Vocalocity - ANSR Case Study

Small Business Calls on Vocalocity for Phone System Flexibility, Cost-Efficiency, & Scalability

Challenge

Provide a flexible, feature-rich office phone system that easily and quickly scales with the changing needs of a rapidly-expanding business.

Solution

VocalocityPBX, a hosted PBX office phone solution.

Benefits

• Enables rapid company growth across separate locations.
• Supports multiple business models in one location with different call trees.
• Improves productivity and record-keeping capabilities with features such as voicemail to e-mail and downloadable call logs.
• Saves more than 40% on monthly costs while fully supporting phone/voice-intensive business needs.

Telecommunications for Two Rapidly-Growing Businesses in One

ANSR, Inc., based in Indiana, is a small company on a fast path. Starting out as an Internet marketing firm, with contract sales people located across the country, ANSR is also practicing what it preaches in the local real estate market where it’s headquartered. Since opening in May of 2006, the company has become the #1 RE/MAX team in the city, the fastest-growing team in the state, and is eyeing expansion into other geographies. The two different businesses are co-located together, with each relying heavily upon voice communications as a vital component of the fast-moving, day-to-day business.

"Vocalocity keeps overhead expenses low and helps increase sales, while enabling us to seamlessly grow the business." -- Jason VanDevender, CEO, ANSR, Inc.

When ANSR was founded, it was clear to the management team that the company needed a full-featured phone system at an attractive price that would enable it to minimize capital outlays and ongoing overhead costs. While the management team may not have anticipated just how rapidly the business would grow, it was obvious the system would also need to be scalable. Jason VanDevender, founder and CEO of ANSR, recognized from past experience that a traditional phone system would not meet the company’s requirements.

"I knew that Voice over IP was the answer, but at the same time, I also understood that a hosted VoIP solution would enable us to minimize the time spent managing the system, and keep our start-up costs low," said VanDevender. "That's when I discovered Vocalocity."

A Turn-Key Office Phone Solution – Vocalocity PBX

After evaluating Vocalocity’s state-of-the-art VoIP solution, VanDevender was convinced that VocalocityPBX, a hosted PBX solution from Vocalocity, was exactly what ANSR needed. In fact, VanDevender selected Vocalocity over VoIP solutions offered by more well-known telecommunications providers because of its superior flexibility and ease-of-use. Vocalocity gives small and medium-sized businesses the power of a full-featured traditional PBX with the cost-effectiveness and scalability of a hosted VoIP solution.

Vocalocity PBX allows ANSR to operate with a virtual sales staff, dispersed across the country. The mobility provided by the Vocalocity solution means that sales people don’t have to be at their desks at all times, eliminating the need for the company to hire extra office personnel to handle phone calls. Phone calls to direct-dialed numbers are forwarded directly to these sales personnel no matter where they are.

VanDevender especially values the ability to easily create and maintain call groups, an important feature for a company with two distinctly separate business models. ANSR can set up main company numbers and different call trees for each company, ensuring calls get routed expeditiously and effectively. "I can have both companies in the same office without worrying about how the phone will be answered," explained VanDevender.

Receiving voicemails as e-mail is another feature the company relies upon. Not only is the capability heavily used by personnel out of the office or on the road, but it provides an additional means of record-keeping and speeds productivity by enabling personnel to forward voicemail to partners or other business contacts.

Vocalocity's Scalability Enables Rapid Growth

Initially, ANSR began using the Vocalocity hosted PBX solution with ten extensions and one office location. As both parts of the business began to grow, the Vocalocity solution enabled ANSR to respond rapidly. The company now has two offices with 23 extensions, and is planning to open a third office in the near future, bringing the number of extensions to 48.

Unlike traditional phone systems, VanDevender can set up new personnel on the system with the click of a mouse, assigning extensions on-the-fly in less than five minutes from anywhere in the country. Tasks that would normally require hours of configuration efforts with traditional PBX phone systems are handled instantly without the need for an IT or communications expert.

"It’s a good solution that requires very little maintenance and management. We can update the system as the company grows without the typical day-to-day headaches of worrying about the phone system," added VanDevender. "With traditional phone systems, you can’t touch the system, even for the simplest changes. You have to call the vendor and wait for someone to do it for you."

Savings That Go Right to the Bottom Line

The lower total cost of ownership of VocalocityPBX translates into more capital that can be used to continue building the business. In addition, ANSR is not only avoiding the extensive capital expenditures normally associated with full-featured office phone systems, the company also saves a significant amount of money on phone usage compared to other systems, despite running two communications-intensive businesses. VanDevender estimates that his company is saving at least 40% each month using the Vocalocity solution instead of a traditional phone system.

Article written by Vocalocity - a partner of WhichVoIP.com

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