Greater Than One

Eastern DataComm Assists Greater Than One, An International Digital Marketing Agency, In Upgrading Their Former Unreliable Phone System

Eastern DataComm supported Greater Than One (GTO) in upgrading their phone system by replacing a poor-quality cloud-based phone system with a robust and reliable ShoreTel(Mitel) Unified Communications platform.

Greater Than One is a digital marketing agency that provides integrated strategies and tactics for omnichannel marketing initiatives. The firm has offices in New York, San Francisco, and Madrid to support the global requirements of its diverse clients.

GTO initially chose to replace its analog PBX with a cloud-based IP phone system. The goal was to provide its three offices with a modern communication platform without complex administration and maintenance. The result of their first attempt with a different communications partner, however, fell far short of hitting that mark.

The GTO team found themselves opening help desk tickets each day for simple issues like adding voicemail boxes. They felt continued frustrations with the system because it was overly complex and difficult to use, which perpetuated this endless queue of service tickets issued to address the problems they encountered, but which, unfortunately, were never fully corrected.

“We were opening help desk tickets every day because we had no management capabilities. If we needed to add a new user, voicemail box, or extension, we had to contact the service provider. But more importantly, people could not hear each other on the phone. It sounded like a really bad cell phone connection. We actually lost business because the phone calls were not clear enough and clients thought we were an amateurish company.”

–Andrew Cioppa
Network Systems Administrator
Greater Than One

Poor Sound Quality Created Communication Challenges

In addition to the former system creating challenges for general use and making minor alterations, the sound quality was similar to that of a bad cell phone connection. GTO had actually lost business because the call quality made two-way communication undecipherable at points – leaving a bad taste in the mouths of prospective clients, not to mention making any form of telephone contact a chore.

As a digital marketing agency, they needed to portray to their clients not just their savvy in their respective industry but also that they had strong technical and communication-related capabilities that supported that message and imbued confidence in those their firm represents.

Rather than continue with that legacy system, the firm decided to start from scratch. This is when they employed the expertise of Eastern DataComm’s team of communications advisors to look for an IP phone system that would provide high-quality communications and leading-edge functionality.

The Eastern DataComm Solution To GTO’s Phone System Challenges

When it comes to communications, whether on-premises or in the cloud, it’s critical to have not only a high-quality phone system but an integrator capable of delivering an end-to-end solution. That’s where Eastern DataComm’s support became invaluable to the GTO team.

Eastern DataComm’s diagnostic and consultative process allowed for a deeper understanding of GTO’s needs and goals. As part of this collaborative process, Eastern DataComm provided GTO with a demo of the ShoreTel(Mitel) Unified Communications system at the telecom leader’s corporate headquarters in New York.

The agency also conducted its own independent research regarding its options. In the end, they felt confident that ShoreTel(Mitel) and Eastern DataComm could deliver a high-quality communications platform.

The Eastern DataComm team designed GTO’s solution from end to end, including the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) connection that would link the phone system to the outside world. Eastern DataComm’s engineers also recommended specific modifications to GTO’s own internal network to lead to performance improvements. Though starting from scratch initially appeared to be a daunting concept, moving through the process hand in hand with Eastern DataComm alleviated the pressure.

Eastern DataComm ensured it was as easy as possible for the GTO team, and set them up for future success with a truly scalable solution.

Results: Greater Audio Quality

The implementation of the ShoreTel(Mitel) system immediately solved the call-quality problems the agency had experienced with their former provider. With the new system in place, GTO could also demonstrate to their clients that not only were the services they provided cutting-edge, but that so too was the technology they employed in support of serving their clients’ needs.

“The call quality is obviously the selling point for the ShoreTel(Mitel) system. But our tech-savvy users also love the mobility app and the productivity-enhancing features of the ShoreTel(Mitel) interface… I like the system because it’s simple enough for people who are not tech savvy but robust enough to satisfy the people who want all those features.”
–Andrew Cioppa
Network Systems Administrator
Greater Than One

Results: An Easy-To-Use System With Cutting-Edge Features

With this platform shift, GTO gained a communications solution that runs at the pace at which they do business. Now, they can easily explain to their staff how to use the system. And as a premier digital marketing agency, both the team and their clients can take advantage of the phone system’s impressive array of advanced features, including the mobile app and the productivity-enhancing features of the ShoreTel(Mitel) interface.

The ShoreTel(Mitel) system is also easy to administer and refine when needed. Rather than opening help desk tickets with delays in addressing issues like their team had previously experienced, now GTO can handle administrative tasks in-house.

“I was worried about training my IT staff who had no phone experience. Eastern DataComm showed us how simple it is. We make changes on the fly all the time now, which is really good for us due to the dynamic nature of our business.”
–Andrew Cioppa
Network Systems Administrator
Greater Than One

Results: Scalability And A Technology Partner That Is More Than Just A Vendor

Whether on-premises or in the cloud, it’s critical to have not only a high-quality phone system, but an integrator capable of delivering an end-to-end solution. Due to Eastern DataComm’s consultative process and diagnostic approach to addressing customer’s needs, GTO did not feel pressured to select any system over another. Instead, they were empowered to make decisions that best suited their needs.

For example, while many organizations are moving their phone systems to the cloud, GTO’s previous experience with the cloud informed why they steered away from that option for addressing their communications needs. They had added a cloud-based system in two of their offices in the past, but had issues with the data network. Those problems were not present in their experience with local phone systems and so, understandably, the on-premises decision made sense for both their practical needs and comfort level.

With Eastern DataComm, GTO gained a collaborative partner who listened to their needs and helped them address their challenges. As a true differentiator, Eastern DataComm proved capable of designing a technically sound communications solution that would meet the company’s needs for today and in the future.

How Greater Than One Describes The Experience

“I cannot say enough good things about how well this has gone. Eastern DataComm took what was probably the Achilles’ heel of our business, something as basic as making a phone call, and resolved all those issues. Now the phones are probably one of the best features we have at the company.”
–Andrew Cioppa
Network Systems Administrator
Greater Than One