution in the event of a merger or sale of assets,
the Board shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten (10) days prior
to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for his option has been changed
to the New Exercise Date and that his option will be exercised automatically on
the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date he has withdrawn from the
Offering Period as provided in paragraph 10. For purposes of this paragraph, an
option granted under the Plan shall be deemed to be assumed if, following the
sale of assets or merger, the option confers the right to purchase, for each
share of option stock subject to the option immediately prior to the sale of
assets or merger, the consideration (whether stock, cash or other securities or
property) received in the sale of assets or merger by holders of Common Stock
for each share of Common Stock held on the effective date of the transaction
(and if such holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of
consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the
sale of assets or merger was not solely common stock of the successor
corporation or its parent (as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code), the Board
may, with the consent of the successor corporation and the participant, provide
for the consideration to be received upon exercise of the option to be solely
common stock of the successor corporation or its parent equal in fair market
value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock and the
sale of assets or merger.

          The Board may, if it so determines in the exercise of its sole
discretion, also make provision for adjusting the Reserves, as well as the price
per share of Common Stock covered by each outstanding option, in the event the
Company effects one or more reorganizations, recapitalizations, rights offerings
or other increases or reductions of shares of its outstanding Common Stock, and
in the event of the Company being consolidated with or merged into any other
corporation.

     19.  Amendment or Termination.

          (a)  The Board of Directors of the Company may at any time and for any
reason terminate or amend the Plan. Except as provided in paragraph 18, no such
termination can affect options previously granted, provided that an Offering
Period may be terminated by the Board of Directors on an Exercise Date or by the
Board's setting a new Exercise Date with respect to an Offering Period then in
progress if the Board determines that the termination of the Plan and/or the
Offering Period is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders or
if continuation of the Plan and/or the Offering Period would cause the Company
to incur adverse accounting charges as a result of a change in the generally
accepted accounting principles applicable to the Plan. Except as provided in
paragraph 18 and this paragraph 19, no amendment may make any change in any
option theretofore granted which adversely affects the rights of any
participant. To the extent necessary to comply with Rule 16b-3 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or under Section 423

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of the Code (or any successor rule or provision or any other applicable law or
regulation), the Company shall obtain shareholder approval in such a manner and
to such a degree as required.

          (b) Without shareholder consent and without regard to whether any
participant rights may be considered to have been "adversely affected," the
Board (or its committee) shall be entitled to change the Offering Periods, limit
the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering
Period, establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in a
currency other than U.S. dollars, permit payroll withholding in excess of the
amount designated by a participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in
the Company's processing of properly completed withholding elections, establish
reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting
procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock
for each participant properly correspond with amounts withheld from the
participant's Compensation, and establish such other limitations or procedures
as the Board (or its committee) determines in its sole discretion advisable
which are consistent with the Plan.

     20.  Notices. All notices or other communications by a participant to the
Company under or in connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly
given when received in the form specified by the Company at the location, or by
the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

     21.  Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares. Shares shall not be issued with
respect to an option unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and
delivery of such shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all applicable
provisions of law, domestic or foreign, including, without limitation, the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the requirements
of any stock exchange upon which the shares may then be listed, and shall be
further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such
compliance.

          As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require
the person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any
such exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and
without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the
opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any of
the aforementioned applicable provisions of law.

     22.  Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the earlier to
occur of its adoption by the Board of Directors or its approval by the
shareholders of the Company. It shall continue in effect for a term of twenty
(20) years unless sooner terminated under paragraph 19.<PAGE>

                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.4

                        ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
                        ANNUAL RETAINER COMPENSATION PLAN
                             FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
                             EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 1998

1.   Purpose of Plan.

     The purposes of this Plan are to attract and retain the best available
personnel for service as non-employee directors of Aspect Communications
Corporation (the "Company"), to encourage ownership of Company Stock by
non-employee directors, to provide financial incentive as a result of Company
performance to the non-employee directors of the Company who own Company stock
and to encourage their continued service on the Board of Directors of the
Company (the "Board").

2.   Term of Plan.

     The term of the Plan shall be ten (10) years with the initial one (1) year
period commencing on July 1, 1998 and ending on June 30, 1999 unless earlier
terminated by the Board (the "Term"), with any adjustments in the Plan and the
terms hereunder as may be approved by the Board over such term. The Plan relates
to the retainer fee payable to the members of the Board during each one year
period commencing on July 1 of each year from 1998 through 2007.

3.   Annual Retainer.

     A non-employee director shall be eligible for the annual retainer payable
quarterly under this Plan (the "Retainer") if he or she was serving as a
director on the first trading day after the end of each fiscal quarter during
the time that the Retainer Plan is in effect. The Retainer will be paid as soon
as practical thereafter. The dollar amount of the Retainer shall be determined
by the Board over the Term of the Plan in accordance with the authority granted
to the Board under the Company's Bylaws.

4.   Payment of Retainer in Shares in Lieu of Cash Compensation.

     With respect to the quarterly payments of the Retainer payable under this
Plan, each director, at his or her election, has the right to elect to accept
payment in fully vested shares of the Company's Common Stock equal to 50 or 100
percent of the Retainer. Each director must make this election for each
respective one (1) year period of the Plan on or before the date of the Annual
Meeting of the Company's shareholders preceding the beginning of the next
succeeding one-year period. The election shall be made on the form attached as
Exhibit A hereto. An individual who first becomes a non-employee director after
the effective date of the Plan shall make the election for his or her initial
period of service on the Board on or before the date on which he or she first
commences service as a director.

     The number of shares issued each quarter will equal the dollar amount of
the Retainer to be taken in shares, divided by 100 percent of the market value
of the shares on the first trading day after the end of each fiscal quarter for
which the Retainer is due. The market value shall be

<PAGE>

determined to be the closing sale price of the shares on the date payable as
reported by the Nasdaq National Market (or, if not so reported, as otherwise
reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
System), or in the event the Common Stock is listed on a stock exchange, the
market value shall be the closing sale price on such exchange on the payment
date. No fractional shares will be issued. The number of shares issued will be
rounded down to the nearest number of whole shares.

     In addition, in the event that the total number of shares reserved for
issuance hereunder shall be insufficient to allow the Company to issue the full
number of shares of Common Stock otherwise required pursuant to existing
elections made by participating directors to receive the Retainer in shares of
Common Stock, then the Company shall make a pro rata allocation among
participating directors of the shares of Common Stock available for issuance on
such date or dates upon which it would otherwise be required to issue such
shares and pay the remainder of the amount owed with respect to the Retainers in
cash (unless and until additional shares become available for grant hereunder).

     The shares will be issued in accordance with the instructions provided by
the director on the form attached as Exhibit A hereto.

     The sale or other transfer of the shares purchased by a director with a
part or all of his/her Retainer will be restricted for a period of six months
after the date of purchase. Notwithstanding the above, a director will be
allowed to transfer such shares within the restricted period to a family trust
established by the director or to a member of the director's immediate family,
provided, however, that any such transferee shall be subject to the same six
month restriction on sale or subsequent transfer of the shares.

     Shares of the Company's Common Stock to be issued to directors shall be
issued out of the Company's authorized but unissued shares. The number of shares
reserved for this purpose shall be 200,000 shares, to be increased
proportionately in the event of stock dividends or stock splits (or other
similar adjustments) or to be decreased proportionately in the event of a
combination of shares. The Board of Directors may increase or decrease the
number of shares reserved for this purpose, subject to approval of the Company's
shareholders as set forth below.

5.   Cash Incentive for Payment in Shares.

     As an inducement to a director to elect to accept payment of all or a
portion of his or her Retainer in shares of the Company's Common Stock so as to
increase a director's ownership of Company stock and to help defray a director's
tax liability with respect to the issuance of the shares, the Company will pay a
cash incentive to the directors electing payment in shares equal to 20 percent
of the Retainer. This incentive will be paid quarterly, in cash, at the time the
quarterly installment of the Retainer is payable in shares. The cash incentive
will be paid only with respect to issued shares and, in the event of a share
shortfall as described in Section 4 above, to the extent that the share portion
of a Retainer is instead paid in cash, the cash incentive will not be paid with
respect to any portion of the Retainer that is paid in cash.

                                       -2-

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6.   Policy on Purchase and Sale of Shares.

     As indicated above, the sale or other transfer of shares acquired in lieu
of payment of all or part of the Retainer is restricted for a period of six (6)
months after the shares are issued. Under current law, a director's acquisition
of shares in lieu of the cash payment of a retainer qualifies for an exemption
under Rule 16b-3(d)(i) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, therefore, is
not a "purchase" for purposes of Section 16(b) of that Act. Accordingly, it will
not be a violation of Section 16(b) if a director sells shares of Company stock
(regardless of the price at which such other shares are sold) within six (6)
months before or six (6) months after the director acquires shares pursuant to
this Plan. These laws are subject to change. The Company will amend the Plan as
necessary to comply with any changes in the law. A director shall be required to
comply with applicable law.

     For a complete statement of the Company's policy with respect to the
purchase and sale of Company shares, directors are referred to the full
statement of policy, which the Company has distributed separately to each of
them.

7.   Administration and Interpretation.

     This Plan will be administered and interpreted by the Board of Directors.
Issues arising under this Plan will be decided by the Board of Directors and its
decision will be final and binding on the Company and the directors. All stock
issuances shall be automatic and in accordance with the election filed by a
director. No person shall have any discretion to select which non-employee
directors can participate or to determine the number of shares to be issued to a
director, except as otherwise set forth in this Plan with respect to an
individual director's election to accept payment of his or her Retainer in
shares of the Company's Common Stock.

8.   Board Approval.

     The terms of this Compensation Plan shall become effective upon adoption by
the Board of Directors and shall continue in effect as set forth in Section 2.

9.   Shareholder Approval.

     Continuance of the Plan shall be subject to approval by the shareholders of
the Company. Such shareholder approval shall be obtained in the degree and
manner required under applicable state and federal law and the rules of any
stock exchange upon which the Common Stock is listed. No shares may be issued
under this Plan until such approval is obtained.

                                      -3-

<PAGE>

                                    EXHIBIT A

                        ASPECT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
                         Stock Administration Department
                    1310 Ridder Park Dr., San Jose, CA 95131
                         p) 408-325-2486 f) 408-325-2766

ELECTION TO RECEIVE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

Pursuant to the terms of the Aspect Communications Corporation Annual Retainer
Compensation Plan (the "Plan"), I elect to receive payment of ___________%
[indicate 0%, 50% or 100%] of my annual retainer for the period of July 1, 200__
- June 30, 200__ in shares of the Company's Common Stock.

I understand that I cannot revoke this election for the period indicated above.
I further understand that I must execute a new election for each subsequent year
under the Plan prior to the beginning of each one-year period as set forth in
the Plan document.

I understand that I can not dispose of shares issued under the Plan until six
months after the date of issuance.

If I elected above to receive part or all of my Retainer paid in stock, I hereby
direct Aspect to [check one]:

..    hold the shares in a book entry account until I give the Company a written
     request directing them to issue the shares.

..    issue the shares in my name or in the name of my family trust, as it
     appears below, and mail the certificate to the address indicated below:

                             Registration of Shares:

               ___________________________________________________

                Address where Stock Certificate should be Mailed:

               ___________________________________________________

               ___________________________________________________

               ___________________________________________________

               ___________________________________________________

Date: ______________________                  __________________________________
                                              Signature

                                              __________________________________
                                              Printed Name

Please return this form to Aspect's Stock Administration Department.

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