2 page Case Study - Posted 10/8/2009

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Zipper by Enfo

New Solution Helps Pilot Users at IT Company Save at Least 30 Minutes a Day

Zipper by Enfo employees often work away from the office and need easy access to corporate information. The company is evaluating Windows® phones with Windows Mobile® 6.5. With improved ease of handling and faster operation, Windows® phones are saving pilot users at least 30 minutes a day. Zipper plans to deploy the phones companywide and to recommend them to its customers.

Business Needs

Zipper by Enfo is an IT solutions provider that helps organizations achieve business efficiencies using Microsoft® software. Serving as consultants mainly to enterprise customers in the Nordic countries, Zipper specialists help customers adopt cost-effective IT infrastructure solutions. Mobile phones are integral to the company’s operation because its employees work more often from customer sites or from home than they do from the office.

I’m very pleased with the functionality of my Windows® phone with Windows Mobile 6.5. It’s easy to use with just one finger. I’m able to do tasks easier, faster, and with better quality.  Jerker Lund Key Account Manager Zipper by Enfo

A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Zipper has been a longtime user of phones running the Windows Mobile® operating system. When Windows Mobile 6.5 became available for evaluation, the company wanted to test its features, for use by Zipper employees and also for its customers. “We need to use the technology to learn what it does, how it works, and how it can best help our customers,” says Lund, “so we can do more to meet their needs.”

Solution

In July 2009, Zipper began evaluating Windows® phones with Windows Mobile 6.5 as part of a pilot program. Employees in the pilot are using HTC Touch Pro2 and HTC Touch Diamond2 phones.

Participating employees are taking advantage of the improved user interface. With touch and gesturing capabilities such as “tap” and “flick,” they save time accessing information and performing tasks. Using the enhanced Today Screen—the default screen of Windows Mobile 6.5 that brings key information together and allows quick access to core functions—they are able to see e-mail and calendar status at a glance. Also, the use of Windows Mobile 6.5 with Exchange Server 2007 speeds calendar access.

Zipper employees often test different mobile phones, and it can be time-consuming to move information from one phone to another. The new Microsoft My Phone service provides convenience by backing up data such as contacts and calendar items from the phone to the Web. For personal use, Zipper employees also take advantage of Windows Live™ Messenger for instant messaging, access to MSN® Money and MSN Weather, and the third-party Facebook Mobile application for social networking.

Zipper is using Windows® phones with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, which provides features including Single Number Reach, so calls to a single phone number can be routed to a user’s mobile phone, desk phone, and other configured phones simultaneously. The company will also upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and is looking forward to using it with Windows® phones. All Zipper employees will be given new Windows® phones as soon as they become available in Sweden.

Benefits

Zipper has realized a range of benefits from the Windows® phones. “I’m very pleased with the functionality of my Windows® phone with Windows Mobile 6.5,” says Lund. “It’s easy to use with just one finger. I’m able to do tasks easier, faster, and with better quality.” Specific benefits include:

• Improved user experience. Lund says the new touch-friendly navigation in Windows Mobile 6.5 offers “a much better experience because you can control the entire device with your thumb, and you don’t need a stylus anymore.” The new Today Screen, he notes, “makes it much faster for me to get to an application.” In addition, My Phone makes it simple for Zipper users to transfer information when they switch between phones that they are testing or if they lose a phone. Lund sums up the experience: “The Today Screen makes the phone very user-friendly, the touch capabilities make fast navigation possible, and overall performance is great.”
• Increased productivity through timesavings. Windows Mobile 6.5 offers faster browsing and faster switches between screens and applications, which helps Zipper employees save time and accomplish more. The improved calendar access through interoperability with Exchange Server 2007 makes it easier for employees to check meeting availability and resolve scheduling conflicts, even on the road. Overall, Lund says, “I’m able to save at least 30 minutes a day using the Windows® phone. This helps our business because we can do more to serve customers instead of struggling with our devices.” The use of Windows® phones with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 also provides benefits. For example, Lund says, “Single Number Reach will become very important when a customer needs to talk to a sales representative or an employee at a customer site needs to talk to a technician.”
• Personal as well as business use. Zipper employees are able to use the same phone for both work and play with Windows Mobile 6.5 because of features such as My Phone to back up personal data to the Web, the Facebook Mobile application, and Windows Live services. For example, Lund says, “I use my Windows® phone to access stock market and weather information, and I’m connected with my wife for instant messaging.” Employees are also looking forward to using Windows Marketplace for Mobile to find new applications for Windows® phones that will help improve Zipper business.
• Added security and peace of mind. With the My Phone service, Zipper employees can remotely lock and wipe a phone that is lost or stolen, so important personal or company information isn’t accessed by unauthorized users.

Because of its successful evaluation, Zipper will recommend the technology to its customers. Lund says, “I think this is a very good solution for our customers, and I’ll be saying to them, ‘Let’s go for Windows® phones.’”

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This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published October 2009