Best Western Standardizes on the KANA iCARE Suite to Provide Superior Customer Service and Reduce Costs.

Business/Technology Editors

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2002

World's Largest Hotel Chain Moves Customer Service to the Web with

KANA External-facing eCRM Solutions

KANA(R) (NASDAQ:KANA), the leading provider of external-facing eCRM solutions, today announced Best Western International, the world's largest hotel chain, has purchased a number of products from the KANA iCARE(TM) suite. These include KANA Contact Center(TM) software, KANA Connect(TM) software, and KANA Response(TM) software, which are designed to move customer service to the Web with a complete Web-architected, eCRM solution. The company has already deployed KANA Response to manage e-mail interaction within its help desk, reservations and Gold Crown Club for its international frequent travelers, providing improved customer service while reducing costs in its contact center.

Best Western required eCRM solutions that would enable guests to make reservations in real-time on the Web, allow Gold Crown Club members to quickly access information and request updates and allow customer service representatives to handle more customer requests in less time. Once the deployment of all of the KANA solutions is complete, every department within Best Western will be accessing and using KANA software, enabling Best Western to provide superior customer service at reduced costs.

"When we made the decision to invest in moving our customer service solution from call center to contact center, we knew KANA was the right choice," said Maureen Murphy-Kieffer, vice president of information services for Best Western. "With its Web-architected solution, KANA can easily scale to support our business as we continue to grow and Web-based interaction with customers continues to increase. We have already realized an enormous increase in customer satisfaction and benefits from KANA."

The KANA iCARE suite is the industry's only complete and fully integrated eCRM solution on the market today. A comprehensive enterprise software suite, KANA iCARE includes an ultra scalable contact center solution, the industry's leading in- and out-bound e-mail management system, a robust knowledge base for self- and assisted-service and sophisticated marketing and analytics.

KANA Response is the most effective and widely used e-mail management system in the world. It provides world-class agent-assisted service with fast, high volume, intelligent, automated e-mail, Web, and instant messaging request management. KANA Response enables Best Western to respond faster and more accurately to customer requests, both increasing customer satisfaction and agent productivity.

KANA Contact Center is a multi-channel customer service application for contact centers that provides complete request management, solution publishing, self-service capabilities and extranet workflow for complete, high-quality service at lower cost. With analytics integrated into the solution, KANA Contact Center optimizes the performance of a multi-channel contact center by dramatically improving agent efficiency and identifying the most profitable customer relationships.

KANA Connect enables the delivery of millions of personalized, dynamic, event-driven e-mail notifications, allowing Best Western to proactively communicate with its customers. KANA Connect turns operational communications into marketing opportunities by including targeted cross-sell, up-sell or other promotional offers, and through tight integration with KANA Response, provides a closed loop of communications with Best Western's customers.

"Standardizing on the KANA iCARE suite makes perfect sense for a company like Best Western that needs to engage international customers across multiple touch points," said Bud Michael, executive vice president of products and marketing for KANA. "With KANA's Web-architected solution, Best Western can ensure that customers have access to 24 hour service and faster response to inquiries, while reducing costs in its contact center."

Nearly 1,200 companies worldwide are using KANA next generation eCRM solutions to drive better relationships through effective, efficient interactions with customers at all points of contact (Web collaboration, phone, e-mail, live chat) and throughout the enterprise. The KANA approach to customer relationship management technology solutions combines sophisticated analytics with thin-client Web architecture to deliver extraordinary customer interactions that decrease costs and drive revenue.

About Best Western

Best Western International, Inc., is the world's largest hotel chain with more than 4,000 independently owned and operated hotels in 80 countries and territories.

About KANA

KANA (NASDAQ: KANA) provides the industry's leading external facing eCRM solutions to the largest businesses in the world, helping them to better service, market to, and understand their customers and partners, while improving results and decreasing costs in contact centers and marketing departments. Through comprehensive multi-channel customer relationship management that combines the best-in-class KANA iCARE Architecture with enterprise applications, KANA has become one of the fastest-growing providers of next generation eCRM technology. The company's customer-focused service, marketing and commerce software applications enable organizations to improve customer and partner relationships by enabling them to productively interact when, where and how they want - across all touch points, including web contact, web collaboration, e-mail, and telephone. KANA's global customer base includes Global 2000 organizations in the financial services, manufacturing, high technology, communications, retail and services markets. ADP, Chase, E*Trade, GAP, GM, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, Sony, United Airlines, Verizon, and Williams Sonoma are among the industry leaders that have implemented KANA's eCRM solutions. KANA has locations in 22 countries worldwide, in addition to an extensive global network of channel partners. For more information, please visit www.kana.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

Information in this release that involves KANA's financial forecasts, projections, expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include statements about KANA's expected profitability, cash flow, revenue, margins, expenses, growth and new business, its market position and its relationship with customers. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to KANA as of the date of the release, which may likely change, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the merger with Broadbase and integration of the companies; risks associated with lack of market acceptance of KANA's products or services; inability to enhance and develop our products and services within budget and on schedule; competition in our marketplace, including introduction of new products or services, or reductions in prices, by competitors; inability to attract and retain qualified employees, to manage cash and expenditures or to expand sales; inability to manage business in light of recent management changes and personnel reductions; KANA's history of losses; and trends and uncertainties slowing and uncertain economic conditions, particularly as they affect spending by our prospective customers on eCRM and similar enterprise software products. These and other factors are risks associated with our business that may affect our operating results are discussed in KANA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and registration statement on Form S-4.

NOTE: KANA is a registered trademark, and KANA Software, KANA iCARE, KANA Contact Center, KANA IQ, KANA ResponseIQ, KANA Response, KANA Marketing, KANA iCARE Analytics and the KANA logo are trademarks of KANA Software, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.