Verizon Wireless Launches Field Force Manager 3.2

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- From CTIA WIRELESS 2010®, Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network, today announced that Field Force Manager 3.2, the newest version of the company's mobile worker management service, will be available on April 5.  In addition, Verizon Wireless is introducing new Field Force Manager-only plans, providing customers more cost-effective options to coordinate with field workers.

"As our business customers' wireless needs expand and evolve, we continue to make improvements to our solution portfolio to meet those demands," said Mark Bartolomeo, vice president – global enterprise marketing for Verizon Wireless.  "Our customers in industries such as distribution and construction are asking for more sophisticated coordination with employees who work beyond the walls of an office, so we're addressing that with these new features in Field Force Manager 3.2."

Verizon Wireless' Field Force Manager 3.2 meets the field workforce management needs of any business by offering three package options that feature a Web-based application for administrators and a mobile phone application for remote workers:

• Limited – Available for $24.99 per month, this option offers management of field teams, including details of current and past travel history.
• Basic – In addition to the benefits of the Limited package, this option, available for $34.99, adds location-validated mobile timecards and basic job dispatch.
• Premium – This option takes mobile resource management to the next level by adding job and workflow management features and audible and map-enabled driving directions.  The Premium option is available for $49.99 per month with a qualifying voice plan only.  

Verizon Wireless customers who want basic tracking capabilities without voice plans will have the option to select Field Force Manager-only Limited or Basic plans.  These Field Force Manager-only plans will be available on the LG Accolade™, CASIO® G'zOne Rock™, Motorola Barrage™ and Samsung Convoy™.  The new Field Force Manager-only plans do not apply to 3G Smartphones.  

Field Force Manager 3.2 offers new Web portal enhancements to help organizations save time, increase productivity and reduce costs, including:  

• Industry Smart Setup Wizard – Offers a powerful set of preconfigured features, including forms, job types, reports and more.  With industry-specific questions for initial portal configuration, dispatchers can customize their portals to meet their needs.
• Auto Ping/Multi-Worker Ping – Allows location updates on demand.  Using GPS, Auto Ping schedules a continuous stream of once-per-minute ping updates to identify the locations of field workers.  Multi-Worker Ping sends location update requests to up to 20 team members simultaneously.
• Geofence – Shows configured boundaries on Web portal maps and alerts dispatchers when a worker enters or exits a boundary or performs a specific activity inside or outside of it.
• Improved Job Scheduling and Dispatch (Premium plan only) – Allows dispatchers to view scheduled jobs and job details and provides workers with customizable time slots to show job capacity and availability.  
• Worker Skill Set (Premium plan only) – Defines skill sets for each worker and skill requirements, helping dispatchers select the right worker for each job.  The Recommend Worker function suggests a worker based on skill set, availability, capacity and assigned jobs.

To learn more about Verizon Wireless' offerings for business customers, visit www.verizonwireless.com or contact a Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, Nasdaq: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless