More than Connectivity
WHY MOBILITY SHOULD BE ON YOUR SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA
BY ALBERT GUFFANTI
The communications industry offers countless solutions and services to consumer goods companies that extend beyond cell phones and Internet connections. In fact, the market is booming with patents that may have a profound
effect on connecting people and businesses in sustainable ways. Here, Rob
Russell, Industry Solutions for the Consumer Goods and Retail practice of AT&T,
explains how the right mobility products and services can positively impact
your business, the environment and the economy.
How can communications providers help consumer goods (CG) com-
panies with their sustainability objectives?
Telecommunications services and solutions can save fuel costs, reduce emissions and reduce paper in field operations such as sales, merchandising, maintenance and repair, and fleet management. Specifically for fleet management,
a wireless service coupled with compatible GPS devices can provide commercial fleet managers with near real-time data that can improve dispatching and
routing efficiency, which can result in reduced drive time, mileage and fuel consumption. By using these wireless solutions, both the CG company and the environment can benefit. AT&T also provides GPS-enabled solutions that assist with
vehicle tracking, workforce management and engine diagnostics.
Aside from fleet management, what other sustainability solutions exist
in the communications market?
CG companies can reduce employee travel time and expenses with technologies such as video conferencing, network-based VPN, remote broadband access
and wireless capabilities. These solutions help keep employees productive on
the road, bringing work to the employee instead of bringing employees to work.
ROB RUSSELL,
Industry Solutions
for the Consumer
Goods and Retail
practice, AT&T
“Telecommuni-
cations services
and solutions
can save fuel
costs, reduce
emissions
and reduce
paper in field
operations…”
To read this article
in its entirety, visit:
www.consumer
goods.com/BTL
July09
Video conferencing technology, like the AT&T
Telepresence solution, creates high quality, in-per-son experiences that are a much more acceptable
substitute for travel. For global CG brands and
multi-national marketing campaigns, this can help
improve productivity and time to market while also
reducing emissions and fuel consumption.
Centralized Internet Data Centers can often use
energy more efficiently and enable “cloud computing” using a service called Synaptic Hosting
from AT&T. This allows capacity to be modulated
for demand and also allows users to plug into the
system — wherever they are in the world — and
seamlessly gain access to the full range of available applications.
Other solutions, like virtual call centers, can
reduce employee commuting and make domestic employees a more cost-effective alternative.
Telemetry and machine-to-machine communication can also be used to prevent unnecessary
maintenance visits to ice cream freezers or vending machines.
AT&T also supports smart grid solutions, which
allow utilities companies and their customers to
closely monitor energy use and cut back when the
availability of electricity is stretched to its limit.
Smart grids depend on two-way communications
between the devices producing, distributing and
consuming electricity. We are collaborating with
companies to provide this two-way connectivity.
