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SupportSOS closing in on record year for revenue; lands new hires, new awards, new building
« Back to NewsroomSacramento, CA - OCTOBER 8, 2007 - As it gets ready to celebrate its 15th anniversary this month, business voice and data systems expert SOS is on track for another record year of success. The company expects to beat its revenue goal of $11.5 million, up from $9.5 million for the previous fiscal year, and $8.7 million the year before. With a full-time staff of 40, including six new hires in the last 60 days and two additional hires coming in October, SOS has outgrown its Rocklin headquarters. The company is preparing to move to a much larger space in Loomis.
And the company continues to add to its list of accolades. Cisco Systems awarded SOS its Customer Service Excellence designation again in 2007. The Sacramento Business Journal named SOS one of Sacramento's 100 Fastest Growing Companies again in 2007. One SOS client, VEGAS.com, was honored in August for having the most innovative call center technology solution in North America.
Lawrence McNutt, co-founder of SOS, has transitioned to the newly created post of chief technology officer.
“SOS is growing very fast in a very difficult industry. We have grown to a point where we need a senior person in the company solely focused on making sure our clients’ and our internal teams’ needs are being met,” said McNutt, who had been serving as director of professional services.
Rob Thornton, who had been wearing two hats -- as business practice manager for a new unit that will be announced later this year, and business practice manager for Cisco products -- is now focused entirely on the new unit. Mike Stewart, who already has been one of SOS’s senior Cisco resources, takes over as Cisco business practice manager.
The business practice managers at SOS spend about 70 percent of their time engineering, and 30 percent managing and mentoring the other members of their teams. It’s up to the BPM to develop and enforce best practices, and lead by example.
Thornton, who joined the company in 1999, is a never-say-die team member.
“He cannot stand by if a client is having a severe issue, even while on vacation,” says SOS co-founder and CEO Gia McNutt. That dedication has earned him the respect and admiration of his team and the entire company.
Stewart has been with SOS for six years, but has been in the telecom industry since 1981. In addition to his decades of experience installing PBX and Key telephone systems, he has acquired certifications for Cisco CIPT 3.0, Cisco DQOS, Cisco IPCC Express, Cisco IPTT and CCIE Voice Written. He has been the lead engineer on VOIP projects of all sizes.
When SOS hosts its 15th anniversary celebration the week after next, it plans to honor a number of clients. Many of its 200-plus clients have been with the company for over a decade. Many were early adopters of IP communications (also called VoIP, IP telephony, or converged communications) among small and midsize businesses.
Those ranks are swelling. According to a 2007 study by Infonetics Research, enterprise adoption of VoIP technology in North America will double by 2010, with almost half of small and two-thirds of large organizations in North America be using it by then.
“Many industry experts think we’ve reached a ’tipping point,’ and the rate of adoption will likely increase from here,” said Gia McNutt. “SOS is uniquely positioned to meet the rising demand for VoIP among businesses.”
For those who haven’t made the switch yet, SOS’s most popular Business Brief, “Secrets of the Pros: The SOS IP Communications Checklist,” sets out the seven key steps to transitioning successfully to IP, how to calculate the cost of ownership and return on investment, and the 14 things experienced buyers consider as they approach an IP telephony system acquisition. The Business Brief -- and a dozen other tools for business and technology decision makers – is available for free at www.team-sos.com.