Sangoma.com SOLUTIONS Target Marketing found the right solution for their business communication needs with Switchvox, the flagship Unified Communications platform from Sangoma. And to complete their solution, they paired dozens of Sangoma's award-winning D- Series IP phones to enable easy access from anywhere in their facility. CHALLENGES A full-service marketing firm focused on the healthcare, automotive, and academic industries, Target Marketing found that the time was right for a new, modern business phone system that was compatible with their Apple operating systems. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• CaseStudy Target Marketing Upgrades Communications with Switchvox The Customer Based in Ashland, Virginia, Target Marketing sources the highest quality marketing products to help their clients be seen and remembered. Experts in the delivery of operational supplies and equipment, brand experience, and promotional marketing, Target Marketing's core markets and areas of most expertise are the health care, automotive, and academic sectors. Business Challenges Timing is everything – especially for a growing small business that needs a better business phone system for its new office location. For Target Marketing, a promotional marketing and fulfillment company, the decision to finally upgrade could not have come at a better time. They knew that a replacement for its aging phone system was long overdue. The company had been using a legacy phone system for over two decades and it no longer could receive service or support. The need for greater functionality in their business telecommunications resulted in serious research into what options were available. Many competing solutions were in the mix for consideration. “The current system was running steady but we needed more features, especially in the Unified Communications arena,” says systems administrator Ryan Buffa. “We have about twenty-five employees and needed converged phone capabilities with the option for softphones. We were also looking for a system with a computer user interface (UI), thorough reporting resources, multiple IVRs and call queues, and mobile phone apps. We were not getting that from the existing system.” As a company operating within the Apple ecosystem, Target Marketing was quickly able to eliminate many providers because they run a Windows only-based client that would not be compatible with their internal operations.
Transcript
Sangoma.com
The Solution from Digium, a Sangoma CompanyBosselman management was familiar with both Digium and
Cisco systems. Their IT director had even implemented a Digium solution at his prior job. In comparing features sets, Bosselman’s management team for the project found aspects of both they liked. When it came to comparing price, however, the all-inclusive feature set of Switchvox versus the pricey, a la carte, pay-per-feature approach of Cisco made it an easy choice. Digium won hands-down.
Originally, the Bosselman corporate of�ce consisted of over 140 employees, including mobile users. Shortly after implementation of their Switchvox phone system began, they added a 10-man call center, bringing the employee count up to around 150.
They wanted the �exibility of having all calls come into a centralized location but needed an easy user interface in which the receptionist could simply drag and drop calls into any number of call queues or IVRs. They wanted to be able to direct calls to speci�c departments, like the executive of�ces or the call center, while also being able to ring employees working from home, or push calls out remotely to workers in the �eld via cellphone, something they were unable to do with the old Shoretel system.
“Management wanted every phone to ring at least four times at a desk before rolling over to the employee’s cell phone,” Seaton says. “With the older system, this wasn’t possible.”
The Results“Now the calls can be forwarded to voicemail, which is available no matter where the employee is located, whether they are in a meeting, out of the of�ce, on vacation, or working from home,” Seaton reports. “The caller never knows the employee isn’t in the of�ce and the employee can prioritize the calls they answer based on caller ID.”
The implementation of Switchvox at the corporate of�ce was successful and, as it turns out, also planted seeds for the future.
“They are quite blown away by all the functionality—some they asked for speci�cally, but a lot more they really didn’t know they would have, and more still that they just have not yet ventured to use,” says Brad Osbourne, senior IT Manager for Bizco.
The opportunity to use Switchvox in the company’s new call center also presented some interesting options for Bosselman. For instance, both big box and proprietary software packages, such as CRM software for call centers, integrate easily with Switchvox to provide immediate access to caller account information.
Bosselman is researching these types of software options as well as exploring other advanced Switchvox features as a way to help improve operations at the call center.
“They have whisper listening on their radar; in fact they actually have the ability to do it, as well as call recording, both which are excellent training tools for a call center environment,” says Osbourne.
The company is also excited to build out an infrastructure that will accommodate IP phones in every remote Bosselman location across the country, all connected through Switchvox. The plan, according to Osbourne, is to connect all their remote locations through the central Switchvox solution in Grand Island. Because of the number of locations, it is an ambitious plan that takes a great deal of planning, but it will be a major accomplishment for Bosselman.
Fortunately, Switchvox is a powerful but �exible UC solution that can be built out across the entire Bosselman network to link all of its locations to the corporate of�ce. It is just another reason why Bosselman Enterprises considers Switchvox the best choice in communication solutions.
The PartnerBizco Technologies is a preferred partner with Digium, a Sangoma Company. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bizco offers their customers a number of IT services and integrated AV solutions. One of their best-selling business communications systems is Digium’s Switchvox UC solution.
SOLUTIONSTarget Marketing found the right solution for their business communication needs with Switchvox, the flagship Unified Communications platform from Sangoma.
And to complete their solution, they paired dozens of Sangoma's award-winning D-Series IP phones to enable easy access from anywhere in their facility.
CHALLENGESA full-service marketing firm focused on the healthcare, automotive, and academic industries, Target Marketing found that the time was right for a new, modern business phone system that was compatible with their Apple operating systems.
CaseStudyTarget Marketing Upgrades Communications with Switchvox
The Customer
Based in Ashland, Virginia, Target Marketing sources the highest quality marketing products to help their clients be seen and remembered.
Experts in the delivery of operational supplies and equipment, brand experience, and promotional marketing, Target Marketing's core markets and areas of most expertise are the health care, automotive, and academic sectors.
Business Challenges
Timing is everything – especially for a growing small business that needs a better business phone system for its new office location. For Target Marketing, a promotional marketing and fulfillment company, the decision to finally upgrade could not have come at a better time. They knew that a replacement for its aging phone system was long overdue. The company had been using a legacy phone system for over two decades and it no longer could receive service or support.
The need for greater functionality in their business telecommunications resulted in serious research into what options were available. Many competing solutions were in the mix for consideration.
“The current system was running steady but we needed more features, especially in the Unified Communications arena,” says systems administrator Ryan Buffa. “We have about twenty-five employees and needed converged phone capabilities with the option for softphones. We were also looking for a system with a computer user interface (UI), thorough reporting resources, multiple IVRs and call queues, and mobile phone apps. We were not getting that from the existing system.”
As a company operating within the Apple ecosystem, Target Marketing was quickly able to eliminate many providers because they run a Windows only-based client that would not be compatible with their internal operations.
The CustomerBosselman started in 1948 as a single truck stop known for its delicious food in Grand Island, Nebraska. Today Bosselman Enterprises, now one of the most successful businesses in the Midwestern United States, is a conglomerate made up of two divisions: retail and energy.
The retail side consists of more than 40 “Mayberry-style” Pump & Pantry fuel stops; hundreds of Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J Travel Plazas; over 40 Boss Shop automotive service centers; dozens of hotel franchises; as well as dozens of Grandma Max’s restaurants and diners; and food courts and various other roadside eateries.
In the energy division, Bosselman owns a complete fuel distribution, logistics, and transportation system across the Midwestern United States, including gas, propane, diesel, jet fuel, lubricant products, tanks, trailers, and parts.
Business ChallengesIn the search to replace their existing Shoretel phone system, Bosselman requested bids from several solution providers, including Digium and Cisco.
One of the resellers they approached was Bizco, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, who specializes in the Switchvox Uni�ed Communications (UC) platform. According to Tim Seaton, Senior Business Development Manager at Bizco Technologies, Bosselman was operating with a sophisticated IP infrastructure for data when they contacted him about a new VoIP system.
“The problems were mounting with their existing hybrid Shoretel digital phone system, which offered only partial voice IP capabilities and no IVR functionality at all,” Seaton says. “They were looking for more functionality, additional features, affordability, and an easy end-user interface.”
The Solution from Sangoma
Instead, Target Marketing, who manages online company stores and incentive programs for their clients, found the Switchvox option offered by Sangoma highly appealing. With a reputation for providing the most flexibility and UC versatility on the market today, Switchvox also holds a price point advantage that is consistently around 30% less than the average brand name telephony solution.
Although other projects delayed the initial, planned upgrade to a new system, the problems with the old phone system could no longer be ignored once the company decided to move into a new office building. After making the call to build out a new VoIP infrastructure, Target Marketing contacted CBSI, the Sangoma partner also based in Ashland. "Several vendors offered good products and could do the job, but looking at our budget of around $15,000, Switchvox continued to look better and better,” Buffa says.
CBSI offered Target Marketing a demo system, but Buffa purchased a smaller Switchvox appliance and installed it at their old location to test. “I decided to pull the trigger and hook up a couple of generic IP phones and a conferencing system to test the system over the next few weeks. I’m glad I did because it reassured me we had made the right decision.”
The timing could not have been better when Target Marketing finally moved into their new location. They were considering their options for purchasing business phones to go with the Switchvox system when CBSI mentioned that Sangoma offered IP phones designed for Switchvox.
“CBSI came out and did a demo of their new phones, and we were sold. They have a lot of the upfront programming already pre-configured. So all you have to do is plug in the phones, and the system recognizes them. We were ready to go.”
Target Marketing purchased nearly 40 Sangoma D-Series IP phones to complete their solution.
“Management demands that our customers always get a live person when they call during business hours,” says Buffa, “so in spite of having 25 employees, the additional sets are used all over the facility from the break room to the conference room and public areas. There is nowhere inside or even outside the building where a call cannot be answered, and there’s no reason for them to ever go to voicemail due to our extra phones sets, the convergence capability, softphones, and mobility.”
The extra phones and functionality add up to better customer service, with Target Marketing boasting 99% answerability.
The Results
One of the most widely used and highly regarded Switchvox features for Target Marketing is the ability to set up numerous IVRs and call queues. Target Marketing runs company online stores and websites for a number of their clients. They take orders, fulfill those orders, and ship from their location, so if you call and order company logo wear for XYZ Company, Target Marketing has a separate IVR for XYZ Company as well as for every individual client they represent.
According to Jamie Stapleton, president of CBSI, the nature of Target Marketing’s business exemplifies the power of Switchvox’s inbound call distribution capabilities. “They have a ton of IVRs. They do not operate like a call center but, instead, have sales support teams for every client. When calls for that client come into the queue, they are immediately routed to the right department and representatives.” This also helps the receptionist by distributing calls accordingly so she can answer only general inquiries.
“There are no additional licensing fees like there are with other systems where you incur additional costs for every little add-on. All that is included in Switchvox,” Buffa says.
“Also, one of the things I like as a systems administrator is how easy Switchvox is to configure. It is much easier than other systems I demoed, and everything is easy to customize to meets your company’s needs. I more or less set up and implemented the system myself with only a little technical help from CBSI, he says. “We shut down on a Friday afternoon to move and I came in on Saturday to do some set-up. We were running at full capacity Monday morning.”
That ease of configuration along with the many other advantages realized with the Switchvox system are not only validation of the company’s decision to go with Sangoma, but it’s a nice operational win for both Target Marketing and all the clients they service.
“Combine all the benefits we required, add the new D-Series phones, and include the ease of implementation, and you have a very happy customer,” says Buffa.
About Sangoma
Sangoma Technologies is a trusted leader in value-based Unified Communications (UC) and UC as a Service (UCaaS) solutions. Sangoma has the products, the people, and the proven track record to help your business shine with the latest communications and collaboration technology.If you’re looking for a Unified Communications platform that delivers advanced features, flexibility, and high performance, you’ll find it at Sangoma.
