CRN Exclusive: Telecom Expense Management Provider To Intro Mobile App At Intelisys' Channel Connect

Advantix Solutions will be unveiling a new mobile app that will put telecom expense reporting and data into the hands of enterprise customers this week at master agent Intelisys' annual Channel Connect Event.

Advantix Solutions, a provider of telecommunications consulting and management services, offers a Web-based portal for telecom expense management for business customers. Advantix ACT, the provider's mobile iteration of its Web-based solution, will give businesses access to communications management and reporting whenever and wherever they need it, said Matt Milhauser, vice president of strategy and innovation for Richardson, Texas-based Advantix.

Advantix ACT will allow managers and C-level executives to order new devices, generate help desk cases, and view communications usage patterns and trends to adjust spending or plan for the future, Milhauser said.

[Related: Intelisys Creates New Position To Help Service Providers Team With Channel Partners]

Once logged into the free app on any Android or iOS device, users can track expenses by seeing their voice service bill, including line times, so they can understand what is driving the cost, Milhauser said.

Managers have access to richer management capabilities on the go, he said. These users can view usage data broken up over a specific time frame, as well as divided up by users.

Executives will find the reporting features the most valuable, because they can pinpoint troublesome areas, like a user who consistently runs up higher costs than other users, Milhauser said.

"With one click, managers can respond to, comment on and send reports to other executives," he said.

Aside from reporting, the app is useful for technology procurement, like adding international features to their voice plans, he said.

"The app gives users the flexibility and freedom to administer mobility [features] wherever they are, so they are no longer chained to their desk," Milhauser added.

The app will open up new market opportunities for Intelisys' sales partners, said Mike McKenney, vice president of Supplier Sales for Petaluma, Calif.-based Intelisys.

’With industry trends moving ever more quickly toward an unwired world where the most agile companies continue to grow rapidly through a distributed mobile workforce, Advantix ACT is one of the latest examples of productivity tools designed to accelerate a successful migration. Intelisys is proud to partner with Advantix, a forward-thinking company," he said.

Mobile access was a sought-after feature from Advantix users. "We are really trying to increase the richness of available info to our clients as they become more mobile and do as much as we can to support our customers in the way they want to do business today," he said.

The app also includes an Ask Advantix button that allows users to reach the Advantix live-support help desk in one click if they have any questions regarding their telecom bill or usage, Milhauser said.

The ACT app will be continually developed over time, Milhauser said. "This is a living, breathing app that will be evolved along with our customer's business requirements," he said, noting that the app is currently in beta with several of Advantix's larger end customers. Advantix wants to observe how the app performs in complex data environments, he said.

"The feedback has been really positive so far. This app has really given users the flexibility to do what they need to do on the go," Milhauser said.

Advantix is also going public with its technology recycling program this week at Channel Connect in Napa, Calif. Among other efforts, Milhauser said, the provider is evaluating alliances with nonprofit organizations for repurposing mobile devices for donation.

PUBLISHED OCT. 5, 2015