Cbeyond Expands Services Portfolio with Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager Powered by Location-Based, Software-as-a-Service from Xora
New Service Drives Increased Revenue Opportunities and Reduced Operating Costs for Companies with Field Operations
ATLANTA & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb 02, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cbeyond(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: CBEY),a leading IP-based managed services provider, today announced the expansion of its portfolio of productivity-enhancing applications with the availability of Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager, a mobile location-based services and resource management application suite powered by software from Xora, the market and technology leader in on-demand, location-based mobile resource management. This new service drives increased revenue opportunities and reduced operating costs for companies with field service operations.
Hosted on Cbeyond's network, small businesses do not need to invest in any software or IT infrastructure to take advantage of Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager - they merely purchase a smartphone and mobile data plan from Cbeyond and download the application wirelessly. Once the application is loaded, Cbeyond customers have instant access to the location of their mobile employees, and the savings from reduced payroll and overtime costs, fewer fleet miles, and increased mobile employee productivity can reach an estimated $1,500 per mobile employee, per year.
"Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager is a simple, fast and effective solution for small businesses," said Steve Zimba, vice president of Marketing for Cbeyond. "Our customers can quickly load the solution onto their smartphones and immediately experience enhanced visibility to employee activities, increased productivity and cost reductions. We are excited to offer this solution to our customer base as we continue to grow our service offerings to meet the ever increasing demands put on small businesses."
Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager's Web-based interface gives small businesses the ability to monitor the location and status of all field-based employees, which increases productivity and makes workers more accountable for their time. Additionally, the application automates payroll by providing an easy-to-use and tamper-proof method of collecting employee timecards. Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager also eliminates inefficient paper-based processes and avoids manual data entry by integrating with leading back-office systems, like QuickBooks(R).
With real-time visibility into field worker locations, new jobs can be assigned based on which worker is nearest to the new job site, improving customer service and fleet efficiency. Additionally, Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manger's ability to track driver speeds reduces traffic violations, lowers fuel and insurance costs and improves driver safety. The application also enables mobile workers to gather critical details from the field by including pictures and voice notes along with job reports.
"Our partnership with Cbeyond enables us to deliver cost savings and productivity-enhancing benefits to all of Cbeyond's customers," said Sanjay Shirole, president and chief executive officer of Xora. "By leveraging Cbeyond's network service quality we are able to harness the power of our applications to deliver a solution which enables small businesses to easily manage their mobile workforce, streamline operations, and impact their bottom line."
Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager is currently available via wireless download for the BlackBerry(R) 8830, BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM), BlackBerry(R) Curve(TM), and Moto Q(TM) 9c smartphones. A data plan ($40 per month) is required with the purchase of each smartphone. There is a $25 set-up fee per smartphone and a $20 per month service fee per smartphone for Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager.
This offering is the latest in Cbeyond's expanding portfolio of productivity-enhancing applications, which includes Hosted Microsoft Exchange, Web Hosting, and Secure Desktop. Cbeyond customers who add Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager to their service package by February 28, 2009, will receive free activation and free service for the first 60 days for up to five smartphones. For more information on Cbeyond Mobile Workforce Manager and other offerings, call 1-888-225-0984 or visit http://www.cbeyond.net/services.
About Xora
Xora is a global provider of on-demand mobile resource management solutions that enable businesses to easily locate and manage mobile workers, vehicles and assets. Founded in 1999, Xora has raised more than $11 million in venture capital and is privately funded; the lead investor is Dawntreader Ventures. Xora partners include AT&T, Sprint, Telstra, Motorola, RIM and Garmin. For more information on Xora, visit http://www.xora.com.
About Cbeyond
Cbeyond, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBEY) is a leading IP-based managed services provider that delivers integrated packages of communications and IT services to more than 42,000 small businesses throughout the United States. Cbeyond offers more than 30 productivity-enhancing applications including local and long-distance voice, broadband Internet, mobile, BlackBerry(R), broadband laptop access, voicemail, email, web hosting, fax-to-email, data backup, file-sharing and virtual private networking. Cbeyond manages these services over a private, 100-percent Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) facilities-based network. For more information on Cbeyond, visit http://www.cbeyond.net/.
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SOURCE: Cbeyond, Inc.
Cbeyond, Inc.
Media Contacts:
Michelle Tank, 678-370-2437
michelle.tank@cbeyond.net
or
Tool Guy PR for Xora
Kevin Wolf, 650-327-1641
kevin@toolguypr.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009