AT&T Trialing High-Def Telepresence Kiosks for Small Businesses at Company Retail Stores

DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of AT&T's effort to bring more customized, enhanced solutions into company retail stores nationwide, AT&T* announced today that it has been trialing high-definition telepresence videoconferencing kiosks in several retail stores.

Designed to primarily support small business customers – by providing real-time, face-to-face communication with expert consultants – the telepresence kiosks underscore AT&T's commitment to deliver innovative solutions to better meet customer needs.

The expert consultants can provide technical support or purchasing recommendations about AT&T wireless or wired solutions, as well as bundling of these services, based on individual business needs. In addition, they can offer insight about other AT&T business services such as website hosting, remote tech support, and online data backup.

In addition, the company announced today a Small Business Certification" training program of AT&T retail store associates nationwide. The training is designed to ensure small businesses get expert guidance in determining which AT&T wireless devices, mobile broadband plans or mobile applications best suit their specific business needs.

"Our research has shown that a majority of small business owners frequently visit our retail stores –most having visited within the last 3 months – and that their needs are different than those of consumers," said Cathy Martine, executive vice president, AT&T Small Business Solutions. "Small businesses have told us they want the ability to shop for and purchase both AT&T wireless and wired services to help their businesses innovate and grow.

"Empowering retail sales associates with Small Business Certification will directly benefit our customers by giving them the guidance they need to make an educated decision To that end, we are committed to making the process as streamlined and simple for our customers through having trained staff and innovative resources such as our telepresence kiosks."

AT&T is trialing kiosks at six company retail stores – three each in the Northern California and Chicago markets.

For a brief video highlighting the kiosks, please click here.

Small businesses looking to find information about other AT&T products and services can visit AT&T Small Business. For free business resources such as webinars, white papers, training, case studies and best practices, they can visit AT&T Small Business InSite.

Additionally, real-time information can be found on the AT&T Small Business Facebook page and Small Business InSite Twitter channel.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at the AT&T Web Site.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at AT&T Newsroom, and as part of an RSS feed at AT&T RSS Feed. Or follow our news on Twitter @ATT. Find us on Facebook at the AT&T Facebook to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at AT&T Small Business Facebook to discover more about our small business services.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.