Case Study
NBS VoICE utilized in a Small to Medium Sized Business (SMB) Application
FAMILY FORD
COMPANY PROFILE
NBS is a fully-integrated telecommunications service provider.
NBS Services include:
- Local and long distance voice
- Data and broadband connectivity (T1, DS3, Frame, MPLS, Ethernet, etc.)
- Hosted and IP trunking voice solutions for commercial and residential
customers
- Managed network solutions (monitoring and equipment)
- Integrated voice and data systems and related network devices
Family Ford is a new and used car dealership that has been in operation in Northern NJ since 1979. They offer a large inventory of new, pre-owned and commercial vehicles for sale or lease. The company is comprised of roughly 60 full and part time employees with staff spread out amongst their sales, finance, parts, service, and various other departments.
Tom Maino, the Operations Manager, was tasked with investigating the company's options for telecommunications services within and between all departments as well as to the outside world in general.
The company had been utilizing a basic multi-line telephone system with a limited set of features and which experienced technical problems on a regular basis. Each time these bugs in the system popped up, Tom had to troubleshoot with several different organizations to find a solution. "I found myself dealing with 3 different vendors when problems occurred, the hardware company, my phone carrier, and Verizon, all blaming each other," Tom explained. "I felt like I was always running around in circles with no help," he later added.
CUSTOMER NEEDS
Family Ford was looking for a modernized telephone system with additional end user features and call routing options. They wanted an Auto Attendant to help with the call flow, but also needed direct extension dialing. Additionally they had several different departments that would need to be accessible and different individuals within those departments that calls would need to be routed to. As with many businesses, depending on the time of day, their volume of calls would fluctuate, as would the final destination of each call based on who was available to answer at the time. The staff also determined that caller ID by name was preferred over caller number identification.
NBS’ STRENGTH AND DIFFERENTIATORS
NBS has a long history of supplying telecommunications systems solutions to small and medium sized businesses. The company started out as an interconnect, selling office telephone and PBX systems in the NY metropolitan area, beginning in 1984. They have years of actual hands on experience in equipment and service installation and an innate understanding of the SMB marketplace. Their evolution as a telecom service provider as well as ISP, CLEC and telecom carrier/reseller has given them the expertise and knowledge to create solutions customized to fit the needs of any client. NBS is a Certified Polycom Voice over IP (VoIP) Solutions Reseller and offers the company's SoundPoint IP telephones and SoundStation conference phones, in conjunction with their own NBS Voice over Internet Communications Exchange (V.o.I.C.E.) service. Together they make a powerful tool for reducing telecom spend and increasing overall business productivity. As Mr. Maino put it, "This phone system has endless capabilities and options to work with any business."
Additionally, NBS’ independence from a third party platform cannot be overstated. Most hosted voice providers utilize a third party platform (e.g. Broadsoft, Sylantro, Metaswitch, Cisco). When an end user approaches the typical hosted provider with a request for new or expanded functionality, that request has to get on the development queue at the underlying platform provider. NBS avoids this by having its own team of software developers in house. The NBS VoICE platform meshes development independence and advanced functionality with NBS’ ability to understand the language of PBX and phone system customers. This combination of skill sets and platform functionality results in the provisioning of a full array of customized features and benefits that other hosted providers simply cannot deliver.
INSTALLATION
Installation is different for every customer since there are varying feature sets that each will be implementing and utilizing. From cabling and wiring to integration of the required CPE and provisioning of the various service elements, NBS works with the customer to make the process as simple and painless as possible. Tom's description of the installation process is as follows: "As a whole the switchover was implemented seamlessly and the installation professionals were exactly that. They worked around my schedule and time line and their workmanship was of the highest standard. The installation process was smooth and painless and ended up exceeding all my expectations. After install and swap over the technicians stayed behind and came in the next day (a Saturday!) to make sure my staff was well educated and trained in the phone's operation.”
Another key element that differentiates NBS VoICE is its ability, once installed, to be custom tailored towards the unique needs and requirements of each individual customer. Family Ford had specific options and features that their end users needed to utilize, as well as a specific path they wanted for their call flows. However, once installed they found that small changes and adjustments were necessary. Again, here the service provided by the NBS technical staff was invaluable. The collaborative use of NBS VoICE Manager’s Administrative Portal, with its Call Flow Manger and Queue Manager tools, made the implementation of these changes quick and easy. "To this day we are tweaking the system to make my business run more efficiently, and as always NBS is there suggesting solutions and giving us guidance on the best way to get it all done" Tom stated. Service after the sale is another key element in the success of the installation process at Family Ford, and something NBS has been known for providing for many years.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The customer had a past experience dealing with his cable company for telecom services, but was ultimately disappointed in the quality of service and functionality of their system. This was the reason for his initial skepticism when presented with the concept of a hosted solution. However, after several meetings and demonstrations with the NBS sales staff he was convinced the new service could help his business. "After the initial quote I was able to see the cost savings but I was even more impressed with how much more added functionality I would be getting with the new service and system" Tom commented. "All in all, my experience with all the members of NBS has been a pleasant one, this has been the first time I have felt appreciated for my business after the sale. They went above the call of duty and made me feel like a valued client and not just a customer. Keep up the good work guys" he later added.
SERVICE:
- NBS Hosted VoICE
- NBS VoICE Manager
- Connectivity
EQUIPMENT:
- Polycom IP 321 Phones
- Polycom IP 450 Phones
- Polycom IP 650 6 Line Executive Phones
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