Astea Launches Alliance Mobile Universal to Deliver Enterprise Functionality Optimized for the Latest Devices Such as Android, iPhone, and iPad

HORSHAM, Pa., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Astea International Inc. (NASDAQ: ATEA), a global provider of service lifecycle management and mobility solutions, has introduced a new version of the industry's most robust mobile solution, Alliance Mobile Universal, for service organizations. This new addition to Astea's Alliance Mobility Suite leverages the latest HTML5 technology to deliver a sleek and innovative user interface while still providing the ability for mobile workers to continue working whether they are in or out of wireless coverage. With the ability to operate with the latest devices in the market including Android smartphones and tablets, iPhones, and iPads, organizations can choose the device that works best for their environment and still be able to leverage the most powerful mobile solution designed specifically for the way field technicians work.  

Astea's Alliance Mobility Suite consists of Alliance Mobile Select, which is Astea's original mobile solution supporting Windows Mobile devices and Windows laptops, and the newest addition, Alliance Mobile Universal. Astea's mobility solutions are already empowering over 20,000 technicians, in a multitude of industries, with real-time access to the information they need, when and where they need it, to eliminate inefficiency, enhance customer service, and improve service revenues. With Alliance Mobile Universal, organizations can leverage a proven and feature rich solution without compromising functionality to ensure optimal results and achieve a compelling return on investment.

"We are very pleased to announce the newest addition, Alliance Mobile Universal, to our premier suite of mobility solutions. We recognize that the proliferation of devices on the market continues to grow at an accelerated rate and our goal was to make it as easy as possible for our customers to work with the device of their choice but still be able to leverage a feature-rich, robust mobility solution to drive the business benefits they are looking to achieve," said Zack Bergreen, CEO of Astea International. "Our mobility solutions are built with the field technician in mind. Our new device agnostic release takes innovation and user interaction to the next level. When deployed with our other solution modules in conjunction with tapping into our unparalleled resources of industry domain experts, we can offer organizations a value proposition unlike any other solution provider in the service management market today."

From the initial customer call to the closing of work orders, customer invoicing and product replacement, every step in the service lifecycle process represents an opportunity for improving customer satisfaction, reducing costs and increasing revenues. In order to deliver world class service, organizations need seamless continuity and visibility of every interaction with the customer. Critical customer information must be shared and instantly available to everyone in the organization that touches that customer. With Astea's Mobility Suite, a technician's daily workflow becomes automated and streamlined. Field service technicians' days are transformed by receiving work orders which are automatically pushed to the device, being able to view asset and service history, receiving step-by-step guidance to complete the job, capturing customer signature and completing work orders for invoicing. Astea's Mobility suite enables technicians to manage their own schedules as well as track time and expenses in the field while keeping the home office updated in real time.  Field technicians can post parts used against the work order, request parts if they are not in van stock, track their van stock, receive inventory and ship parts back to the warehouse or depot for closed loop tracking of returns and vendor claims. Instant messaging makes it easy for a field service engineer to stay connected and make sure that he/she gets everything necessary to deliver outstanding service. These capabilities are just a fraction of the robust features that are offered with Astea's mobility solutions.  

"In research conducted earlier this year, more than two-thirds of field service organizations polled indicated that they were looking for increased mobility to fight off productivity and utilization challenges," stated Sumair Dutta, senior analyst at the Aberdeen Group. "As organizations sift through the ever increasing options for devices and operating environments, those that are Best-in-Class are focused on fostering a collaborative and scalable mobile strategy that stresses the integration of field information with enterprise systems and applications."

Astea is the only solution provider that offers all cornerstones of service lifecycle management: customer management; service management; asset management; forward and reverse logistics management; and mobile workforce management with enhanced scheduling optimization. Astea's solutions are seamlessly orchestrated to share and leverage information throughout the service lifecycle -- removing the traditional barriers between the field and back office. With Astea Alliance companies can introduce one module at a time or deploy a seamless information backbone across the entire service lifecycle continuum, thereby eliminating the patchwork of disparate systems that can hamper a company's ability to provide best-in-class service.

Astea works with hundreds of companies worldwide, maximizing the value of an organization's service operation by optimizing critical business processes across the globe. The company can be reached at 215-682-2500.

About Astea International

Astea International (NASDAQ: ATEA) is a global provider of software solutions that offer all the cornerstones of service lifecycle management, including customer management, service management, asset management, forward and reverse logistics management and mobile workforce management and optimization. Astea's solutions link processes, people, parts, and data to empower companies and provide the agility they need to achieve sustainable value in less time, and successfully compete in a global economy. Since 1979, Astea has been helping more than 600 companies drive even higher levels of customer satisfaction with faster response times and proactive communication, creating a seamless, consistent and highly personalized experience at every customer relationship touch point.

www.astea.com.  Service Smart.  Enterprise Proven.

© 2011 Astea International Inc. Astea and Astea Alliance are trademarks of Astea International Inc. All other company and product names contained herein are trademarks of the respective holders.

SOURCE Astea International Inc.