Sprint - Keeps Me Ahead

Telenav Track and Sprint Help National Technology Deployment and Installation Company Improve Communication and Efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:23:00 +0000

SITUATION

Federated Service Solutions is the fastest growing national provider of technology installation services for the retail, banking and financial services industries. The company’s field service operations include 90 technicians who provide wiring and cabling services for Internet, phone, CCTV and security systems for some of the nation’s largest retailers.

CHALLENGE

Before implementing TeleNav Track, Federated Service Solutions had to rely on technicians’ personal wireless phones to contact them with job details and identify their whereabouts. This made the company liable for wireless phone charges, made monitoring their locations inefficient, and provided no paperless solution to communicate job details or track technicians’ hours. The company also had no way to get up-to-date job status information, compromising their ability to respond to customer inquiries and delaying notification of job completions.

SOLUTION

Federated Service Solutions turned to TeleNav Track to improve communication with technicians. With the GPS technology offered by TeleNav Track, dispatchers can log onto a Web site for technicians’ exact, real-time whereabouts. The system also enables dispatchers to transmit complete job details to technicians, ensure technicians are clocking in and out, and review complete, up-todate status information. Technicians also use the system’s navigation functions to get driving directions, which allows them to reduce their time on the road. Company executives appreciate other benefits including saving time on work orders, having clear, accurate evidence of hours worked, and saving money on fuel and vehicle wear and tear.

RESULTS

“We are very happy with TeleNav Track,” said Jennifer Ferris, Corporate Operations Analyst of Federated Service Solutions. “We like the fact that we can find out where technicians are at any time. It’s a big customer service benefit.” Ferris also appreciates that they can monitor technicians’ hours and revise customer estimates if necessary, benefiting the company’s bottom line. “Before TeleNav Track, we would only get a rough estimate of the hours technicians worked. Now we have factual evidence of technicians’ hours and can change the costs invoiced to the customer if we need to,” said Ferris. Federated Service Solutions employees are exceptionally satisfied with the system. “As with any system, it took time to get used to it,” said Ferris. “But now that they realize all the benefits the system provides, they welcome the change.”

Overnite Express Delivers Competitive Advantage with Sprint Palm® Treo™ Smartphones Protected by OtterBox Cases

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:38:00 +0000

Case Overview

Overnite Express is a regional express carrier serving California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. Having grown to almost two million deliveries annually, the company sought an innovative and robust solution to replace its existing dispatch and delivery technology. The customized Palm® Treo™ smartphone solution gives Overnite Express the distinction of being the first express carrier to visually record the location of a delivery.

Using Palm smartphones powered by Windows Mobile® and enclosed in rugged OtterBox cases, drivers have an interactive, durable solution to scan bar codes, capture electronic signatures, and immediately transmit photos and other delivery information to the company's website right through the case. The time-saving solution gives Overnite Express a competitive advantage and a projected annual savings of $30,000 in equipment alone.

Challenge: Upgrade delivery solution with durable, cost-effective tools

Steep demand for its express delivery services has helped fuel the growth of Overnite Express. With deliveries at close to two million and growing, the company needed to reengineer its dispatch and delivery technology. Overnite Express sought to build a solution which would set it apart from its well-known competitors.

The company faced:
-- A scanner which took up to 6 seconds per scan and did not prevent drivers from loading the wrong packages onto their trucks.
-- A proof of delivery (POD) component which required drivers to manually key in recipient's name.
-- Paper manifests of recipient's signatures; retrieving POD's required employees to dig through file boxes.
-- Fragile delivery devices that were expensive to replace.

Solution: Innovative custom applications for dispatch & delivery

According to Shane Lougheed, Overnite Express' VP of Systems and Technology, "We were looking for a way to stand out in a competitive market, so we thought about how cool it would be to take a picture of deliveries that were left without a signature." Overnite Express chose Treo smartphones, combined with protective OtterBox cases and integrated Socket scanners. The smartphones, running Windows Mobile, directly connect to the company's Microsoft® Exchange Server.

The solution includes:
-- Treo smartphones with embedded cameras to photograph packages left on the doorstep when signature is not available.
-- Custom dispatch and delivery applications built using Microsoft ASP.NET.
-- Protective device covers from OtterBox built to survive the rugged delivery environment.
-- Socket scanners and a fool-proof interface speeds scanning time and prevents drivers from loading packages outside their delivery area.
-- Electronic signature capture, transmitted in near real-time to the dispatch system for customer access.

Benefits: Cost-effective solution provides competitive advantage

Overnite Express' innovative solution is improving efficiency, lowering costs, and increasing the quality of service. With over 200 drivers using the solution, shaving up to 5 seconds off of every scan represents a considerable labor savings. Furthermore, Overnite Express stands apart from their competitors as the only delivery company to provide visual evidence of a delivery when there's no signature verification.

Other benefits include:
-- Near real-time communication of delivery information, available via email or the company's website, provides customers with immediate updates.
-- Custom solution provides drivers with delivery instructions, significantly reducing delays.
-- Estimated annual device replacement savings of $30,000, based on industry standard 10-15% damage rate.
-- Devices connect to Exchange Server 2007 for more secure access to delivery information.

As an added benefit, drivers have eagerly embraced the new solution. "Drivers feel empowered by having the devices. If there's any discrepancy about whether a delivery was made, the Treo lets the drivers prove that they did their job. They have a photo of the package, placed neatly at the front door, right next to the recipient's potted plant on the front porch," said Lougheed.

Agilis and Sprint Help HVAC Company Save $2M Annually

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:30:00 +0000

“Field Technicians now have all the information they need right at their fingertips such as customer address, job details, and pricing. Information is in real time and is very accurate. We have seen amazing results with Agilis.”

- John Barbahen, Programmer Analyst,
Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning

COMPANY OVERVIEW
Four Seasons Heating & Air Conditioning of Chicago is the country’s largest privately owned HVAC company. They are the largest independent Lennox Dealer in the United States.

CHALLENGE
During the air conditioning and heating seasons, Four Seasons can be hit with over a thousand service calls a day. These surges in service calls caused many problems such as inefficient work order dispatch, delayed field updates, excess paperwork in the field, and held up invoicing as much as 3 weeks from the time of service. Multiple calls had to be made to the service technicians to inform them of changes or updates to work orders. Paperwork that was filled out in the field took days or weeks to be hand entered into their back office system. Prior to engaging with Agilis Systems, Four Seasons had tried three other Mobile Resource Management applications without success.

SOLUTION
Four Seasons integrated its existing back office AS/400 application with Agilis to create a seamless solution for its mobile workers and office staff. The entire integration took only 5 days. Four Seasons created multiple forms using SmartFORMSTM for its Sales & Service/Repair departments eliminating the need for paperwork in the field. These customizable forms help capture current data in the field on their Palm Treo 700Wx. The information is transmitted in real-time back to their office where it is integrated into their billing system. Sales orders are also captured by the sales people via SmartFORMS for faster order processing.

RESULTS
Four Seasons has seen outstanding results after integrating with Agilis Systems. They have decreased their time in obtaining data from the field into the office by over 4 days. Due to real-time transfer of data, the process is now instantaneous. They have improved their billing cycle on average by 1 week. Now invoices go out the next day and cash flow has increased tremendously. They have reduced operational costs at the office and increased productivity in the field by reducing the time spent filling out paperwork. They have an estimated annual savings of $2,000,000.

Xora and Sprint Save City of Chicago $3M

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:08:00 +0000

"We now have a visual representation of CDOT field activities, as they happen, that simply was not possible before Xora GPS TimeTrack™ was implemented. The combination of new procedures for field operations management and Xora GPS TimeTrack has been a significant improvement in response times to 311 requests and a savings to the city of more than $3M for pothole-related incidents alone. Generally speaking, CDOT field staff is more accountable, efficient and productive, and managers are making decisions faster and more accurately, thanks to Xora."

— Brian Steele, spokesperson for the City of Chicago Department of Transportation

BACKGROUND
The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is responsible for city street, alley, sidewalk curb and gutter construction; bridge maintenance; public way inspections; signs and pavement markings; planter and median maintenance; bicycle and pedestrian programs; and ground transportation planning. Several dozens CDOT office and field staff respond daily to service requests that come in through the city’s 311 non-emergency services center. CDOT would like to improve customer service; reduce liabilities; and gain better insight into their field workers’ daily activities and locations.

SITUATION
In 2007, CDOT responded to 39,203 service requests, up from 24,157 in 2006. Faced with the increased volume of citizens calling 311, CDOT needed a more efficient solution for managing field staff. The primary method of tracking and dispatching field staff was calling their cell phones or waiting for them to return to the office. CDOT did not have a way of locating field staff and had difficulty responding quickly to 311 calls.

SOLUTION
As part of operations reorganization, CDOT began using GPS TimeTrack, a software application that runs on GPS-enabled mobile phones carried by 480 CDOT foremen and more than 80 consultants, who use the application to record timesheet and job status information from the field. Meanwhile, office staff can access web-based maps and business reports that show the locations and job activities of field staff throughout the day.

In addition to using the Shift Start and Shift End functions, CDOT hot-asphalt workers are using the “Job Start” and “Job End” to indicate when they arrive at and depart from the job. CDOT now knows precisely how long it is taking each team to load and unload their trucks. They are also piloting a project that will allow public way inspectors to record the specific task they are
performing and what is the task’s outcome.

RESULTS
Since deploying GPS TimeTrack, CDOT has dramatically improved customer service by responding to 311 requests more quickly. For example, the number of days to respond to citizen calls to fill potholes has been reduced from 20 days to 3 days. As a result, the city has seen its liability costs for pothole-related incidents reduced from $4M to $600K.

BlackBerry Solution Takes Work Out of Paperwork

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:03:00 +0000

"The ExpeData solution on the BlackBerry smartphone is saving our field personnel time and our office administrators can process work we’ve completed much faster."
- DominicD’Arpino, Project Applications Manager

COMPANY
OrthoRehab, Specialty Rehab Services by Otto Bock is a leading provider of specialty rehabilitation products and services including continuous passive motion devices, orthopedic bracing and other therapies.

CHALLENGE
Otto Bock wanted to automate the way field service technicians were completing paperwork while with patients. Handwritten documents were being faxed or delivered to the company, slowing down the efficiency of Otto Bock’s billing cycle and causing extra administrative effort.

SOLUTION
The company had been using the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution for three years. Their Sprint Nextel representative suggested they build on it with the ExpeData Digital Writing System. Using the application on their BlackBerry® smartphones, patient information and signatures are electronically captured and sent wirelessly over the Sprint Nextel network to company databases.

RESULTS
• Faster billing cycle
• Reduces administrative workload
• Saves time for field personnel
• No disruption to existing work process

Full Case Study: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/newsroom/success/ottobock.jsp

Landscape Company Sees $41k Increase in Revenues with Sprint and Xora GPS Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:43:00 +0000

“ Measuring job costs and time billed down to the quarter hour is no longer enough. We needed a system that would enable us to track time down to the minute. We also wanted to cut down on time spent traveling between sites, so more customers could be serviced each day. Xora helps us to do both and plenty more. It is the backbone of our strategy to automate critical business processes.” — Nate Sandstedt, CFO at Landscape Design Services

CHALLENGE
Reduce liability issues and improve the processes of routing drivers, assigning new orders and responding to unscheduled orders.

SITUATION
Founded in 1968, Landscape Design Services is the largest full-service landscaping company in Western Michigan. The company employs over 125 professionals delivering landscape architecture, construction, and maintenance services to residential and commercial customers. Landscape services, like other professional service markets, is an industry focused around time and materials. A service provider’s ability to minimize costs and maximize profits depends on how it operates. With its thriving reputation, Landscape Design Services wants to continue to stay ahead of its competition by streamlining their business.

SOLUTION
Landscape Design Services began using GPS TimeTrack™, a mobile location workforce management solution from Xora, Inc. GPS TimeTrack runs on GPS enabled cell phones. Using the phone, field staff can punch in and out and record job statuses.

Data captured by the system is available in real-time over the Internet in the form of maps and reports. Because the phones are equipped with GPS receivers, Landscape Design Services' managers can track what its field staff is doing throughout the day, as well as where they are at any given moment.

As a result, managers know precisely how many hours each employee worked, the travel time between jobs, and how long it took to complete each customer assignment. This helps management accurately calculate payroll and to estimate the cost of existing and future jobs, which assists in the job bidding process.

Also, if an unscheduled order comes through, managers can quickly check the web-based maps and effectively dispatch the appropriate field workers to the job.

RESULTS
-- Landscape Designs is serving approximately 300 customers per week, as opposed to 250 before GPS TimeTrack was implemented; which translates to a $41,000 increase in annual revenues.

-- Field workers are spending 50% less time on overhead-related tasks, such as paperwork.

-- Increased accuracy of job estimates.

Reactrix Media Powered by Sprint and Sierra Wireless

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:16:00 +0000

“The Reactrix wireless solution is critical in building out our media network,” explained Reactrix’s Michael Harshfield, Sr. Director/VP, Customer Care & Supply Chain. “The Raven-E modems, coupled with AceNet software, allow us to see our installed systems right away; we can monitor, pull interactivity data and communicate with a system to change content immediately – making each system fully operational and able to generate revenue from day one.”

COMPANY OVERVIEW
Reactrix Systems, Inc., headquartered in Redwood City, CA, develops and markets innovative media solutions for advertising, retail, event and entertainment applications appearing in a variety of venues, including malls, movie theaters, office buildings, transportations centers and entertainment complexes. By combining digital image projection and visioning technologies, the company’s media system projects vivid, interactive, branded images that instantly respond to people who walk by or gesture over the display area, creating an immersive media experience that makes floors, walls and tabletops ‘come to life’. Today’s Reactrix Media Network has a monthly reach exceeding 100 million people in the top 25 US markets.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
High-tech marketing firm Reactrix has technology that allows the company to project 6’ x 8’ advertising images onto the floors of public spaces in 30-second or 45-second increments. Consumers step on the images to interact with the ads, taking actions such as kicking a virtual ball, which then changes direction.

A turnkey Reactrix installation consists of a video projector, processor and visioning unit, mounting frame and a standard 6’ x 8’ display surface. Once installation is complete, advertising content is fed to the projectors and refreshed approximately every four weeks.

Originally relying on DSL or cable for their broadband connections, Reactrix was often forced to wait up to six weeks before installed units were visible on their network. This delay frequently led to a costly and time consuming process where field technicians were required to manually upload content directly to the system. Furthermore, Reactrix was dependent on customers to communicate equipment or content issues, as Reactrix had no way to monitor their systems to prevent downtime and possible loss of advertising revenue.

As their customer base grew, Reactrix began to see interest in their projection systems from suburban locations, where DSL and cable were not yet available. Due to the high cost of satellite service and lack of availability of high-speed landline connections, the best solution was to use affordable and ubiquitous 3G broadband cellular data connectivity.

AirLink SOLUTION
Reactrix needed a simple solution that allowed immediate connection to installed systems to enable content changes on-the-fly. Originally, their wireless solution came in the form of Sierra Wireless’ AirLink Raven Ethernet (Raven-E) intelligent wireless modem coupled with AceNet monitoring and maintenance software used on Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. 0 network.

As an innovative company, Reactrix is always interested in staying ahead of the technology curve. Therefore, as EV-DO Rev. A began to rollout in 2006, they decided to take advantage of the faster data transfer rates offered by the latest 3G technology. To realize these benefits, Reactrix turned to Sierra’s new X Platform networking devices, supporting EV-DO Rev A. The Raven X offers increased processing power and expanded memory and, like the Raven-E, is powered by ALEOS™ embedded intelligence, enabling remote configuration, packet-level diagnostics and network session persistence. The common platform of ALEOS allows a homogeneous use of Raven-E modems with Raven X modems without the need to change any parameters of connected systems.

Sierra brought in Feeney Wireless, a value-added distributor, to help Reactrix increase the efficiency and scalability of their solution. Feeney Wireless offered comprehensive integration support and helped Reactrix configure their solution for optimal efficiency. Feeney also provided Reactrix with coverage boosting accessories, such as antennae and custom cabling, and created kits for maintenance teams to test for coverage and signal strength at projection sites.

While Reactrix’s sensing and projection software are the brains behind their advertising system, it’s Sierra’s embedded operating system, ALEOS – the longstanding industry benchmark for reliable and feature-rich intelligence – that enables the quick deployment and management of the solution. ALEOS simplifies installation, operation and maintenance of any solution and provides the “always-on” and “always-aware” connection management required for unmanned applications. To harness the strength of ALEOS, Reactrix deployed AceNet, Sierra Wireless’ enterprise grade one-to-many monitoring and configuration tool. Tightly integrated with ALEOS, AceNet enables Reactrix to remotely monitor, control and manage each of their AirLink devices, greatly reducing the frequency of service calls.

Reactrix is now equipped with 24/7 monitoring through almost 200 Raven-E and Raven X devices implemented across their nationwide network. With AceNet, all of these modems can be monitored and configured on one worksheet, and instead of reacting to problems after being alerted by their customers, Reactrix can now proactively detect issues and fix them remotely or dispatch a field technician as necessary.

In addition to the simplicity provided by utilizing a single cellular resource instead of multiple regional cable/DSL providers, Reactrix benefits from immediate connection to newly installed systems. By eliminating the wait-time for a DSL or cable provider connection, Reactrix has reduced their solution deployment time from six weeks to just several hours, allowing them to start generating ad revenue right away. All connected projection systems are controlled from a central location, enabling Reactrix to refresh content anywhere on the network from their headquarters.

RESULTS
Reactrix’s wireless solution has provided the quick activation and content management capabilities needed to boost the potency of their media network. And with the demonstrated performance increases in speed and throughput, Reactrix plans to migrate all Raven-E modems to the Raven X platform that supports EV-DO Rev. A. Additionally, the wireless solution offers Reactrix new system monitoring capabilities that allow the company to record important interactivity metrics to use as an ROI sales tool to build their network of advertisers.

The Reactrix Systems solution deployment using AirLink’s Raven X and Raven-E network devices and the AceNet monitoring tool on Sprint’s cellular network produced the following improvements:

• Shortened cycle from installation to revenue-generation, enabling immediate monetization of the site, which translates to approximately $2,000 in increased revenue per installation.

• Eliminated wires, enabling a more portable solution and allowing equipment to easily be deployed for short-term opportunities (i.e., trade shows, special events, etc.). Special event installation costs have been reduced by approximately $1,000 per event (the cost of leasing DSL lines).

• Minimized potential revenue loss from downtime by cutting problem resolution time by 50% through remote monitoring and management capabilities offered by ALEOS embedded technology and AceNet software.

• Decreased cost of installation by eliminating need for landline connection to Reactrix equipment. Historically the most costly and time consuming part of the solution, the installation process has been reduced from weeks to hours and has translated into a cost savings of $2,000 per installation.

• Eliminated a dependency on DSL and cable by leveraging the CDMA nationwide footprint, allowing Reactrix to avoid landline installation costs and increase the size of their potential market to areas where DSL and cable are not available.

• Simplified service provider network with single connectivity provider.

• Improved relationships with customers through proactive system fixes and ability to support quick content changes.

• Provided measurable statistics for Reactrix to use as advertising sales tool.

ABOUT AirLink
AirLink Communications, founded in 1993 and acquired by Sierra Wireless in 2007, delivers award winning wireless data solutions that enable pervasive connectivity to fixed, portable and mobile assets. Its continued industry leadership is based on a proven ability to make wireless data solutions work. Powered by the robust embedded intelligence of ALEOSTM technology, AirLink's multi-tiered product suite is versatile, reliable and broadly certified on major wireless networks throughout North America making AirLink solutions ideal for a vast range of applications. These devices, together with AirLink's comprehensive set of best-in-class tools and utilities, and exceptionally strong working relationships with network operators, integrators and application providers, simplify the deployment and management of complex wireless solutions.

ZoomSystems Retailer Relies on Sprint and Sierra Wireless for High Speed Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:48:00 +0000

ZoomSystems, based in San Francisco, CA, develops automated stores that provide consumers an interactive retail experience. The stores enable brand leaders, such as Sony, Proactiv Solution, Motorola and Jonhson&Johnson to have high visibility at a fraction of the cost of traditional billboard advertising. ZoomSystems’ nationwide network consists of more than 300 automated stores in high-traffic locations, such as airports, malls and hotels.

A ZoomSystems small-format robotic store measures about 40 square feet and provides retailers the ability to generate revenue without the overhead costs, such as employee compensation, included in a brick and mortar store. Additionally, an automated store is dedicated to a single brand, thereby eliminating competition for shelf space and consumer attention.

The consumer experience begins upon first viewing this ‘state-of-the-art’ robotic store, where product is prominently displayed in a well-lit environment behind shatter-proof glass. A touch screen delivers an experience similar to online shopping, where customers view product photos and retrieve product and brand information. This touch screen also provides the consumer with the company’s 30-day return policy and Frequently Asked Questions about their purchase experience. Once the consumer has made a selection through the touch screen, he is instructed to swipe his credit or debit card. The product is then retrieved from its position via robotic arm that carefully delivers the product directly to the consumer. Patented optical technology ensures that the product has been delivered prior to the customer’s credit or debit card being charged. Additionally, the entire store network is monitored with proprietary software 24 hours/day.

ZoomSystems has been experiencing a major growth spurt as retailers and brand leaders begin to embrace the company’s automated store concept. Airports, for example experience massive foot traffic and encourage consumers to make impulsive purchases. The captivity of an airport audience is a significant factor in the success of these automated store locations.

BUSINESS PROBLEM
By far the most expensive part of the automated store installation process is pulling Ethernet cable. Costs range from $1,000 - $5,000 to hardwire a location, and in some areas landlines are not even an option. In addition, airport facilities present vendors with a lot of “red tape”, which causes immense administrative burdens.

For instance, when installing DSL into airport locations, ZoomSystems was required to use approved airport contractors instead of being able to bid for a lower cost option. In addition, if any drilling or construction was necessary, the company was required to work with the airport’s environmental department. This process included inspections for hazardous materials, which can drastically increase the lead time for installing a ZoomSystems store.

SIERRA WIRELESS AirLink™ SOLUTION
In order to alleviate the cost and time required to install DSL, ZoomSystems turned to digital cellular connectivity - Sprint’s 3G EV-DO wireless network. The leading cellular provider referred ZoomSystems to Sprint’s valued partner, Sierra Wireless, to complete the wireless solution. This consists of Sierra Wireless’ AirLink Raven Ethernet (Raven-E) intelligent wireless modem running on Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. 0 network. The Raven-E is powered by ALEOS™ embedded intelligence, enabling remote configuration, packet-level diagnostics and reliable network session persistence.

With wireless, ZoomSystems’ automated stores are “plug & play”. Installation time has decreased by up to two months with cost-savings of $1,000 - $5,000 by eliminating the expense required to pull cable. With robust wireless signals found in airports across the country and the greater bandwidth and faster data transfer rates offered by the latest 3G technology, ZoomSystems has found its wireless installations to provide the mission critical uptime required to run its automated stores. ALEOS’ ability to establish and maintain a network connection is of vital importance for ZoomSystems, giving them the peace of mind that their stores are always on-line. In addition, ALEOS enabled a seamless integration with ZoomSystems’ proprietary software, providing the company the ability to proactively detect issues and fix them remotely or dispatch a field technician as necessary.

“We are a 24/7 retailer, so uptime is crucial,” explained Matt Moses, VP, Operations at ZoomSystems. “We were skeptical that wireless could manage the speed and load size requirements for our application, but the performance and uptime have been no different than with our hardwired network locations.”

Another issue that often comes up in airport locations is the requirement to move an automated store to accommodate construction or optimize foot traffic when flow patterns are altered. Wireless connectivity makes the ZoomSystems stores highly portable, allowing the network connection to move with the store without requiring the movement of cable.

ZoomSystems is also equipped with 24/7 monitoring through almost 100 Raven-E devices, with wireless connectivity used at about one-third of automated store locations.

Enabling consumer interaction while easing the purchase process through automation is changing the way brands reach their customers. ZoomSystems’ solution is evidence of how the current and future generations of wireless technologies enable innovative retail applications that deliver methods to simplify the consumer’s purchase decision and transaction. By taking advantage of flexible, high speed data, retailers can increasingly improve the customer interface and interactive tools necessary to meet the changing needs and habits of their customers.

TANGIBLE RESULTS
The ZoomSystems solution deployment using AirLink’s Raven-E network devices on Sprint’s EV-DO cellular network produced the following improvements:

-- Eliminated a dependency on DSL by leveraging the CDMA nationwide footprint, allowing ZoomSystems to avoid landline installation costs and increase the size of their potential market to areas where DSL is not available.
-- Improved relationships with customers through proactive system fixes.
-- Enabled real-time, remote monitoring of the Raven-E modems with embedded ALEOS technology.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The financial impact of ZoomSystems’ 3G solution encompassed both increased market reach and cost reductions. The solution:

-- Shortened cycle from installation to revenue-generation, enabling immediate monetization of the site.
-- Eliminated wires, enabling a more portable solution and allowing equipment to easily be deployed for short-term opportunities (i.e., trade shows, special events, etc.). Special event installation costs have been reduced by eliminating the cost of leasing DSL lines.
-- Decreased cost of installation by eliminating need for landline connection to ZoomSystems stores. Historically the most costly and time-consuming part of the solution, the installation process has been reduced by up to two months and has translated into a cost savings of $1,000 - $5,000 per installation.

Sprint and Aircell Partner to Provide High Speed Internet While in Flight

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Aircell, a Chicago-area company specializing in airborne communications for commercial airlines, and Sprint have partnered to provide high speed internet to airline passengers. A new division of Aircell allows airline passengers to surf the web, e-mail and log into their office network while in flight at a cost similar to ground-based hot spots.

As each commercial airline (such as Virgin or American Airlines) uses Aircell’s service, a Sprint Sierra 5725 air card will be activated for airline staff to download operational and network data on the performance of the Aircell network while the plane is airborne. The Sierra air card also enables Aircell employees to download any software to the Aircell system while the aircraft is parked at the gate.

We secured this win over AT&T and Verizon because of our ability to satisfy Aircell’s stringent technical requirements and to accommodate its bandwidth-intensive corporate applications, procurement and logistics compatibility, and because of our plans to transition to WiMAX.

DirectConnect Keeps Family and Business in Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Always ready ...Push-to-talk service is also a big bonus for mother, wife and full-time multi-tasker Wendy Baber of Augusta County, Va. She, husband Mark, a teen-age daughter and 12-year-old daughter rely on their i850s at all hours each day.

Keeping tabs on the girls at school, work, and basketball practices, and Mark and his two businesses, is made easier with their Nextel Direct Connect. “It’s the first thing I put on my desk at work (at the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice), and it’s there for me all day,” Wendy Baber said.

Sprint Mobile Broadband Card Saves the Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Sprint offers the largest national mobile broadband network in the industry, and many customers take advantage of it every day, including Louis Burgh, who owns his own company on the East Coast.

“I was on-site one day with a customer fleshing out an important contract for my company,” Burgh said. “Of course, things had to be changed quite a bit, and we had to revise the contracts based on new conditions for the deal.” The customer's network was crashing at the time, but Burgh was able to download the new contract using his Sprint Mobile Broadband card and save the deal – denying a competitor the opportunity to steal one of his most important clients.

“My Sprint card saved the deal – and our business,” he said. “After we were finished, I used location-based services to find a nice restaurant and celebrate our victory. For once, I have a business tool that isn't all work and no play. It helped us unwind as well, without worrying about where to go or how to find it.”

Instant Access to Customers Helps Real Estate Agent

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:09:00 +0000

Lee McClelland works on a team of six real-estate professionals for Prudential Kansas City Realty. A potential buyer was navigating their Web site around 9:30 one night and asked for more information about one of their listings. “We would like to see this house,” the buyer wrote in an e-mail. “Please call ASAP.”

McClelland was home at the time, but he received the e-mail request on his Treo 700. “I received the e-mail within minutes and was able to immediately respond to the customer’s request,” he said. “Did I call you back fast enough?” McClelland asked the woman who answered the phone. McClelland could hear her astounded husband in the background saying, “I just e-mailed the guy two minutes ago.”

The buyer was very impressed with McClelland’s instant response. Not only did the Prudential team sell that customer a house, but they also listed their old house and sold it, too. “I’m constantly in meetings and often can’t step out to take a call, but I can usually respond with a message. It’s increased my productivity tenfold.”

Lost and Found … Thanks to Sprint’s GPS

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:01:00 +0000

Last month Darleen Husson got a phone call she won’t soon forget. Her 18-year-old daughter and her two girlfriends decided to go hiking late one afternoon on the Appalachian Trail and called at about 7:30 p.m. to say they were lost.

The Rangers were quickly contacted to begin searching for the girls. Fortunately, one of them had GPS on her Sprint device. The service had been deactivated when she went to college, but her parents were able to get it turned back on quickly.

“After a couple of phone calls to Sprint to activate the GPS and many hours, we were given the coordinates of the Sprint phone,” Darleen recalled. “The girls were found about 1:30 a.m., a little cold, hungry and scared. We were all very thankful for the Sprint GPS.”

Sprint Saves Student's Grade

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:50:00 +0000

The following testimonial is from customer Michael Greiner who was the winner of the Mobile U category in the SprintSpeed stories contest. When the power went out, Michael used his Sprint broadband network card and his Sprint Motorola Q to crank out a final paper and turn it in just before the deadline. But was it enough to get him an ‘A’?

Deadlines and dead lines

Most people have had a teacher like Michael Greiner’s college professor – the type of person who does not allow late homework no matter what the excuse. Well, imagine you’re working on an end-of-semester paper for said professor and the day it’s due, the power and network go down.

This is the exact scenario Michael, a student at Drake University in Iowa, found himself in at semester-end last year. But instead of searching for leniency where he knew he’d find none, Michael just searched for his Sprint Mobile Broadband Card and his Sprint device. “Luckily for me, I was on my laptop when the network went down,” Michael said. “I threw in my Mobile Broadband Card and went right back to work. The paper was due at midnight of that night, so I cranked it into high gear and finished about 11:50 p.m. and e-mailed it straight off.

The next day at class, the professor said only five out of 103 students turned in their papers on time because of the network outage that lasted all night.” Good thing Michael had SprintSpeed at his fingertips, because the 98 students who didn’t get the paper in on time were docked a letter grade. Michael explained that if the Internet is down, his professor expects a paper copy. Or if he’s out of the office, which most professors would be at that time of night, students are required to e-mail him the paper on time.

“I ended up getting an ‘A’ on a paper worth 40 percent of my grade and an ‘A’ in the class thanks to Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network and a good laptop battery,” Michael said.

Miller Auto Center Finds Nextel Phones Improve Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:54:00 +0000

"The time we save with Nextel phones enables us to sell more cars and respond better to customers. Miller Auto Center employees have come to rely on Nextel's Direct Connect® feature." --Dan Dunn, General Manager

Buying or leasing a car can turn out to be a long, overwhelming process filled with numerous decisions: Sports utility vehicle or sedan? Four-wheel or front-wheel drive? Single or dual airbags? The job of the salesperson, besides -- of course -- selling cars, is making the car buying process as painless as possible for customers, says Dan Dunn, General Manager of Miller Auto Center in St. Cloud.

With two car lots covering 15 acres, Miller Auto Center is home of the largest used car lot in the Midwest. Spanning so much territory, however, created communication challenges between salespeople and managers, especially when they relied on an outdated paging system and an inadequate number of phone lines. For example, a salesperson would have to cross the entire lot to get a quote on a trade-in car or find out the availability of colors for a specific model. "The car-buying process can be challenging enough for customers," Dunn said. "We didn't want to add an extra 20 minutes to an already lengthy process."

Dunn realized that if he gave his staff the right communication tools, trips across the lot would become unnecessary and his salespeople would have more time to spend with customers - making them more productive. After researching various communication systems, Dunn chose Nextel.

Nextel phones combine cellular communication with a unique two-way digital radio and a pager in one system. The two-way radio built into the Nextel handset. Just by pushing a button on the side of a Nextel phone, Miller Auto users are able to connect instantly to their coworkers to get information on car prices or color availability. There is no dial tone, no ringing, and the connection is immediate.

"Communication is so much easier now that we have our Nextel phones," says Dunn. "They have made us more efficient - there is no question about it! Prior to buying our 55 units, trying to connect with coworkers wasted a lot of time. Now all we have to do is press a button and we have instant contact. The time we save with Nextel phones enables us to sell more cars and respond better to customers. Miller Auto Center employees have come to rely on Nextel's Direct Connect feature."

"Using Nextel just makes good business sense," Dunn concluded.

What Our Retail Wireless & Wireline Clients have to Say...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:42:00 +0000

“Sprint has proven to be a communications partner we can trust to deliver a highly flexible, easy-to-grow enterprise-wide network that will enable Applebee’s to remain a leader in the casual-dining market.”

– Chuck Saunders
Director of Technical Services
Applebee’s International

“Sprint has dedicated numerous resources to keeping us as a satisfied customer for more than a decade, proving time and again its commitment to our business.”

– Scott Thomas
Director Information Technology
Florists’ Transworld Delivery, Inc.

“Sprint equips us with a key communications tool so Geek Squad Agents can take care of technical emergencies and set up computers wherever we’re needed. We’re better problem solvers using highly expandable, always-available Sprint wireless communications.”

– Robert Stephens
Chief Inspector
Geek Squad

Xohm - Access Anytime

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:13:00 +0000

INTERNET YOUR WAY
Finally, high-speed wireless Internet on your terms: convenient and flexible. Like the cell phone version of broadband, like Wi-Fi pumped up to the max, Xohm’s WiMAX coverage will cut you loose from today’s access limits to enjoy the Internet anytime you want, on your choice of devices, without long-term contracts.

EASY DOES IT
Get ready to experience how easy the Internet can be. With Xohm wireless broadband, you’ll be able to:

Stream movies
View video
Download music
Share photos
Play games
Chat
E-mail
Web surf
Or whatever you want -- around your home, office or on the go, wherever there’s Xohm coverage -- all on the same single always-there connection.

PAY YOUR WAY
Other services offer wireless Internet, but they usually lock you in with contracts and cancellation fees that keep your experience on their terms. As a Xohm member, you’ll get wireless broadband access on yours:

By the day or by the month
No binding contracts
No cancelation fees
Simple activation and reactivation

START SIMPLE
Getting started with Xohm is a snap: no wires means no service calls, drilling, or digging. Just connect your Xohm access device (modem, card, or USB device), to your computer, activate your Xohm membership, and you’ve got broadband at home or to go.

OPEN CONNECTIONS
Other services make you buy their devices to get access -- we want to leave you to your own devices. We’ll be offering our modems and PC cards to make it easy for you to get started -- but soon, wherever there’s Xohm coverage, you’ll be able to connect with any WiMAX-enabled product -- bought from anybody.

Our partners are preparing a huge and growing selection of top-brand Xohm-ready products:

Laptop and Desktop Computers
Ultra Mobile PCs
Mobile Internet Tablets and devices
Portable Media Players
Watch for these -- plus new kinds of WiMAX-enabled electronics that will open new kinds of Internet experiences. More

BEYOND HOTSPOTS
Sure, you can get wireless broadband from Wi-Fi, but only in small, specific hotspots. We’re building the Xohm network to eventually cover entire metropolitan areas -- imagine: a city-sized hotspot offering the broadband speeds you expect at home or the office whenever you want, even on the go. More

JUST THE BEGINNING
As cool as all this is, we’re working to give Xohm members much more… but for now we can only drop some hints: a member portal, online file storage, location-based services, Google mail, chat and... Okay, that’s enough -- stay tuned for details (or better yet, sign up for updates).

Sprint and Agilis Improve Operations for Schnuck Markets

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:52:00 +0000

“This solution gave us capabilities above and beyond what had been previously sought … resulting in a significant return on investment for Schnucks.”
– Bob Drury, Senior Vice President of Logistics, Manufacturing, and Information Technology, Schnucks Markets, Inc.

BACKGROUND
Schnuck Markets, Inc., is one of the largest privately owned companies in the nation, with 103 supermarkets and pharmacies in seven states. Founded in 1939, Schnucks has remained a family-owned and -operated business for three generations.

CHALLENGE
Schnuck Markets, Inc., is a successful regional grocery chain and one of the largest privately owned companies in the country. Schnucks supplies 103 stores in seven states using a fleet of more than 100 delivery trucks, all carrying critical, highly perishable cargo. Prior to engaging with Agilis, Schnucks used GPS locators in its trucks to collect some tracking data, but dispatchers had to manually record deliveries and plan route changes using enormous sheets of paper. Even common questions or updates could require multiple phone calls to drivers. The lack of an integrated, automated system made it difficult to ensure timely and efficient delivery on a consistent basis. In addition, Schnucks faced strong cost pressures due to increasing fuel prices and other expenses.

SOLUTION
Agilis Systems, Inc. developed a customized fleet management solution for Schnucks using the Agilis’ Mobile Resource Management software . SmartLOCATE provides dispatchers with each driver’s real-time location using a truckmounted, GPS-enabled phone. Agilis’ software provides integrated web-based dispatching, work order management, routing and automated call ahead services in a single, affordable platform. Rather than dealing with distracting paperwork, drivers now download to their phone their scheduled stops and route information at the beginning of each shift. Dispatchers follow their progress on a Web map, easily capture delivery information and provide updates on-the-fly. If bad weather, traffic problems or urgent customer requests require route changes, it’s simple to make adjustments and automatically alert drivers. After each stop, the next Schnucks store on a driver’s route is notified to prepare for delivery, greatly reducing costly idle time. Drivers also enjoy the security and convenience of having a mobile phone for use in emergencies.

RESULTS
Agilis Systems enabled Schnucks to greatly increase efficiency, lower costs and improve customer service. Idle time for each delivery has declined by nearly 16 percent, reducing expensive fuel usage and allowing each driver to make an additional delivery during every shift. Real-time route management has decreased time previously lost to traffic and weather delays, and dispatchers can prioritize and respond to customer needs immediately via the nearest available driver. The new system is also completely paper-free, more reliable and responsive, safer and more satisfying for drivers, and less expensive to implement and maintain.

Xora GPS Tracking and Sprint Help Appliance Company

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:17:00 +0000

"The time savings have been tremendous, but the biggest benefit to Xora is in the customer service. Prior to Xora, we could tell customers their appliances would be delivered that day; now we can say in a two or three hour window. Xora helps us to forward our mission of delivering good products at a great price, when the customers need them."
-- Jackie McCarter, Dispatcher at Allstate GES

CHALLENGE

Improve the process of tracking the locations
and job activities of delivery drivers and
appliance installers.

SITUATION

Allstate GES Appliance Inc. was founded in
1970 and quickly became a popular choice
for Arizona’s home appliance distributor /
installers. Delivery drivers and appliance
installers are based out of two different
warehouses in the Phoenix area, and travel
from job to job throughout the day. Allstate
managers had limited visibility into field
activities.

SOLUTION

In July 2006, Allstate began using Xora
GPS TimeTrack™, which runs on Sprint GPS enabled
cell phones, to improve the
process by which it tracks the location and
job activities of delivery drivers and
appliance installers. Drivers and installers
use the Xora application installed on their
phones to record when they arrive and
leave a job site by inputting job numbers
into the phones. As a result, Allstate knows
the exact amount to bill each customer.
From a drop down menu on the phonebased
Xora service, drivers and installers
also capture specific details about each job,
including any problems they encountered.
Using the phone's keypad, Allstate’s field
staff jots short notes, such as "concrete
was wet" or "site not ready for installation,"
that are available in real-time to office staff
in the form of web-based business reports.
Allstate has taken the process of field staff
data capture to a more advanced level by
incorporating JobPix™, a camera feature
provided by Xora. Drivers and installers use
cell phones to snap pictures of the job site
to attach with job information, so office
staff can view all relevant information all in
one convenient report. The combination of
pictures, job start/end times and job status
data provides Allstate management with a
comprehensive view of field activities.
In addition, the Allstate dispatching
department checks web-based reports 4-5
times a day to ensure that drivers are taking
the best routes possible.

RESULTS

-- Time savings of 50 minutes to two and a
half hours per day by cutting the number of
phone calls from the office to field workers
in half.

-- Reduced customer delivery time window
from one day to just two or three hours.

-- Automating timesheets and work order
management helps eliminate liabilities and
miscommunication.

Roadhouse Coach Chooses Sprint and TopGlobal for High Speed Mobile Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Roadhouse Coach

Roadhouse Coach operates a fleet of 26 luxury coaches that are leased primarily to entertainers. The 30-year-old company is based in central Texas and has a host of high-profile clients including entertainers and rock stars.

OBJECTIVE
When Roadhouse leased out its first bus in 1976, celebrity ground transportation was in its infancy. Thirty years later, business has changed dramatically. Entertainers who once got to their shows by plane now eschew the hassles of flying and travel first-class on the highway. Luxury benefits like satellite TV are the norm, but mobile Internet access was one thing that Roadhouse didn’t offer. Wi-Fi coverage was only available while parked—generally when the artist was busy doing a show—which didn’t offer much benefit to the client. Roadhouse needed a solution that would work while they were driving. Since the Internet is now used for business as well as pleasure, it became critical for customers to be able to get online while in transit to handle their day-to-day personal and professional matters. Moreover, mobile Internet was an important way for the company to differentiate itself from the competition.

SOLUTION DESCRIPTION
In researching potential wireless Internet options, Roadhouse talked with Dave Lowder, founder of Wireless Highway, the major wireless services provider to the entertainment coach industry. Lowder recommended using a 3G-powered wireless router, which turned out to be a plug-and-play solution. The MobileBridge MB8000 gateway from Top Global interfaces externally with the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. Inside the coach, the router broadcasts its connectivity to the outside world via a standard Wi-Fi signal, so multiple laptops can access the Internet simultaneously. "In essence, it turns a bus going 65 miles an hour into a wireless hot spot on wheels," says Blake Olson, operations manager for Roadhouse Coach. "You just turn on the Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, search for the MobileBridge SSID, click and connect. And it’s so simple we don’t need a dedicated staff person to support it and there is virtually no downtime. Usually all a driver has to do is unplug the router and plug it back in if there is a problem."

SYNOPSIS

www.roadhousecoach.com

COMPANY
• Roadhouse Coach operates a fleet of 26 luxury coaches that are leased primarily to entertainers. The 30-year-old company is based in central Texas and has a host of high-profile clients including entertainers and rock stars.

OBJECTIVE
• Satisfy customer demands for Internet access on the road
• Create a point of differentiation for the company

SOLUTION
• Sprint Mobile Broadband (EV-DO Rev. A)
• Top Global MobileBridge MB8000 wireless routers
• Wireless Highway wireless services provider

RESULTS
• Received strong returns on less than a $1,000 capital investment per coach
• Increased both repeat business and new client acquisition

Sprint - Keeps Me Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie & Jay Sinclair) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:10:00 +0000

How does Sprint keep you Ahead? What are the solutions Sprint provides that help you throughout your day? Is it Sprint's industry leading mobile broadband solution? Is it Sprint's best in class DirectConnect push-to-talk solution? What about Sprint's unparalleled list of wireless business applications?

This forum will serve as a place to discuss these solutions and how they impact your life and business. It is hosted by the Solution Consulting Team at Sprint and our clients.

We hope this forum increases your awareness of how Sprint can keep you ahead.

If you would like to arrange a consultation to see how our solutions can help you and your business, please email james.sinclair@sprint.com and the appropriate Solutions Consultant will reach out to you.