RightNow Helps Higher One to Double in Size, Efficiency While Service Agent Headcount Increased Only 40 Percent (email this article)

BOZEMAN, Mont., Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RightNow® Technologies (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies) (Nasdaq: RNOW - News) today announced Higher One has successfully increased both the efficiency and quality of its customer service operations while using RightNow Service(TM). As a result, the company has been able to double the size of its business and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, yet it has only needed to increase its customer service agent headcount during this period by 40 percent.

Higher One's financial services, which provide refund management services to higher education institutions and banking services to members of their community through a card-based solution, are used by more than a quarter-million students -- more than twice as many as a year ago. The company uses RightNow Service to manage customer support interactions across its phone, email and web self-service channels. This multi-channel approach allows the Company's agents to view a student's entire incident history on a single screen, providing the context necessary to solve problems more efficiently.

The self-service channel is particularly important to Higher One, because today's students have such a strong preference for doing business online. By taking advantage of RightNow's industry-leading self-service functionality -- which includes advanced knowledge base management technology and intuitive search features -- Higher One automatically answers students' questions via web self-service 96 percent of the time.

"RightNow Service empowers us to provide fast, accurate, and consistent answers to our customers at a low cost per interaction," Miles Lasater, COO of Higher One, said. "We can thus achieve both the loyalty we need to sustain continuous growth and the operational efficiency we need to maximize profitability."

RightNow's on demand delivery model has enabled Higher One to streamline its customer service operations without incurring the capital costs or ongoing technology ownership costs associated with the implementation of conventional enterprise contact center applications.

Higher One has also benefited from RightNow's innovative programs for promoting the success of its customers. These programs include Tune Ups, which provide free assessment and advice about system implementation, and the Customer Success Index, which helps RightNow customers determine whether they are getting maximum value out of their software investment.

"Successful CRM initiatives require both high-ROI technology and strong support from a committed partner with true value-added expertise and experience," Peter Dunning, president of field operations at RightNow, said. "RightNow is the only on demand CRM vendor consistently delivering these two essential success ingredients."

About Higher One
Focused exclusively on higher education, Higher One provides refund management services to higher education institutions and banking services to members of their community through a card-based solution. Higher One's integrated solution helps universities reduce administrative costs, streamline business processes, create new revenue streams, increase student customer service and strengthen the campus community. To date, Higher One has disbursed half a billion dollars in refunds for its university clients. More than 250,000 students, faculty, and staff at distinguished public and private universities use Higher One's services through their ID or refund card.

About RightNow Technologies, Inc.
RightNow (Nasdaq: RNOW - News) 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 1,300 organizations worldwide use RightNow solutions including British Airways, British Telecom, Cisco Systems, Continental Tire North America, 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 www.rightnow.com.

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