OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 20, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) today announced its participation in this year’s Small Business Saturday, November 24, 2012 — a day dedicated to strengthening the community by supporting local, independently-owned small businesses.
American Express, a founding partner of Small Business Saturday, is preparing for the third annual initiative. Sprint and other participating companies recognize the importance of supporting small business in cities across the country, the jobs they help create and the culture they instill in local communities. According to the Small Businesses Association, small businesses nationwide have accounted for 65% of net new jobs created over the past 17 years and represent 99.7% of all employer firms.
Keeping it simple to sustain a small business
To cut through the challenges of running a small business, Sprint recently refreshed its portfolio of customized services for today’s small businesses.
- Phone solutions to equip small businesses with wireless connectivity like Sprint® Direct Connect® and wireline solutions like Sprint Phone Connect
- Specialized IT Care customized to small business needs
- Connectivity and connectivity backup solutions
- Productivity solutions that let employees do more from more places
- Affordable prices and specialized plans that give businesses contract flexibility, pooling options and cost savings
“Cutting through the complications of buying communications gear is a challenge for small businesses,” said Jaime Jones, senior vice president-Consumer Sales. “Our portfolio of small business solutions makes it easier. Demand continues to be strong for both individual business features and full-on bundles.”
Jones added that Sprint continues to update the small business portfolio with cutting-edge smart phones, flexible rate plans, slashed upgrade fees, useful applications and 3G/4G embedded devices.
Sprint services for small businesses are available in Sprint Stores or can be ordered by calling 1-877-924-9360. Sprint also makes it easy for small business customers to customize and buy online at www.sprint.com/smallbusiness. The customized website allows customers to assess their specific business needs against a backdrop of like-minded small businesses.
Getting involved in Small Business Saturday
American Express has created a variety of ways to help raise awareness about the importance of supporting small businesses and motivate consumers to Shop Small®. Small business owners and their supporters can visit ShopSmall.com to take advantage of some of these tools, including:
- Free online advertising for qualifying small business owners
- Social media tools to help local businesses spread the word about Small Business Saturday
- Personalized point-of-purchase materials for small business owners to show their involvement in the program
- Searchable map where consumers can search for American Express Card accepting small businesses near them
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 nearly 56 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2012 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. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 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.
About American Express OPEN®
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at OPEN.com and connect with us at openforum.com, facebook.com/Open, smallbusinesssaturday.com, twitter.com/OPENForum, twitter.com/shopsmall and linkedin.com/company/american_express_open. American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.
About Small Business Saturday
November 24th marks the third annual Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers. More than 2.7 million Facebook users, 230 public and private organizations, 75 corporations and elected officials in all 50 states and Washington D.C. declared their support for Small Business Saturday last year. More than 500,000 small business owners leveraged an online tool or promotional materials for Small Business Saturday, 15,000 businesses signed up for free Facebook advertising to promote their products and services in the run up to Small Business Saturday. American Express is the founding partner of Small Business Saturday.
Contact(s):
| Sprint Mark Bonavia, 913-269-0436 mark.bonavia@sprint.com |
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