BOZEMAN, Mont., Jan. 10, 2005 -- RightNow(R) Technologies (Nasdaq: RNOW), a leading provider of on demand CRM software solutions, today announced that global publishing giant Reader's Digest Association has successfully implemented RightNow's on demand CRM technology to dramatically improve service quality and reduce operational costs.

Using RightNow's time-stamping and rules-based workflow automation, Reader's Digest is now able to reply to customer inquiries within one business day. In many cases, responses are sent out within 12 to 16 hours of receipt.

Reader's Digest initially implemented RightNow to replace an email management system based on IBM/Lotus Notes. Based on the success of that initial deployment, the company expanded the scope of its implementation to include email and the web.

As a fully web-based, on demand solution, RightNow offered Reader's Digest the ability to distribute shared CRM functionality to the partners it uses to support its various businesses. Reader's Digest can route customer questions based on factors such as topic, active workload and/or other factors -- allowing the company to make optimum use of both its internal and external resources.

In addition, RightNow's technology now enables Reader's Digest to answer tens of thousands of customer questions every month automatically via the web. This has resulted in a 50 percent reduction in the number of calls to the toll-free number posted on the site -- which, in turn, has reduced the company's costs.

Reader's Digest's success has been independently verified by the Customer Respect Group, which ranked the company among the highest in the publishing industry for the quality of its online customer service.

"RightNow's powerful web-based incident management capabilities make it an ideal solution for a distributed, high-volume operation like ours," John Delgado, customer care manager for Reader's Digest, said. "The savings we've achieved thus far have more than paid for our implementation."

Reader's Digest managers are also able to use the insights provided by RightNow's reporting tools to make more informed, customer-driven business decisions.

"The benefits of on demand CRM are evident in the way Reader's Digest has been able to create an extremely efficient, seamlessly integrated customer service environment," Sean Forbes, vice president of marketing and business development at RightNow, said. "Just as important, RightNow has enabled Reader's Digest to create this high-performance environment without having to invest a single penny in zero-ROI IT infrastructure or overhead."

About Reader's Digest:

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a $2.4 billion diversified publishing and direct-marketing corporation producing and distributing magazines, books, music, videos and other products. Reader's Digest does business in all parts of the world. Its flagship publication, Reader's Digest, is the world's most widely read magazine, reaching nearly 100 million readers worldwide each month. The company's business is administered in four groups: International, North America, Consumer Business Services and QSP.

About RightNow Technologies

RightNow (Nasdaq: RNOW) provides organizations with industry-leading on demand CRM solutions to build customer-focused businesses. RightNow's acclaimed technology, comprehensive services and commitment to customer success deliver high returns on investment for its customers. More than 1,100 organizations worldwide use RightNow solutions including British Airways, British Telecom, Cisco Systems, Continental Tire North America, The Dow Chemical Company, John Deere, Nikon and the Social Security Administration. Founded in 1997, RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, with additional offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For further information, please visit http://www.rightnow.com.

RightNow is a registered trademark of RightNow Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ is a registered trademark of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

All statements included in this press release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

The risks and uncertainties referred to above include, but are not limited to, risks associated with our business model, our past operating losses, possible fluctuations in our operating results and our rate of growth, interruptions or delays in our hosting operations, breaches of our security measures, our ability to expand, retain and motivate our employees and manage our growth, and our plans for new product releases. Further information on potential factors that could affect our financial results is included in our registration statement on Form S-1 and in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.

Web Site: http://www.rightnow.com