Focuses engineers' time on network maintenance to increase customer service levels and business competitiveness
Southborough, Mass. - September 4, 2003 - ViryaNet (NasdaqSC: VRYA), a leading provider of integrated mobile and Web-based software applications for workforce management and the automation of field service delivery, today announced that its partner Aspective, Europe's leading eBusiness solution provider, has licensed ViryaNet Service Hub software to Orange UK, the country's largest mobile operator, in the first quarter of 2003. ViryaNet Service Hub will provide a
GPRS-based mobile workforce management solution for Orange UK's field service force, which has responsibility for maintaining the network infrastructure in the UK, including more than 10,000 base stations.
Aspective, ViryaNet's premier partner in the UK, is responsible for marketing, selling, implementing, and supporting the ViryaNet solutions in the utilities, oil & gas, telecommunications, and other field services markets across Europe.
Based on ViryaNet's Service Hub technology, the solution will be delivered to more than 250 field-based engineers over Orange UK's own GPRS network. The system will optimize work scheduling and link office-based planners to members of the mobile workforce, each of whom will be equipped with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This will allow Orange to maximize the time spent carrying out maintenance
and upgrade work and ensure the service reliability it provides to its customers.
Roger Nichols, Head of Area Operations, Orange UK, said: "Maintaining the performance of our network, and providing a seamless service to our customers lies at the heart of our business strategy. We are fiercely committed to maintaining our quality service at a time when the network is being increased to support the rollout of 3G high speed data services." He added: "The ViryaNet and Aspective
solution will allow our engineers to spend more time working on the network and minimize the time spent driving and performing administrative tasks such as telephoning for information or coordinating resources. It will also provide us with the data and analytical tools to accurately measure and improve our business processes."
The system allocates planned and unplanned maintenance requests to the most appropriate engineer taking into account their location, the priority of the job and the equipment needed to complete it. Jobs are received automatically by engineers on their GPRS enabled PDA together with all the information they may need to complete the task, including priority, fault detail, travel directions, site access, health
and safety checks and site history. Engineers then provide status and completion reports back to planners in real-time and can continue using the PDA when network coverage is not available.
Nichols continued: "Our evaluation had four key metrics; functionality, proven fit for purpose, technical architecture, and confidence in the supplier's ability to deliver. The Aspective and ViryaNet Service Hub combination was selected unanimously by our project team in all four aspects."
"Orange UK's choice of ViryaNet Service Hub is a great endorsement of the strength of the ViryaNet platform and Aspective's competence in providing comprehensive solutions for mobile workforce management," said Keith New, vice-president, Aspective mBusiness. "We are committed to making this project another very successful implementation and a showcase for Orange UK's own customers
with large field workforces."
"Aspective is leading a very aggressive charge, gaining momentum across Europe," stated Win Burke, president and CEO, ViryaNet. "Their sales and marketing efforts are gaining traction, and helping to increase the ViryaNet footprint world-wide. From their successful initiatives, we welcome Orange, a true giant in the telecommunications industry, into the ViryaNet family."
About Aspective
Aspective is Europe's leading eBusiness solution provider, specializing in 'front office' applications for sales, marketing and customer service. Through its four divisions - CRM, WebSphere, Managed Services and mBusiness - Aspective offers its clients a unique portfolio, covering strategic consultancy and implementation services through to a complete end-to-end solution - developed, hosted,
managed, maintained, and supported for a fixed monthly fee throughout the project lifecycle.
Aspective employs over 130 people across Europe and has strategic partnerships with Siebel Systems, Inc., IBM, Sun Microsystems, Cable & Wireless, BroadVision, Actuate and ViryaNet. For more information, visit
www.aspective.com.
About ViryaNet
ViryaNet is a provider of software applications that improve the quality and efficiency of an organization's service operations. ViryaNet's flagship product - the award-winning Service Hub - combines the power of the Internet, the freedom of wireless technologies, and the resources of ViryaNet's deep service expertise to help companies improve workforce scheduling, dispatching, and activity
reporting; customer contract and entitlement automation; and asset, logistics and repairs management.
Customers in the utility, telecommunications, high-technology manufacturing, grocery and retail, HVAC, and other industries use Service Hub to transition complex service business processes into a manageable, scalable Internet operation, with the goal of maximizing service revenues, decreasing service costs, tracking fleet inventory and increasing customer service.
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