Comprehensive IT for Business

 

 

 

 

General Pool & Spa is a wholesale distributor of swimming pool and spa supplies. Located in northern California, GP&S sells their products and services nationwide.

 

 

As an executive heading a booming mid-size pool and spa business, Joe Ragan, chief operating officer for General Pool & Spa, was drowning in sales calls. Ragan knew something had to give if his team was to keep up with the tidal wave of incoming sales phone calls and keep ahead of customer service requests.

"Frankly, last year we couldn't keep up with the amount of incoming phone calls we were getting," said Ragan. "When our sales people were busy on the phone at one of our offices, there wasn't anyone else to catch the roll-over calls. At the same time, we had people sitting idle at a different location. That's just not good business. Rather than hire additional sales people for the busy location or physically move people, we turned our sights to technology."

After researching various technology options, this leading northern California pool and spa provider turned to SOS to integrate IP Telephony into its customer service center.
 

 

 

Through consultation with SOS, Ragan saw that valuable sales calls could be captured through an IP Telephony solution which would allow them to have, in effect, one big office over many, many miles. This system would catch the roll-overs and automatically look for the next available sales person.

Traditionally, GP&S had to man the phone system from a location. With the SOS solution, they don't care where the customer service reps are and can utilize at-home reps from a different region.

"What was exciting for me was that this IP Telephony implementation easily paid for itself within 12 months," said Ragan. He added that part of the justification for diving into this project was the opening of a new office for GP&S, without having to hire 2-3 new customer service reps. "We literally redeploy our existing group without moving the customer service reps anywhere. GP&S was able to grow and not add labor to the growth.

By converging voice, data and business processes into one system, GP&S has optimized its customer service performance, retained profitable customers and captured revenue opportunities that may have slipped between the cracks before. Plus, GP&S plans to use the converged system to up-sell, cross-sell, and personalize services for recurring revenue opportunities.

The solution SOS recommended to GP&S utilizes the Cisco AVVID solution (Architecture for Voice Video and Integrated Data) which provides a comprehensive solution including an IP telephone system, automated attendant, Unified Messaging, IP Contact Center, and high speed data network. The new system leverages the business processes already in place and adds key functionality required to leverage all of GP&S's customer service team. This single phone system practically manages itself, ensures enhanced customer service, saves GP&S money, and eliminated the company's reliance on various systems integrators.

"SOS stood out from the pack with their no-nonsense, honest solution," said Ragan. "They were the only ones who had the right solution and sound advice - period." 
 

 

SOS helps organizations choose and use advanced communications technology to serve customers better, work smarter, and increase profits. SOS is a nationwide expert in voice and data solutions for business, including Voice over IP (VoIP). Since 1992, hundreds of businesses have chosen the SOS team for IP communications, call center technology, and network security solutions.

Clients can experience 100% return on investment in 6 to 36 months from SOS's simple, smart, secure technology solutions. In 2006 SOS was recognized yet again by the Sacramento Business Journal as one of the fastest growing companies in the region, a distinction SOS also earned in 2001, 1997, 1996, and 1995; named a Baby Blue Chip company by Prosper magazine, meaning SOS is one of the 10 area companies showing the most economic potential for 2007; and awarded the highest distinction within Cisco Systems' Channel Partner Program.

SOS is headquartered near Sacramento in Loomis, California. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.teamsos.com or call 916-632-8800 x 1711.