Cox Communications
Reliable application access drives field-service productivity gains.The third-largest cable provider in the U.S., Cox Communications serves approximately six million residential and commercial customers across 22 states with voice, video and data services. Every year, its 3,500 field-service technicians handle more than six million work orders.
About the Deployment
By harnessing NetMotion Mobility XE in conjunction with an EV-DO mobile broadband solution from Sprint, Cox was able to safely and securely extend its LAN-based applications to its mobile workers. With higher connection speeds and the seamless connectivity maintained by Mobility XE, representatives have access to the entire backend work order management system, which reduces the number of voice and text interactions with the back office. In addition, Sybase iAnywhere’s Afaria product complements the management capabilities of Mobility XE, allowing Cox to deploy and update software on the mobile devices remotely.
Greater Productivity & Cost Savings
On top of the broad efficiency gains in handling work orders, Cox noted an extra 10 percent bump in productivity in some cases. This was due to the faster connectivity, as well as access to a broader set of applications including customer service, testing, standard email, HR systems and training. Mobility XE simplified management of the deployment by delivering a real-time, system-wide view of device activity, including application use, device connections and battery life.
The Mobility XE Policy Management Module implemented customized policies that let IT administrators better manage application and network access, quarantine lost or stolen devices, and prioritize bandwidth for critical transmissions and applications. Being able to deploy and update software remotely also resulted in huge IT savings, estimated at a half million dollars a year, thanks to fewer people touching the mobile units for support and maintenance.
“At Cox, we recognize that our field personnel should be focused on our customers and not on the challenges typically experienced using wireless devices and networks,” concluded Al Briggs, director mobile solution services for Cox Communications. “NetMotion Wireless software helps us overcome everyday wireless coverage gaps and interruptions. Their solution is helping to make our field service operation more efficient, ultimately helping us to deliver better service to our customers.”