[March 02, 2005] Alvarez Technology Group Automates Customer Support and Enables Information Portability Using UniPress Software's FootPrints Web-Based Service Desk Solution Tweet EDISON, N.J. --(Business Wire)-- March 2, 2005 -- Leading Central California IT Consulting Firm Customizes Services, Improves Client Satisfaction, and Streamlines Operations with 100% Web-based Tracking and Automation Software UniPress Software, Inc., a leading provider of web-based service desk automation software targeting the mid-market, today announced that Alvarez Technology Group, Inc. (ATG), a professional information technology (IT) services company, has selected FootPrints(R) to streamline internal operations and to help deliver custom service and support to its customers. The web-based service desk provides a centralized platform that allows ATG to create individual projects for more than 100 clients within FootPrints. Within these projects, agents and customers can log and resolve all types of service requests, while utilizing FootPrints as the reporting engine to drive ATG's billing operations. By using the extensive reporting capabilities of the system, ATG can generate detailed information that supports the work done for each client, ensuring service levels and guaranteeing that all billing is accurate. ATG cites FootPrints' ease-of-use, web-based architecture, and its low total cost of ownership as the primary factors behind its selection. ATG manages 135 projects within FootPrints, and fields up to 500 service requests per month from its diverse client base. Each project contains client-specific business rules, escalation criteria, and drop-down menus. Founded in 2001, ATG has rapidly grown to become a leader in providing leading edge, cost-effective information technology solutions to a growing list of clients throughout the Central Coast Region in California. With this growth came the challenge of effectively managing increased client service and support volumes. ATG replaced a support system that involved a multitude of applications and manual processes with FootPrints, citing the product's built-in centralized issue tracking, multi-project configuration, knowledge management, time-tracking, and reporting features as reason for the change. Additionally, FootPrints fully supports ATG's Mozilla Firefox(R) browser environment, enabling agents to access the service desk inside the office or on-site at the customer's facility. "By implementing FootPrints, we are now able to track the work we do for each customer by creating a specific, fully customized project partition within the service desk for that client," explained Luis M. Alvarez, President and CEO at Alvarez Technology Group. "This capability allows us to capture information relevant to each client and deliver highly specialized service. Additionally, we use the system to track our time and run reports that drive our billing processes. Since implementing FootPrints, we have recognized an increase in employee productivity, agent efficiency, and overall client satisfaction." The easy-to-use, 100% web-based design of the FootPrints product allows ATG field consultants to document all updates in real-time. This makes ATG's billing process and billing management more efficient, while saving time and money for the organization. Most important, however, it improves the overall satisfaction of the customer, as problems are resolved quicker. "The portability of information is very important to us because most of our engineers go on site to fix a problem," said Mr. Alvarez. "Before FootPrints, they had to come back to the main office and spend additional time writing up paperwork. Now with FootPrints, they can document all updates in the system while on site. This factor alone has significantly increased our efficiency and productivity levels." Unlike other customer support automation tools in the market, FootPrints enables ATG to have multiple-partitioned projects, with customized interfaces, at no additional cost. This flexibility allows ATG to increase service levels, offer more support options, and reduce incident handling costs. Overall, FootPrints allows ATG to provide the maximum benefit to their customers, while minimizing the need to engage a live agent. ATG has found FootPrints to be so effective within its own business that it has decided to offer the solution to its customers who will use it to power their own internal help desks. Under this arrangement, ATG simply "rents" FootPrints to its customers, saving both parties time, money, and resources. ATG also plans to utilize additional features offered with FootPrints, including two-way email management and numerous self-service tools such as the product's eService portal, custom knowledge bases, and online frequently-asked-questions (FAQs). The FootPrints line of web-based service desk products and services helps organizations of all sizes streamline and automate their help desk and customer support operations. FootPrints software's signature 100% web-based and easy-to-use design gives organizations a flexible and fully customizable framework for effective support automation. FootPrints technology is available in four versions, including FootPrints, FootPrints for eService, FootPrints for Exchange, and the FootPrints Hosting Service. The product line also includes numerous integrations for extended business value. For a complete overview of the FootPrints family of products, please visit www.unipress.com or call UniPress at 800.222.0550 or 732.287.2100. About Alvarez Technology Group Based in Salinas, California and serving the needs of the entire Central Coast, Alvarez Technology Group, Inc. provides the best technology solutions to its clients, including the integration of computers and telephones, network security and network management. Its mission statement: Helping Our Customers Identify & Achieve Their Information Technology Goals. About UniPress Software, Inc. Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, UniPress Software, Inc. is a developer of web-based service desk automation software serving mid-market companies, departments within large enterprise organizations, and small businesses. The company's FootPrints(R) product line, launched in 1996, provides a comprehensive range of capabilities to significantly improve help desk and customer support operations, and is widely used 2,000 plus corporate organizations, government offices, and educational institutions worldwide, including Prudential Financial, BHP Petroleum, IBM, Kampgrounds of America, UBS Capital Markets, Hunter Fan Company, the IRS, and the University of Pennsylvania. For more information, contact UniPress at 1-800-222-0550, or via the web at http://www.unipress.com. UniPress(R) Software and FootPrints(R) are Registered Trademarks of UniPress Software, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]