Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Moreland Dealerships owns and operates several successful auto dealerships in Colorado and other states.

Moreland Dealerships’ Challenge:
Moreland Dealerships purchased 4 hi volume Colorado dealerships in January, 2009.  During the acquisition Moreland had the option to purchase the existing communication assets.  The most significant asset was a Cisco phone system that was deployed in all 4 dealerships.  Though this existing phone system was operational and the staff was familiar with the system, Moreland’s management needed to be sure this was a worthwhile investment that would justify the initial purchase cost and provide the necessary functionality and reliability for the future.

Factors that needed to be addressed included:

• Should Moreland retain existing Cisco VoIP equipment?
• What is the best phone system solution to meet their needs?
• Quick timeline forced decisions to be made immediately.

The Solution:
COACTIVE conducted a thorough assessment of Moreland’s business and communication practices then researching alternative VoIP solutions in the market.  COACTIVE determined that Moreland could significantly reduce the initial capital expense by implementing a new ShoreTel VoIP system for all 4 locations.  The ShoreTel system would also increase user productivity and significantly reduce the investment.

“After conducting an analysis of the value of the used Cisco equipment assets, the new ShoreTel VoIP system was about 25% less than acquiring the existing Cisco system. “The cost of new technology is continually becoming more affordable, while ever increasing the ease of use and increased functionality,” said Mike Fredrickson, Executive Consultant for this project.  “It often makes sense to invest in new equipment than used, which was certainly the case with Moreland Dealerships”.

Conclusion
By outsourcing the phone system evaluation to COACTIVE, Moreland Dealerships was able to save thousands of dollars…. COACTIVE also provided project management for the implementation and training of the new system.  COACTIVE provides continual support for the new system, however ShoreTel’s user interface and functions are extremely intuitive and the system is extremely reliable.

“The ShoreTel system is much easier to use, manage, and our employees are more productive”, says Don Jan with Moreland Dealerships.  “COACTIVE did a great job consulting with us on our phone system dilemma.”