Alltel Corp. Gets Standing ?Ovation?

Alltel Corp. of Little Rock recently began offering its “Business Ovation” product in Fayetteville and Fort Smith. The service allows firms to package their communications services on one digital T1 connection.

Alltel has promoted the product as a tool for cutting costs for businesses by “as much as 30 percent.” The idea is to hook up a firm’s local phone service, long distance and high-speed Internet access via the same connection. Small- to mid-sized businesses are the product’s target market.

Alan Hill, senior vice president and chief financial officer of thrift Benefit Bank in Fort Smith, said he was initially concerned about the complications of switching from Southwestern Bell. But, he said, Alltel made the change easy.

“They were very helpful customer service-wise,” Hill said. “We made the switch three months ago, and so far my cost savings has been about 20 percent.

“But the big thing has been the service issue. What I like about Alltel is when I call them, I can always get a person on the line to talk to. That makes me feel like someone has gotten my message and that our needs are being addressed.”

Alltel would not disclose the ballpark price range for Business Ovation. The cost, a company spokesman said, depends greatly on the connectivity speed and number of lines a customer wants.