Cox Business Speeds Service Order Process With Registered E-Mail Solution

Cox Creates Easy, Reliable and Efficient Option for Customer Contract Execution

ATLANTA - Cox Business announced today that it will offer a registered e-mail solution to expedite the processing of service orders previously executed with paper contracts sent via mail or fax. The new capability is designed to make business transactions more efficient and convenient for the customer and to reduce the use of unnecessary paper.

Cox has already begun deploying the solution in individual markets. All Cox service areas will be operational with the new capability by the end of June.

The Registered E-mail® solution is provided by RPost®, a leader in managed outbound electronic messaging. It allows Cox Business to close contracts by e-mail and provides the assurance of “legal proof” via an electronic audit trail that records the delivery transaction, electronic signature, content of the electronic contract and official time the deal was closed. The electronic process expedites service order completions by eliminating fax and mail delays and accelerates bookings for revenue recognition purposes. The RPost service does not require software downloads or clicking-through to Web sites to function, allowing Cox customers to conveniently utilize this capability from any e-mail service.

“Cox Business’ move to electronic contracting eliminates complexity for our customers and allows them to be more productive by enabling an inexpensive close-by-e-mail solution,” said Bob Hattori, vice president of operations, Cox Business. “As a service provider, we also have the potential to cut days off the order process by eliminating the need for our business customers to print contracts, sign in ink and fax or mail them back.”

At its core, RPost’s pay-as-you-go services include legal proof of e-mail content, delivery and time-stamping. Expanded services include eContracting and e-signing, end-to-end e-mail encryption, PDF conversion, information leak protection by metadata scrub, and the ability to add blind content to copied recipients. Offered at a flat per e-mail price, which is about the cost of a postage stamp, RPost services have been tested, accredited and have been used daily by the U.S. federal government since 2003.

“While e-mail is used widely across corporate America, most professionals still print contracts, sign them manually and ship them via express delivery. With RPost, businesses can save time and money, and minimize paper waste by using e-mail for even the most significant communications,” states Zafar Khan, CEO of RPost. “Our customers focus on the benefits of closing the deal faster, cutting costs, and maintaining a robust electronic record. RPost automatically returns a transaction and e-signature record in the form of a Registered Receipt™ e-mail that can be authenticated at any time and therefore is admissible should a legal challenge arise.”

Cox Business provides a full portfolio of voice, data and video services to more than 240,000 business customers in Cox markets across the U.S., including small businesses, multi-location enterprises, regional healthcare providers and federal, state and local government organizations. In 2007, Cox became the first multiple system cable operator to enter the top tier of U.S. business Ethernet providers, according to Vertical System Group.