Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, Next Generation Vending and Food Service, Inc. is the premier provider of innovative and enticing vending, dining and refreshments for corporate and institutional environments. The company delivers full-service vending, a wide spectrum of fresh and fulfilling dining experiences, and office coffee services for thousands of clients in the United States. 

Next Generation’s Challenge:

The company had an aging PBX phone system prone to breakdowns that was no longer a viable tool for productivity, and was expensive and troublesome to maintain.  Next Generation was looking for a system to connect several dozen remote offices with one unified platform, thereby simplifying interoffice communications for clients and employees. 

Factors that needed to be addressed included: 

• Reliability
• Growth potential
• Seamless connectivity with remote offices
• Productivity
• Reduce Telecom and Maintenance costs

The Solution:

COACTIVE conducted in in-depth analysis to determine what system fit into Next Generation’s business model most effectively.  In the end, owners decided on a Zultys SIP platform for its features and benefits and overall value proposition. Ease of expansion, ease of management, and overall reliability were the most important factors in their decision. 

COACTIVE showed managers how the productivity tools inherent in Voice over IP were enhanced with Zultys including industry-standard call management from their desktops using the MXIE tool which offers Presence, Private Instant Messaging, and other important Call Control features.

The Result:

COACTIVE’s expertise led to a smooth transition, as technicians installed the new Zultys alongside Next Generation’s old system, giving employees a chance to ease into the new technology. With the Zultys system in place, all employees are now on a centralized phone and voicemail system, using 4-digit dialing to reach employees at any location.  Due to multiple productivity increases, Next Generation has simply sold more, in less time, with less hassle.

“COACTIVE has been great,” says Rich Ciarciello, “As a result of the implementation, we were able to connect all remote offices and eliminate a ton of manual call flow problems. We also centralized the IP PBX in our colocation facility and took advantage of SIP trunking to eliminate unneeded hardware and reduce telecom costs by over 25%”.

The Zultys IP telephony system met all of Next Generation’s requirements plus many they hadn’t considered.  The solution is now recognized as more than a replacement phone system – it’s a very tangible tool for growing the business.

Vertex’s Challenge:
The company had an aging PBX phone system that was no longer a viable tool for productivity, and was becoming expensive and troublesome to maintain. Vertex was looking for a system to connect its ten remote offices with one unified platform, thereby simplifying interoffice communications for clients and employees. In addition, both customer service and sales were being negatively affected by Vertex’s inefficient call flow and excessive system downtime.

Factors that needed to be addressed included:

• Reliability
• Growth potential
• Seamless connectivity with remote offices
• Productivity
• Maintenance costs

The Solution:
COACTVE stepped in to analyze how Vertex’s phones fit into the company’s business model, how best to improve on the current situation, and narrow the field of possible solutions. In the end, owners decided on ShoreTel for its quick return on investment (better employee productivity translates to more closed transactions,) ease of expansion as the company grows, and the total reliability of one of the industry’s best engineered systems.

COACTIVE showed managers how the productivity tools inherent in Voice over IP were enhanced with ShoreTel, including industry-standard call management from their desktops (contacts from Outlook are immediately pulled up and accessed by a mouse click, saving time and frustration,) receptionist visibility of the entire office (with drag and drop call handling,) and the ease of system management for their IT person through the ShoreWare Director. Employees were also encouraged to make use of ‘Office Anywhere’ functions, which made their home offices functional extensions of the corporate system, as well as ShoreTel’s powerful ‘FindMe’ feature, which allows callers to be quickly and automatically transferred to their broker when he or she is out of the office.

The Result:
COACTIVE’s expertise led to a smooth transition, as technicians installed the new ShoreTel alongside Vertex’s old system, giving employees a chance to ease into the new technology. With the ShoreTel system in place, all employees are now on a centralized phone and voicemail system, using 4-digit dialing to reach brokers or employees at any location.  Due to multiple productivity increases, Vertex has simply sold more, in less time, with less hassle.

“COACTIVE has been great,” Mike Waitt, CEO Vertex Financial says. “As a result of the implementation, we were able to connect 10 remote offices and eliminate a ton of manual call flow problems. It’s decreased our overhead and increased revenue nearly 20%.  Our return on investment was less than six months, much quicker than we originally anticipated”. The ShoreTel IP telephony system met all of Vertex’s requirements, plus many they hadn’t considered, and is now recognized as more than a replacement phone system – it’s a very tangible tool for growing the business.

Kempe’s Challenge:
The company had a co-op phone system with one of their long-term partners, Children’s Hospital.  Within a short timeframe, Children’s Hospital was moving and The Kempe Center was in need of a new phone system that not only met their budget, but could also handle the special requirements of a children’s facility.

The Kempe Center was looking for a system that could not only lower their total cost of ownership through ease of management, but accommodate their unique call-flow demands. In addition, their building had no local voice carrier facilities. 

Factors that needed to be addressed included:

• Reliability
• Ease of administration
• Seamless intra-office communication
• Budget restrictions
• Maintenance costs

The Solution:
COACTIVE conducted an in-depth analysis on how the current phone system integrated with their day-to-day business.  They then provided a solution that not only met budgetary needs, but enhanced their voice-communication abilities.

Ultimately, a ShoreTel IP PBX was implemented for its quick return on investment, ease of administration with their ever-changing environment, and the overall reliability of one of the industry’s best-engineered systems. COACTIVE demonstrated how the productivity tools inherent in voice over IP technology were further enhanced with ShoreTel, including intuitive desktop call management.

The Result:
COACTIVE’s expertise provided a smooth transition, as technicians installed the new ShoreTel alongside the co-op system provided by Children’s Hospital, giving employees a chance to learn the new technology. Due to multiple productivity increases, The Kempe Center has been quicker in response times and more enabled to focus on their tasks-at-hand.
“COACTIVE has been great to us,” Gene Liffick, Operations Manager says, “shortly after we brought their ShoreTel solution on board, the benefits were realized.  I can easily administer the entire system from my office, and that allows me the time I can’t afford to lose for my daily tasks”.

The ShoreTel IP telephony system met all of The Kempe Center’s requirements, plus many they hadn’t considered.  It is now recognized as more than a replacement phone system – it’s a vital tool for their growing business.

“Aging equipment is a concern for IT departments and management in all industries”, says Mike Fredrickson, CEO of COACTIVE.  “However, thanks to our new partnership with TAMCO, we are now able to offer an innovative financing program enabling our customers to switch out their equipment when it becomes outdated”.

About COACTIVE
COACTIVE is a technology consulting firm providing outsourced solutions for technology projects and telecom expense management . COACTIVE is utilized by multi-location enterprises nationwide to evaluate and justify technology solutions that reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve asset and expense management.

Visit www.coactivetech.net for more details.

About Tamco
Founded in 1994, TAMCO is a leading financial services and marketing company that focuses exclusively on acquisition solutions for the telecommunications industry. Our strategic partners include telecom dealers across North America, national and regional, along with leading manufacturers of communications equipment. At TAMCO, we have the industry expertise to provide customer-focused solutions. Our people, with their vast knowledge and experience in communications and finance, develop successful business approaches to meet the challenges facing our strategic partners and their customers.

Visit www.tamcocorp.com for more details.