Primus Knowledge Solutions Receives Strong Positive Rating in Research Firm's 1H04 MarketScope for Email Response Management Systems -- ERMS.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2004

Primus Knowledge Solutions (Nasdaq:PKSI) today announced that it received a "Strong Positive" rating in Gartner's recently published Email Response Management Systems (ERMS), 1H04 MarketScope Report.(1)

Primus also received a "Strong Positive" rating in Gartner's 1H04 MarketScope for Web Self-Service. To view either the Self-Service or the ERMS MarketScopes that include Primus, go to www.primus.com/resourcecenter/analystreports.

Gartner's ERMS MarketScope provides an assessment of the current market and the vendors serving the market on behalf of enterprises looking to deploy ERMS solutions, or those looking to upgrade their deployments. Gartner notes that email enjoyed a great rate of success during the Internet era of the late 1990s, when email was thought to be the next medium of communication. Recently, email saw a resurgence driven by an up tick in end-user adoption of email as a communication channel.

"We are extremely pleased to receive a "Strong Positive" rating in Gartner's ERMS MarketScope," said Michael Brochu, president and CEO of Primus. "Email is a vital part of today's business infrastructure and a critical channel to communicate with customers. Primus will continue to drive the standard for eService interaction with our best-of-breed approach for communication and knowledge management solutions."

What the Ratings Represent

Primus received a "Strong Positive" rating, the highest evaluation on a scale that ranges from Strong Positive to Strong Negative. Gartner defines "Strong Positive" as a vendor who is a solid provider of strategic products, services or solutions. Gartner advises potential customers to consider this vendor a strong strategic choice, and recommends that current customers continue investment with "Strong Positive" vendors.(2)

1H04 ERMS Evaluation Criteria

For the 1H04 MarketScope, each ERMS vendor was assessed based on the following criteria:(3)

-- Basic ERMS: includes logging and tracking of email workflow

and routing engines, and auto reply -- the ability to

acknowledge receipt of email.

-- Advanced ERMS: includes advanced functions as autosuggest and

auto respond; vendors can support one or more of these

functions.

-- Leverage: should enhance already-established systems by adding

one more channel, leveraging what is already there.

-- Knowledge and Content Management: for automation to work,

knowledge management (KM) and content management (CM) are the

essential functions; vendors should implement processes for KM

and CM or allow enterprises to tap into existing

knowledgebases or KM and CM systems.

-- Expandability: one of the critical elements for selecting an

ERMS solution is expandability; vendors with solutions that

allow for easy and methodical expandability received higher

scores.

-- Open Architecture: ERMS systems should not be standalone 

solutions; they must be integrated as part of a complete

multi-channel customer service solution. ERMS solutions must

rely on architectures that make them open for mandates of a

customer interaction hub (CIH).

-- Mind share: reflects the current momentum and future presence

of a vendor in the market, including visibility and corporate

viability.

About Primus Visibility

Primus(R) Visibility is a robust platform for multi-channel communications that provides routing, response, and management functions. With Primus software, customer service agents are able to efficiently respond to electronic customer service inquiries via Web form, email, fax and letter. For more information about Primus' solutions, go to www.primus.com/solutions.

About the Gartner MarketScope

The MarketScope is copyrighted 2004 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. The MarketScope is intended solely as a research tool. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose

About Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

Primus Knowledge Solutions (Nasdaq:PKSI) develops award-winning software that enables companies to provide a superior customer experience via contact centers, help desks, Web self-service, and electronic communication channels. Primus technology powers every interaction with knowledge to increase customer satisfaction and reduce operational costs. The company continues to receive industry accolades for its robust product suite. In 2003, Primus received the STAR Award for "Best Support Technology Vendor" from the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), was recognized for its trend-setting products and named one of the "100 Companies that Matter in Knowledge Management" by KMWorld magazine, and received the CRM Excellence Award from the editors of Customer Interaction Solutions magazine. Global organizations such as Allied Irish Bank, The Boeing Company, CompuCom, EMC, Ericsson, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Inc., IBM, Eastman Kodak Co., HSBC, Orange, Motorola, 3Com, and T-Mobile rely on Primus technology to enhance their customer service and support initiatives. Visit www.primus.com for more information.

Primus, Primus Knowledge Solutions, Primus Answer Engine, Primus eServer, Primus eSupport and Primus eServer iView are registered trademarks or service marks of Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. Other products and company names mentioned in this press release may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Any statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts, such as statements about the integration, performance, use, and deployment of Primus products and the anticipated results, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There is no guarantee that these results will actually occur. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on current expectations, are not guarantees of future performance, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include the following: difficulties encountered in the integration, deployment, or implementation of the Primus products and customer's systems; failure in the customer's widespread adoption and use of the Primus products; quality of the customer's database of solutions; fluctuations in customer demand; use of the Web as a delivery vehicle for customer support or eCRM solutions; risk resulting from new product introductions and customer acceptance of new products; rapid technological change; the risks associated with competition and the rapid consolidation of competitors; continued growth in the use of the Internet; the ability of Primus to manage its growth and integration efforts and the ability of Primus to compete successfully in the future, as well as other risks identified in Primus' Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, those appearing under the caption "Factors Affecting our Future Operating Results" in Primus' Report on 10-K filed in March of 2003 and Forms 10-Q filed in May, August and November of 2003. The extent of return on investment of Primus products is specific to our customer's experience.

(1) MarketScope: E-Mail Response Management Systems, 1HO4, authored by Gartner, Inc.'s Esteban Kolsky, March 1, 2004

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.