VOICE NETWORKS

From the January 2007 
issue of Communications News

Firm dives into VoIP

General Pool & Spa, a wholesale distributor of swimming pool and spa supplies based in Rancho Cordova, Calif., was in an enviable, yet compromised position. The company enjoyed a large volume of incoming sales calls, spread out over several locations, but in some offices the sales reps might be swamped, while in others the reps could be sitting idle for far too much of the day.

“Last year, we couldn’t keep up with the incoming calls we were getting at our most populated locations,” says Joe Ragan, chief information officer for General Pool & Spa. “We had people scrambling to fulfill customer requests at some offices, while other offices were less busy. We looked to centralized technology as a solution to meeting our goal of total customer satisfaction.”

The company found that solution with an Internet protocol system from SOS, a Rocklin, Calif., company that provides voice, data and telephone management services for small and mid-sized businesses. The result? One big office that covers a large area to catch the rollover calls and automatically route them to the next available sales person in any of the offices.

“The IP telephony implementation easily paid for itself within 12 months,” says Ragan. “We could easily upgrade the system with new Cisco routers and switches on a Citrix environment for about the same amount of money we would’ve spent upgrading our existing phone system.

“By converging voice, data and business processes into one system, we have optimized our customer service performance, retained profitable customers and captured revenue opportunities that may previously have slipped between the cracks. Additionally, we plan to use the converged system to up-sell, cross-sell and personalize services for recurring revenue opportunities.”

The pool supplier explored solutions by other VoIP players before selecting SOS because of its previous experience designing and implementing IP telephony solutions. SOS recommended the Cisco AVVID solution, which includes an IP telephone system, an automated attendant, unified messaging, an IP contact center and a high-speed data network.

“Interconnections between branches are now seamless, the service is centrally located and all branches tap into it,” explains Ragan. “Most importantly, all routers and switches can handle the traffic levels. This single phone system practically manages itself. It ensures enhanced customer service, saves us money and eliminates our reliance on various system integrators.”

When General Pool & Spa opened a new branch in Nevada, it hired only one customer service rep, rather than the two or three who would have been needed previously. When a customer calls, she immediately reaches a customer service rep who can bring up the account, take the information, place the order or handle the inquiry. The system easily transfers customer queries through all branches with no loss of quality.

“We have been able to literally redeploy our existing group without moving the customer service reps anywhere,” says Ragan. “We are up to seven branches now, and have limitless options to tap into as we grow. We can hire the best talent anywhere in the country and easily integrate them into our system.

“At the same time,” he adds, “we can do the important task of evaluation: measuring the effectiveness, order numbers taken, number of phone calls received. Managing off-site is no longer a big deal, and we’re truly unlimited by geographical boundaries.”

For more information from SOS:
www.rsleads.com/701cn-251