Upwardly mobile

Field service engineers with a large European telecommunications company have access now to more timely support information while they are in the field and disconnected from the network.

BT Exact—the research, technology and IT operations arm of British Telecommunications—has deployed BackWeb Technologies' Offline Access Server. The solution provides workers in the field with offline access to eAssistant—BT's knowledgebase of customer support information. Engineers can access important business information, including job files, safety information, diagrams and diagnostics tools.

If any of the information is changed at BT's support center, the software automatically updates it when engineers reconnect to the network. Prior to installing the new technology, BT distributed CDs to deliver content to field service engineers. That process meant that the most up-to-date information was delivered less frequently. The new deployment should help field services employees reduce the number of failed visits and calls to the support center by ensuring access to the latest technical information, according to a news release from BackWeb.

"BT's number one priority is to ensure that customer problems are resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible," says Chris Price, COO of BT Exact. "Previously, field service engineers would call a support desk when they faced an unfamiliar or unique customer challenge. Now they will have the latest company information at their fingertips—reducing the cost of customer visits and improving overall customer satisfaction."