Verizon Wireless' Field Force Manager Helps NiSource Manage And Dispatch Mobile Energy Workers In Six States

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Field Force Manager has been helping business customers improve productivity, reduce operational costs and increase revenue since its inclusion in the Verizon Wireless business application lineup in 2006. Companies such as NiSource, a distributor of electricity and natural gas, use Field Force Manager to manage and dispatch employees whose assignments are outside of a traditional office setting.

This turnkey wireless solution allows NiSource’s supervisors to improve operational efficiencies and overall productivity of its 1,500 field employees. NiSource is able to provide faster service to nearly 2 million customers within the high-demand energy corridor stretching from Ohio to New England.

“Verizon Wireless’ Field Force Manager is important for accurate dispatch of service technicians and construction crews and for emergency response,” said John D. Taggart, field performance analyst for NiSource. “In the event of a gas leak, Field Force Manager helps assigners determine which team members are available and within close proximity to the scene, so they can dispatch workers quickly and efficiently.”

Verizon Wireless is in the process of enhancing this award-winning service so future customers will also be able to depend upon Field Force Manager 3.1 for features such as:

• At-a-glance report – Mobile users can send a daily report via e-mail to supervisors that summarizes key business metrics for payroll, travel, jobs completed and policy violations.
• Editable timecards – From the Web portal, company administrators can view the hours worked by each employee, edit their hours as necessary and view a complete history of changes – making automated phone to paycheck process more convenient.
• Enhanced Web mapping capabilities – Supervisors can choose from a variety of maps that help manage mobile workers and activities more effectively with enhanced map capabilities and easy-to-define work zones.
• Unique iconography – Identifies workers on a map for quick access and dispatch.
• Enhanced text routing – Mobile workers can get to their destinations more efficiently with enhanced text-based turn-by-turn directions that provide a wide variety of route calculations, from the fastest route possible to a route that minimizes the use of freeways. Customers also benefit from mileage calculation in this latest release.
• Picture capture – Mobile workers can capture a picture and attach it to a mobile form, which can be sent and displayed in the Web portal or forwarded on to an integrated back-end system.
• Rapid activation – Simplified activation is available for users installing Field Force Manager on their devices for the first time.

Starting at $15.00 per month, Field Force Manager 3.1 adds features and functionality to all current Field Force Manager product packages and is available on a wide variety of handsets, including the clamshell MOTO™ VU204, the rugged Push to Talk-capable G’zOne Boulder™ and the sophisticated BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 smartphone.

In addition to Field Force Manager, Verizon Wireless offers a host of business applications and solutions for many industries – from distribution, construction, manufacturing, and healthcare to retail, professional services, government, and public safety. To learn more, 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 data network, serving 87.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 87,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: 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

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