APPEAR NETWORKS

Retail, Leisure & Hospitaliy

Administrator — 2006-01-10T16:56:44Z

Retail

Location based applications from Appear Networks are currently helping to provide end-to-end marketing solutions that improve customer experience in retail environments by simultaneously creating operational efficiencies and productivity improvements throughout the industry. This allows shoppers to have continuous access to information pertaining to special offers and the explanation of products, while allowing them to obtain instant answers to questions they may have regarding the products and services on offer.

The retail world is advancing rapidly, and some of the current trends in the industry include the following:

Retailers and consumers are demanding the ability to communicate with each other through the network based on their location, user profile and the time of day
The customer experience is rapidly developing into a full service marketing deployment aimed at the consumer
Customers are demanding access to more detailed information which addresses their specific needs

The challenges facing retailers with regards to keeping up with these trends consist of the following:

The need for the intelligent use of staff resources by allocating tasks like logistics and maintenance to specific employees
The requirement for security personnel, in the case of shoplifters for example, to receive video messages of any suspects to be automatically pushed to their device through a network
The need for sales teams to instantly collect data regarding their in store merchandise and the accuracy of sales

Through the deployment of Appear IQ, retailers can solve the above challenges through:

Location-based content which allows information such as special offers and detailed retailer information to be automatically pushed to a shopper as they move about the store
Time-based content allowing shoppers to be alerted to offers or products available at a specific time
Profile-based content allowing retailers to hold information about individual shoppers which can be retrieved by the Appear platform and used to deliver personalized marketing offers to shoppers.

Telecom & Service Providers

Administrator — 2006-01-10T16:52:40Z

The telecommunications industry and the service providers who serve the day to day needs of the average consumer need to be at the forefront of the communications industry. Wireless services that go beyond basic connectivity are becoming more crucial to their daily operations, making it possible for them to serve their customers efficiently and promptly, while allowing the companies to maintain effective revenues and increase employee productivity.

Some of the challenges facing the industry include:

The maintenance of the average revenue per user
The reduction of customer churn
The support of fixed-mobile convergence

Current trends and requirements within the telecommunication and service provider industries include:

Value added services that go beyond basic connectivity
Voice and data services that allow for operators to generate new source of revenues
More personalized services in order to boost customer loyalty

Appear Networks is able to provide telecommunication companies and service providers with the following solutions to the above challenges:

The Appear Context Engine enables the rapid development and deployment of innovative data services
The Appear Context Engine creates a customized interface with the customer allowing them to Click and Run™. The interface can be branded to make it more client focused, while the context-aware applications allow for better tailoring to specific customer and user requirements
The Appear Context Engine creates a unified fixed mobile experience by adapting internally to user context. For example, an office worker is able to have the same experience whether he is sitting at his desk or walking to a meeting using his PDA

A New Mobility Paradigm: Creating Wireless Workspots

Administrator — 2005-12-27T19:00:13Z

Consider for a moment the customer information officer deployed in a metropolitan railway station. If he is on the track, available to answer questions from commuters, he is cut off from the constantly changing information on connections, delays and departures. To be connected to this vital data, he must be located behind a computer terminal away from the commuters. In either situation, employee effectiveness and customer satisfaction are noticeably reduced.

The broad deployment of wireless data networks, such as WLAN, WiMax, GPRS, UMTS and the availability of inexpensive hand-held wireless devices have begun to solve the problem. However the simple creation of wireless-enabled business environment is not enough to cost-effectively increase the productivity of mobile frontline employees. Because they are constantly moving, these frontline workers need to access information differently than a co-worker seated in front of a PC. Mobile users are faced with dynamic time and event-related tasks. They need to access information quickly, without the complexities of using a search engine, moving between files or executing complicated downloads. Furthermore, they can’t afford the administrative headaches associated with managing the data and applications loaded on their devices.

What they need is to turn the standard wireless hotspot into an intelligent workspace: the Workspot. In a Workspot, a visitor or an employee can access location and time-sensitive information onto his mobile device. In contrast with a standard hotspot, where only simple internet browsing and emailing can be performed, a Workspot can deliver a much wider range of applications related to local business processes and customers needs.

Appear IQ is a wireless communication platform designed to meet the needs of these mobile frontline workers and facilitate their successful use of technology. The platform adds an additional layer of computing intelligence to standard wireless data networks, transforming them into channels for delivering relevant data, mission critical video, and facilitating communication via Voice Over IP (VoIP). The key is Appear IQ’s ability to recognize and anticipate the needs of mobile workers based on their job responsibilities, physical location, time-of-day, device type and more. The platform proactively pushes personalized, real-time information to the user’s handheld device whenever they enter or move between authorized wireless zones. Data is displayed in a user-friendly format using simple, straightforward icons that encourage user adoption of the technology. The provisioning of new applications and the synchronization of data is conducted automatically whenever necessary, without impact on the user. The end result is a successfully deployed mobile workforce with more productive frontline employees, a drop in the cost of operating their handheld devices, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Enhancing Security and Customer Information with Wi-Fi Services

Administrator — 2005-11-17T13:14:16Z

Travel and Transportation requires extensive communication capabilities in order to link multitudes of potential users with different needs, whether they are employees maintaining the facilities in stations or ports or on board airplanes, trains, or automobiles, security personnel relying on wireless cameras, or customer service personnel delivering the latest disruption and timetable information to passengers. An increasing number of transportation companies are adopting wireless broadband for their evolving communication needs.

Trends within the travel and transportation industry are making increasing demands on seamless communication for operatives. Specific drivers include:

An increasing number of mobile employees require wireless terminals that allow them to be connected to the central communication platform when they are on the job (the Wireless Workforce)
Vehicles are accessing more intelligence and demanding onboard connectivity
Customers are expecting value added services to go beyond basic transportation information and to allow them access to real time information, instantly

Some of the challenges that transportation companies are facing in order to deliver on these demands include:

Transportation companies need to manage large fleets of heterogeneous devices over several different types of IP networks, including fixed networks, WLAN and GPRS
Systems need to be able to support mobile applications in buildings (stations, airports) and on board vehicles or aircraft
Transportation companies need to be able to provide mobile related services to public users based on the same infrastructure available for private services

Appear Networks presents the following solutions to the above issues:

The Appear IQ platform manages large fleets of mobile devices with its Appear Sync Module and/or the Appear Provisioning Module depending on the parameters
The Appear Context Engine distributes content and services onboard vehicles via the Appear Proxy
The Appear Context Engine delivers new services to passengers with its Over The Air Push Module

For more information on how the implementation of Appear IQ assists transportation companies with improving customer services, maintenance, and security, please click here. Read More >