September 4, 2000

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Wireless E-Mail Lets Users Stay Up-To-Date

AT&T service lets salespeople keep up with leads, helps traveling executives stay in touch

By Bob Wallace

More on wireless:

Wireless Everything (6/26/00) Wireless Toolbox Nework Computing A World Without Wires (7/10/00)

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ireless E-mail is paying off for Pacific Coast Building Products Inc. The building-supplies chain is providing wireless access to its Microsoft Exchange messaging system to about 50 top executives, IT staffers, and salespeople.

"Our salespeople need the most up-to-date information via E-mail on potential sales leads and on orders that need to be placed, rather than waiting until the end of the day to log on with their laptops," says David Matteoli, NT administrator at the Sacramento, Calif., company, which has 55 locations in nine states. "And executives want to stay in touch with business at their offices during their frequent travel."

Pacific Coast has implemented AT&T's PocketNet wireless Web service and a software module from Wireless Knowledge Inc. that provides wireless access to the Exchange system. Matteoli uses the wireless Web himself when traveling to receive E-mail alerts when there's a problem with any of the company's 65 servers and to access a Web site that lets him remotely check to see if daily backups go off without a hitch.

"In a world that's moving in Internet time, workers can't afford to wait until day's end to check their E-mail," says Daniel Briere, founder of telecom consulting firm TeleChoice. "Such a practice can result in missed business opportunities and a perception of poor customer service."

Matteoli says he chose AT&T PocketNet over Sprint PCS because AT&T offered a flat rate for unlimited minutes of wireless Web use. Sprint had no such option, he says. "The AT&T plans made much more sense since our users often need to log on for long periods of time," Matteoli adds.

But wireless access to business apps can have drawbacks. "The only problem we've had," Matteoli says, "is one employee got in a car accident while checking his E-mail."

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