Customer Background
- Multi-location with 30,000+ total users
- Growing by more than 5% per year
- Cost savings result of more than $10,000 annually
Hiscall has several large, multi location clients. While each customer has individual needs, all have one thing in common – managing continuing expansion without a huge capital expenditure to replace aging equipment. Effective communication is vital to the business, but costs must be reduced.
The Challenges
“How Can We Manage Expansion and Still Lower Costs?”
Realizing their aging system was difficult to manage internally, the company’s IT and Executive Teams began searching for a better way to deal with their communications. Personnel did not have access to make internal changes, or a support agreement in place, so most service calls resulted in an invoice. Connectivity between locations was slow and unpredictable, negatively impacting network performance.
The client wanted to address all these issues with one affordable project, so they assembled a research team composed of IT, Accounting, and their receptionists from their various locations.
They began interviewing different companies early in 2012, and the team selected the NEC telephone system because of its price and features. They chose Hiscall because of the support Hiscall offered, and the team felt comfortable partnering with a Christian based company. They felt they could possibly work with Hiscall on future projects.
The Research team split implementation into three phases to ensure as little down-time as possible:
- Phase 1 – Upgrading their Internet/ Network Connectivity
- Phase 2 – Moving existing emergency/ security analog lines to new provider
- Phase 3 – Installing an NEC Unified Communications Phone system
According to their IT Team Leader, “We had a few issues along the way, but the Hiscall team was always ready to help.”
The Solution
“How can Hiscall help?”
Hiscall was instrumental both during the implementation and after. As the IT Leader recalls, “The [Hiscall] technicians came in often, before we actually implemented, to verify how things were set up and to be sure we were getting all the functions we wanted.”
Because the client had several different sites, each with its own individual requirements, it was vital to plan ahead of time to cover all bases and ensure a smooth transition. During the phone system installation, the client occasionally found things they wanted that the system didn’t do conventionally.
They handed those concerns over to the Hiscall technicians who were able to come up with solutions to achieve the requests. Says the IT Leader, “Our technician was really good about thinking outside the box for some of the challenging things we were trying to do.” Hiscall’s Carrier Services Specialist worked hand-in-hand with the Client’s team to smoothly implement the orders for new carrier services.
“We leaned heavily on her because she was familiar with all the different carriers and had an excellent rapport with everybody. She got things done quickly and relieved a lot of our stress,” the client noted.
They were particularly impressed with their salesperson who was involved with every aspect of the implementation. The IT Leader remembered that their salesperson was critical in the accomplishment of all their goals. The Client’s team appreciated that their Hiscall Sales Consultant was instrumental in helping them navigate through every aspect of the project.
The Results
“What Has Hiscall Done For Us?”
According to the CEO, “The new NEC solution has allowed our organization to continuously grow without having to worry about inadequate communication technology.”
- The phone system is easy to use. The new handsets are feature-rich allowing the receptionists to help callers more efficiently.
- Additional Training. Hiscall enabled the IT people to make some basic switch updates themselves.
- The NEC phone system also included some VoIP phones for them to try. They’re happy with these phones and expect to purchase primarily VoIP telephones in the future which will translate into significant savings in additional cabling.
- The Client has added a Hiscall Service Agreement to the solution. That has allowed them to control costs and resolve their issues quickly. They continue to maintain a close relationship with their Hiscall Salesperson. They appreciate her responsiveness.
What does this mean for the client?
Cost savings have been tremendous. They now have an upgraded phone system they can add to at any time with minimal cost, all supported with a Hiscall Support Agreement. Their IT Leader remarks, “We did all that and still saved more than $10,000 a year.”
