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The Challenge: Eliminating hardware headaches
AB CarVal had been running a Cisco CUCM on-premises PBX system that was hosted within data centers in London and Chicago. However, the aging system was no longer meeting the company’s business communications needs. “It was really more of a legacy solution that had become increasingly expensive to maintain,” says Chris Rossini, Director of Technology Operations at AB CarVal.
It was clearly time to eliminate the expense, effort, and risk associated with maintaining on-premises hardware. AB CarVal was already a cloud-forward company in other areas of business, so moving communications to the cloud made perfect sense. A modern cloud solution could not only eliminate their hardware headaches, but it could also provide new opportunities for collaboration and productivity.
As it happened, Rossini had worked with his 8x8 sales rep in the past, so he already had a high level of trust in her recommendations. Even though he had prior experience with other cloud phone solutions, the sales rep sold him and AB CarVal decision-makers on the value of 8x8. As a final point of due diligence, the company ran a comparison trial between 8x8 and competitor solutions. “8x8 won by a landslide,” says Rossini. “The final vote was 11 to one in favor of 8x8. I’m always going to default to what makes end users happy.”
The Solution: A cloud-based and mobile-friendly platform
Another key factor in AB CarVal’s decision was the fact that 8x8 has a strong reputation for being able to deliver to Singapore. The company’s Singapore office is its smallest, but also the most difficult office to support. Therefore, Rossini and team decided to roll out 8x8 to Singapore first. “I always like to start a rollout under the guise of testing,” he says, “because we get a little more forgiveness when we’re working through things. And when employees help us test, they feel more invested in the process.”
After a successful implementation in Singapore, AB CarVal rolled 8x8 out to London, making sure that networking was in place and functioning properly, before moving on to the other three offices in Minneapolis, Luxembourg, and New York. Overall, project support from 8x8 helped make the process run even more smoothly. “8x8 support helped to keep the pressure off my team,” says Rossini, “so we didn’t bury our help desk.”
For AB CarVal employees, the transition was smooth and well received. For those who wanted hard phones, the newer sleeker phones had a better tactile feel. Users loved the 8x8 Work app that enabled them to do everything they needed on their phone. “That was a quick win,” says Rossini. Some employees were resistant to any type of change, and Rossini’s plan to first engage them as testers worked well in gaining faster acceptance across the workforce.
One of the key features in the CarVal implementation is 8x8 Frontdesk. “We do a lot of international calling,” says Rossini, “especially in emerging markets.” Frontdesk makes it easier for receptionists to handle those calls efficiently through a purpose-built interface. They can handle high volumes of calls with ease or share call management responsibilities with others, resulting in streamlined front desk operations.
The Benefits: Easy to maintain, easy to use
Overall, 8x8 has made a positive impact on AB CarVal’s busy offices. For Rossini and team, 8x8’s project and technical support exceeded expectations and really helped the rollout go smoothly. Their new cloud-based system requires minimal effort and attention compared to maintenance-heavy on-premises hardware, freeing the team to focus on other things.
For AB CarVal’s global staff, 8x8 has allowed them to eliminate a physical phone if they wish and enjoy an always-connected experience on their mobile device. “The overwhelming perspective of end users has been that 8x8 is easy to understand and use. Our employees simply love being able to transfer calls from their mobile phone, no matter where they are. For them, it’s a game changer.”
