June 21, 2007
AT&T hires 2,000 temporary staff for iPhone launch
According to the The Wall Street Journal, in preparation for its exclusive launch of the cellphone industry's most anticipated device, AT&T is pulling out all the stops. It is adding about 2,000 temporary employees to cope with the influx of shoppers in the first few months. And it is planning for enhanced security to control the potentially large crowds and avoid thefts. Some sales agents expect to see people camping outside the night before.
... To guard against defects in the first wave of devices, AT&T has more than 200 testers around the country checking to make sure the phone works correctly in a variety of locations, from high-rise buildings, to freeways, to densely populated urban areas. Applehas conducted its own testing to iron out any software and hardware issues.
AT&T will offer the phones only in its roughly 1,800 company-owned stores, not through third-party dealers like RadioShack Corp. and Best Buy Co. Apple will carry it in its U.S. retail stores.
Both companies will make it available online, but AT&T won't do so initially. "We think it's a good idea to have people come into the stores and touch it, and see what other services AT&T has to offer," AT&T spokesman Michael Coe says."
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