REDMOND, Wash. and HOUSTON -- Houston-Based Profitability Consulting Firm Realizes Investment Return on First Day of Deployment of High-Speed Wireless Data Solution
Cher M. Floyd, chief operating officer for John M. Floyd & Associates (JMFA), realized that high-speed wireless data
"We rolled out the EDGE service at a company wide meeting held here in Houston," Floyd said. "One of our sales associates from Illinois was in the room, and while the training was taking place, he received an e-mail from the CEO of a prospect who needed some immediate information in order to close the deal. The associate's laptop was already functioning on the EDGE network, so he simply inserted a CD-ROM containing the information and e-mailed it wirelessly to the customer. Within an hour, the CEO signed a contract with us. The sale of that JMFA OVERDRAFT PRIVILEGE(SM) program paid for our entire EDGE deployment for this year."
Since that first day, John M. Floyd & Associates has continued to reap benefits from EDGE, the fastest national wireless data network in the U.S. with speeds of 2-3 times faster than traditional 56k dial-up and availability in more than 7,500 cities and towns and along 30,000 miles of interstate highways. The company, a leading provider of non-interest or fee income products to more than 1,750 financial institutions in the United States and Central America, views its EDGE deployment as an extension of one of its core business principles.
"JMFA helps its financial institution clients by providing them with profit improvement programs - such as operational, financial and re-engineering services - through technology utilization," Floyd explained. "Our EDGE deployment is a great example of how we practice what we preach.
"Everyone in the company - sales, administration, consultants and IT - loves it," Floyd said. "They embraced it immediately and I've never had so many compliments and e-mails regarding something we've done. Because tech utilization is part of our game, our employees are very receptive to anything that will help them work better or provide benefits to our clients."
According to Floyd, EDGE helps set a highly positive tone when visiting a prospective customer.
"We use the WebEx(TM) product on our laptops to demo our products and software, and now that we have EDGE, our sales associates don't have to worry about hunting down an Internet connection at the customer site to get up and running," Floyd explained. "All they have to do is turn on their laptops, and they can begin their presentations. This gives us a huge competitive edge because of the highly favorable first impression it creates with the CEO of that potential client."
EDGE also has proven to be an effective cost savings tool for John M. Floyd & Associates.
"We attend or exhibit at 72 trade shows a year," Floyd said. "Because of EDGE, we no longer have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to pull a line to our booth to get Internet access. Now all we have to do is put an EDGE wireless modem card in a laptop, and we're on-line. It also helps us save money on data access charges at hotels. Our sales associates are on the road from Monday to Friday. Previously, they had to use the high-speed data connections in their hotel rooms to get connected to e-mail and the Web. That can get very costly. With EDGE, our associates can get that same access wirelessly at a fraction of the cost."
Given that most JMFA employees are traveling so often, wireless connections speed more rapidly the circulation of contract parameters and negotiating points, as well as competitive developments. The entire JMFA team, from employees in the office to the constant "road warriors," all stay "on the same sheet of music," Floyd said. It's also important that associates are as productive as they can be when traveling so that they can devote their time at home to their families.
"Our company is very family-oriented. It is extremely important to us that our employees and their families are happy," Floyd noted. "EDGE allows them to convert down time into productive time so they can check e-mail and take care of business when they are waiting at an airport or are in their hotel rooms. Then, when they get home, they can spend all of their time with their families and not have to worry about devoting a couple of hours to responding to e-mail."
About AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless (NYSE:AWE) is the second-largest wireless carrier, based on revenues, in the United States. With 21.737 million subscribers as of June 30, 2004, and revenues of more than $16.9 billion over the past four quarters, AT&T Wireless delivers advanced high-quality mobile wireless communications services, voice and data, to businesses and consumers, in the U.S. and internationally.
About Floyd & Associates
JMFA, founded in 1973, is a leading provider of noninterest or fee income products to financial institutions. It is recognized nationally for its operational, financial and delivery systems re-engineering; as well as training, incentive and earnings enhancement programs, and its product, service, pricing and technology improvement consulting services. The company's programs have added more than $10 billion in increased pre-tax earnings for its 1,750-plus clients in 49 states and Central America. For more information, go to http://www.jmfa.com or contact: Cher Floyd, chief operating officer, 1-800-231-9925, Cher.Floyd@JMFA.com
This press release contains "forward-looking statements'' which are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events made by management with information that is currently available to management. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, management's expectations regarding: our future financial and operating performance and financial condition, including the company's outlook for the fiscal year 2004 and subsequent periods; the outcome of our pending transaction with Cingular; subscriber growth; industry conditions; the strength of our balance sheet; our liquidity and needs for additional financing; and our ability to increase revenue, margins and operating free cash flow.
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