Golden Flake Snack Foods Launches Mobility Solution to Crunch $200K in Costs

18 Jan 2012

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How do you find an enterprise mobility solution that is designed to increase efficiency, boost morale and cut paper-related costs? Just ask Golden Flake Snack Foods.

The Birmingham, Ala.-based company with more than 3,000 employees, found such a solution with handheld computers running on the AT&T mobile broadband network and 24/7 live remote support from AT&T Tech Support 360(SM). Placed in the hands of nearly 600 sales representatives, whose job it is to closely monitor retail customers' shelves and keep fresh products stocked, the new devices have improved Golden Flake's ability to be faster, more efficient and accurate in their production and delivery of snack food products.

Key facts:

AT&T announced on January 18 an agreement with Golden Flake Snack Foods to equip their sales force with Intermec CN3e handheld computers.
An AT&T SIM card connected to the AT&T mobile broadband network allows the devices to remotely synchronize with database computers at Golden Flake's headquarters in real time, allowing them to purchase an optimal amount of potatoes and other ingredients while at the same time helping Golden Flake better provision for the freshness of their products on retail shelves.
AT&T also provides Golden Flake with AT&T Tech Support 360(SM), which offers 24/7 live remote support for a myriad of technical issues ranging from printer drivers to Wi-Fi connectivity and a variety of operating systems and hardware.
Golden Flake had previously used a handheld device with a 25K modem, on a network with limited bandwidth. Only 10 to 12 sales representatives could sync their devices at a time and the process took between five and 10 minutes to complete. Upload times had to be scheduled; sometimes as late as 10 p.m.
Device sync time has been reduced to two minutes or less.
In addition to increased speed, efficiency and improved customer service – Golden Flake estimates an anticipated annual savings of $200,000 due to reduced paper usage.

Quote: "Not only are our customers ecstatic that we're heading into the 21st century, but our sales reps are excited about getting a little extra sleep too," said Patty Townsend, CFO of Golden Flake Snack Foods.

"These new handheld computers are a positive investment in our company's future and we're already beginning to see the benefits in terms of time and paper saved, in addition to increased employee satisfaction."

Source: AT&T Inc.