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Media Kit: AT&T Small Business Mobility Overview

A Look at Mobility for Small Businesses

Overview

Small Business Survey Results

Small business owners wear many hats whether they're in the office or on the go. In order to be connected virtually from wherever they are, mobile devices are a must. From smartphones and wireless data to mobile applications and tablet PCs, mobile technologies help small businesses stay competitive and increase employee productivity, even from remote locations.

AT&T recently commissioned a survey of small business owners, conducted by market research firm Compass Intelligence, about what makes small business successful, and it was no surprise that mobility played a key role. Here are some of the highlights:

  • The average small business owner carries three mobile devices.
  • Tablet usage among small businesses is poised to grow dramatically in the near future with 60 percent of small business owners planning to purchase tablets within the next year, either for themselves or their employees.
  • 75 percent of survey respondents ranked ease of use as a top priority when selecting an app to install, followed by cost effectiveness, and functionality.

You can learn more about the study by watching small business survey.

Small businesses struggling to determine the right mobile apps for their operations can also visit AT&T's recommender tool at www.att.com/smart. Or, visit www.att.com/smallbiz to see how mobile capabilities can help enhance your business.

 

Small businesses are managing their operations in more innovative, cost-effective ways these days, thanks to the growth of the mobile Internet. The convergence of wireless networks and business applications is leading to greater workforce productivity, innovative ways of collaborating with suppliers and, perhaps most important, new revenue streams.

There's no doubt that small business demand for mobility solutions has grown significantly in recent years and will continue to grow. In fact, according to AMI-Partners, a market research firm, U.S. small business (1 to 99 employees) for smart phone device and data services will more than double from $2.5 billion in 2009 to more than $5 billion in 2013, a compound annual growth rate of about 19%. And AMI adds that nearly half of small businesses now report having workers that travel at least 4 or 5 days per month for business.

E-mail, instant messaging and other basic Internet services have long kept mobile employees in the loop and to communicate crucial business intelligence. But in recent years, more sophisticated mobile applications have emerged as key tools and productivity enhancers for small businesses. It's a virtually unlimited pipeline limited only by the imagination of mobile app developers.

In short, more small businesses are accessing the networks of their wireless provider while away from the office. As a result, there's increased demand for data services from field-based employees using smartphones, laptops and netbooks. For AT&T small business customers, laptops and netbooks can be equipped with Laptop Connect cards, enabling small businesses to use these devices to take advantage of the country's fastest mobile broadband network whether they're in the office or on the road. Small businesses with AT&T mobile broadband-equipped smartphones, laptops and netbooks also have free access to the company's more than 24,000 domestic WiFi hotspots.

AT&T has innovative wireless solutions that allow small businesses to do more with less while on the go. With AT&T, small businesses have access to exclusive devices, leading wireless applications, and the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. And we have trained small business advisors who can help each customer find the right communication tool for their business.

For more general information about how wireless technologies can help small businesses, please visit Work Anywhere.

Small Business Devices

AT&T has the best communication tools from smartphones to emerging devices, which powers on-the-go small businesses so they can do more with less. Today's small businesses are more than ever turning to technology to keep costs down and improve productivity. Our goal is to offer a lineup of devices with superior connectivity that enable small businesses to fully access company information 24/7, providing a remote office experience equal to an "office-in-your pocket."

  • Smartphones — AT&T made a big push to become a mobile broadband and smartphone leader many years ago. Now, because of AT&T's portfolio, twice as many smartphone users have chosen AT&T over any other carrier.
    • iPhone —iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS harness the power of nation's fastest mobile broadband network.  Plus, for iPhone customers on the go, AT&T not only provides a better mobile broadband experience with the ability to talk and surf at the same time, but the best global coverage of any U.S. provider with voice roaming available in more than 220 countries around the world.
    • Blackberry Devices — BlackBerry combines Web browsing, wireless email, text messaging, calendar, contacts, tasks, and phone calls in an easy-to-use, lightweight handheld for virtually all communication needs. View attachments sent in Microsoft® Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; Adobe® Acrobat® HTML; Corel® and WordPerfect® formats. AT&T has the largest selection of BlackBerry devices of any U.S.-based carrier
    • Rugged Devices — Built strong to stand up to harsh conditions on all kinds of job sites, a true rugged device offers significantly reduced potential for breakage. AT&T now offers three rugged devices — Motorola Tundra™, Samsung a657, and Samsung Rugby — that are certified to Military Standard MI-STD-810F compliance for dust, shock, vibration, rain, humidity, solar radiation, altitude, and temperature extremes.
    • Android Smartphones — Android is a mobile operating system designed to make smartphones even smarter. It was designed from the ground up to deliver an optimal experience for Web browsing and applications.
    • Other devices include Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Palm smartphones.
  • Netbooks — Lighter and more portable than laptops, Netbooks offer business mobility and also have built-in AT&T wireless connectivity.
    • Acer® Aspire One — The Acer® Aspire One 10.1-inch netbook redefines true mobile freedom with built-in mobile broadband wireless connectivity from the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, making mobility easier than ever before. The Aspire One packs in a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, built-in web cam, multi-gesture touchpad, and more into an ultra portable computing device that's super easy to take anywhere. The Acer Aspire One comes with Microsoft XP as its operating system and includes a free 60 day trial for Microsoft Office.
    • Lenovo® S10 — The Lenovo® S10 Netbook is perfect for working on-the-go. At less than three pounds, this lightweight Netbook is easy to carry and you can send email, manage contacts, review documents and much more. It's loaded with standard features to make your day a little easier. The Lenovo S10's mobile broadband connectivity is great for staying connected to your office or home. The S-10 comes with Microsoft XP as its operating system and includes a free 60 day trial for Microsoft Office.
    • Dell® Mini 10™ — The Dell Mini 10 is everything you want in a mobile companion and much more. Its highly portable, sharp design is complete with built-in wireless and productivity software making the Mini 10 exactly what you're looking for in a netbook. The full-color, 10.1-inch LED display makes it easy to see, review and revise documents. Check inventory, track sales results or update a presentation while you're waiting for an appointment. The Dell Mini 10 is feature-packed and comes with Microsoft XP as its operating system and includes Microsoft Works.
  • Emerging Devices — AT&T Emerging Devices Organization's purpose is to find ways to make customers more mobile. From e-readers to iPads, AT&T customers can expect more ways to stay connected in the future.
    • iPad — Starting at just $499, iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds — thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook — and delivers battery life of up to 10 hours. (Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.)
Small Business Mobile Solutions

When using AT&T wireless applications, small businesses do more with less because they increase customer service through faster communications while yielding a high return on their investment. AT&T has innovative mobile applications to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes and in all vertical markets. AT&T has industry mobility applications that are focused on delivering enhanced productivity through real-time information and location-based services to businesses of all sizes. 

  • Faster Communications — In real time, employers can access key sales data, take credit card payments, see where fleets are going, how fast they are moving and how long they have served a customer, making it easier to communicate with employees.
  • Enhance Return on Investment — Wireless applications have such a high return on investment that some companies have made up their investment within months of deployment.
  • Improved Customer Service — Wireless applications allow small businesses to serve more customers in less time. Location-based services and field services allow quicker responses to customers because they can send itineraries to employees, track time virtually, reroute employees to customers and take credit cards from their wireless smartphone.
Mobile applications

Mobile applications spending is rapidly growing for small businesses (less than 100 employees), increasing from $241.8 million in 2008 to a projected $616.5 million market by 2012 — a compound annual growth rate of more than 20 percent — according to market research firm Compass Intelligence. A recent Forrester Research study found that despite the current recessionary environment, nearly 93% of businesses anticipate having to increase the number of mobile devices they deploy through 2010. And with more mobile devices, comes more demand for mobile apps.

AT&T offers an easy to use online resource to small business owners via its Small Business Mobile Application Recommender Tool (SMART), which can be found by visiting www.att.com/smart.

  • The tool allows business owners to build a business profile by selecting from a list of industries, mobile worker types, and mobile devices of interest, and then indicate which of several different functions they would like to be able to perform.  Based on that input, the tool returns a list of recommended business solutions. Clicking on any result gives a detailed description and a phone number to reach a small business sales representative.

There are numerous benefits associated with mobile technology applications. Some of the more popular applications offered by AT&T and their benefits include:

  • Fleet management to keep your mobile workforce connected to the information they need, enhancing fleet efficiencies for small businesses and improving safety for drivers and service for customers.
  • Field service automation gives field-based employees real-time access to work orders, parts lists, and other essential back-office information, allowing them to work more productively and improve profitability.
  • Sales force automation provides field based employees with key information, including contact information and history, sales lead tracking system, sales forecasting, order management and product knowledge.
  • GPS Locator applications provide real-time visibility into the location of mobile workforces. A new easy to deploy solution is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application designed to help AT&T business customers improve the productivity and accountability of field-based employees, as well as lower expenses related to overtime and fuel costs.

Some specific applications include:

  • Airtime Manager — To stay competitive, lawyers and other professional service providers need an efficient way to track billable time. AIRTIME Manager from AT&T provides automatic logging of wireless email and phone calls, and ability to log manual events for small organizations.
  • Associate with AT&T — Captures, manages, and transfers verbal info to a centralized system for work processing. With Associate, you can capture, encrypt, transfer, and store verbal information in an centralized location for easy retrieval by authorized support staff.
  • AprivaPay — AprivaPay from AT&T is a full featured mobile application for performing credit card related transactions, both in or out of wireless coverage areas. With an optional card reader and printer peripheral device, mobile professionals can quickly enter keyed or swiped transactions and the point of sale.
  • Nice Office from AT&T — Nice Office from AT&T is a CRM solution for mobile professionals. It synchronizes your AT&T smartphone, your desktop, Microsoft® Outlook®, and your Nice Office Web account over-the-air without the need for cables, cradles, or an expensive enterprise server. Nice Office makes it easier than ever to take your business with you on the go.
  • Pronto Forms — Tool for creating forms to enable capture of data in field using mobile devices. Pronto Forms from AT&T allows businesses to convert paper forms into data collection forms that are published to mobile devices. Mobile forms allow field staff to capture data and submit their results while out of the office.
  • Xora GPS — Xora GPS TimeTrack helps improve productivity and control costs for field based operations. With TimeTrack you can easily track and record the locations, hours worked, and jobs performed of mobile employees. Additional capabilities include the ability to wirelessly dispatch jobs, collect job specific information, and integrate with back-office software.
  • Telenav Track — Get field force management, asset tracking, field service automation and productivity tools like GPS timecards and GeoFencing, Speeding, and Stopalerts. TeleNav Track from AT&T combines the latest advances in GPS, wireless and Web technologies to make mobile workforce and asset management an affordable reality for businesses of all sizes.
AT&T Network

For small businesses to do more with less, an anytime and virtually anywhere network connection is critical to business success. For this reason AT&T has invested heavily in its network, offers unique network features, and plans continued network improvements.

No One is Doing More
  • In 2009, AT&T invested approximately $17 billion in its wireless and wired networks.
  • Wireless voice and data services are available to 97 percent of the population.

AT&T is Unique

  • AT&T provides the ability to talk and surf at the same time.
  • AT&T has the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, validated by independent tests.
  • Qualifying AT&T customers receive free access to AT&T's entire national Wi-Fi network, the nation's largest with more than 24,000 hotspots.
  • AT&T uses GSM technology, which is viewed as a global technology used by more than 600 carriers in 200 countries.

AT&T continues to deliver greater mobility and greater value to today's broadband experience by further leveraging our Wi-Fi network, the nation's largest.

  • Wi-Fi at no charge for our higher-speed broadband customers — delivering greater benefit, added value and more ways in which small businesses can stay connected at 24,000 U.S. hot spot locations.
  • Smartphone users who access Wi-Fi networks ease spectrum traffic for other customers, which helps AT&T manage bandwidth.

Aggressive network plans

  • Even faster mobile broadband speeds via our HSPA+ upgrade and expanded backhaul rollout and thousands of new cell sites.
  • Trials of LTE, leading to planned initial deployment in mid-2011.
Small Business Resources

AT&T is a trusted advisor to small business. From our 24-hour customers service to our online SMART tool portal, AT&T offers a team always available to answer small business needs.

Learn what can help your business

  • Call small business wireless solutions at 1-866-429-7222
  • Find us online — www.att.com/smallbusiness
  • At 2,200 retail AT&T outlets, we have representatives who can work individually with small businesses to customize devices, plans and applications that best meet their needs.
  • Att.com/SMART — Applications are a growing area for SMBs and AT&T offers an easy to use online resource to small business owners via its Small Business Mobile Application Recommender Tool (SMART), which can be found by visiting www.att.com/smart.

The best bundled packages and other business solutions: Not only does AT&T allow small businesses to do more with less with wireless technology, but AT&T is a one-stop shop for all of small businesses needs, from Web hosting, to bundle packages and technical support.

  • All for less — The All for Less offer is an industry-first bundle that includes the four communications products and services small businesses need most: wireless, wired and high speed Internet services, starting at less than $100 a month on one consolidated bill.
  • AT&T Tech Support 360SM is a 24/7 IT helpdesk designed to provide remote live, technical service for small businesses needing help with PC hardware, software, network and peripheral devices.
  • AT&T Voice DNA (hosted VoIP service), leverages AT&T's industry-leading global IP network to provide SMBs with reduced telephony and data communications costs, including unlimited on-net, local, and long distance calling and faxing plans.
  • IP Flexible Reach — enables small businesses with traditional key (multi-line analog) phone systems to upgrade to VoIP without replacing their legacy systems. The service also enables "virtual telephone numbers," allowing a small business in one part of the country appear to have multiple locations across the country.
  • AT&T Business in a BoxSM — converges voice, Internet and data communications over a single network connection and device. The service harnesses the power of IP communications to simplify IT operations for smaller and midsize businesses (SMBs) and branch offices of large businesses. It brings the advantages of AT&T innovation in the enterprise business market to SMBs.
  • Business U-verse — AT&T Business U-verse offers 18 Mbps download speeds and free access to more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots, including more than 7,000 U.S. company-owned Starbucks locations, for small businesses in more than 40 U.S. markets.
  • AT&T Web HostingSM — web hosting solutions and website design services developed specifically for today's small and medium-sized businesses. Using these services, companies can easily and cost-effectively launch a website, sell products or services online, build an online community, manage company email, distribute digital content, host a gaming server, etc