Sprint Announces IT Helpdesk for Small Businesses

24/7 IT support gives small businesses the same quality IT help as their big business brethren

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), March 22, 2012 – In this day and age, pretty much every small business has suffered an IT glitch – a PC on the fritz, a PDA that’s shot, a gummed up printer or application.

If the small business is lucky, there’s a resident tech guru to fix it. If not, some small businesses burn hours of down time waiting for so-called consultants, “amateur techies,” and gadget guys to help – some with little professional training, no insurance, expensive fees, and little hope of fixing the problem.

Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) thinks small businesses deserve better. Today, the company announces the availability of IT Helpdesk, a comprehensive portfolio of IT services tailored to troubleshoot and resolve issues with small businesses’ computers, PDAs and peripherals on both Sprint and non-Sprint devices. The solution is part of the Sprint Biz 360 portfolio www.sprint.com/biz360.

Around the clock every day, IT Helpdesk can assist with all types of software issues on Macintosh and Windows operating systems – from emergency nightmares to day-to-day issues. IT challenges targeted by IT Helpdesk from Sprint range from virus attacks to slow-running computers, setting up new email accounts, and integrating email with mobile devices.

Specifically, IT Helpdesk solutions include:

• 24×7 Remote Technical Support: Customers can choose to solve most problems just by talking with certified U.S. technicians by phone, live chat or remote screen sharing. More than 95 percent of all problems can be resolved by remote technical.
  • Operation system issues
  • Software support and installation
  • Hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting
• Onsite Support:Go online and request a locally certified and insured technician to be dispatched and arrive as soon as the same business day.
  • Onsite support is charged at a competitive hourly rate
• Data Loss Protection Guarantee: Certified protection against data loss during a troubleshooting session – up to $25,000 to retrieve the information.
• Computer Protection Software: Members of the IT Helpdesk Platinum plan also receive one free copy of security software that combines anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall capabilities. Huge savings compared to buying individual licenses for protection.
• Secure Online Data Backup: Under the Platinum plan, Sprint will provide unlimited data backup, file sync and share for one PC per employee/subscriber. No worries about exceeding storage capacity with this unlimited offer.

IT Helpdesk options

Gold Plan $19.99 monthly per user

• Unlimited Remote Technical Support
• Access to more than 14,000 onsite techs
• Numerous other helpful tools
• Data Loss Protection Guarantee

Platinum Plan $25.99 monthly per user

• Includes everything in the Gold Plan
• AVAS Security Software
• Unlimited data backup, file synchronization and sharing

Jaime Jones, Sprint senior vice president, said, “IT troubleshooting is as critical to a small business as it is to global enterprise. At stake are time, money and productivity losses when a glitch occurs. Small businesses are looking for a partner to help them fix it, and that’s where Sprint wants to be a leader for them with a differentiated and reliable IT solution.”

IT Helpdesk is a new offering under the umbrella of Sprint’s flagship small business solution, Sprint Biz 360. Other new services provided by Sprint Biz 360 include:

• Magmito for Business, which enables small business customers to build customized mobile applications (apps) to market their business and communicate with key stakeholders. The easy-to-use, Web-based app creation tool removes traditional barriers of cost, programming skillset required, and time to market, for small businesses to market via mobile on virtually any mobile device.
• Free 60-trials of top-of-the-line Sprint Biz 360 services
  • Sprint Workforce Locator to help small businesses locate, route and contact a mobile workforce
  • Nextmail & Next Mail Professional to increase productivity, simplify access and streamline business operations

Additional benefits of being a Sprint small business customer:

• Business Device Select, which gives small business owners special value pricing on Sprint’s widened portfolio of devices, including more than 50 phones for less than $99.

• Sprint Buyback Program lets small businesses offset the cost of new handsets by letting Sprint buy back their old ones – even if the phones come from other carriers. Some buybacks can result in credits as high as $250.
• No more upgrade fees. All corporate liable small businesses can waive their upgrade fees and pocket the savings.
• Flexible Business Rate Plans lets small businesses pool and share minutes among co-workers, so heavy using team members can dial up more minutes without fear of overages. Plus, Sprint’s industry-leading Unlimited Data offer comes standard for all small businesses.

For more information about the entire portfolio of products and solutions for Sprint Biz 360, click on www.sprint.com/biz360.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

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