SMC Electric Supply
The new infrastructure has helped them to reduce costs and allows greater flexibility in their day-to-day operations.
- Country: United States Of America
- Industry: Energy & Utilities
- Solution: Connected Solutions and Devices, Autonomous Network
SMC Electric Supply (SMC) is a family-owned corporation headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, working from 14 locations across Missouri and Kansas. They deployed WiFi access points in all the locations and a VoIP phone system using a single server to connect all its offices. They can now receive calls from customers even when out of the office.
We now have all our locations running on one single system which has simplified things immensely for us. Our employees can do their job properly and customers are getting a better service.
Challenges
- Each of SMC’s locations had its own separate phone system and used different service providers.
- Since staff constantly needed to make calls between sites, the system was expensive and inefficient for day-to-day operations and maintenance.
- SMC staff found it difficult to consistently answer customers’ incoming calls, especially when out of the office.
- They needed phones they could carry around onsite, and a call forwarding system to avoid losing calls from potential revenue-generating customers.
- Finally, warehouse staff required wireless phones and portable devices such as bar scanners to streamline processes and increase efficiency, making Wi-Fi a necessity.
Results
- All locations now have WiFi access points working autonomously, as well as a VoIP phone system that allows calls to run through a single server.
- Two WLAN switches manage voice and data WiFi traffic; the system is connected to portable devices in the warehouses (e.g. handheld barcode scanners).
- Disaster recovery mode allows applications to keep running if there is a crisis, helping to avoid backlog and communication problems.
- All communications costs, including long-distance calls, have been eliminated as all calls are now go over IP.
- Customer drop-off rate is significantly lower now that all calls are answered, helping to generate more revenue.
- SMC employees can now connect to WiFi, which allows greater flexibility to run meetings, call customers, and invite guests from any location.
- A robust system that delivers clear call quality enables SMC to provide a better service to its customers.
Products & Solutions
Products
- 8 Series IP Touch Phones
- OmniAccess Wireless Access Points
- OmniSwitch 6450
- OmniSwitch 6900
- OmniTouch 8118/8128 WLAN Handset
- OpenTouch Business Edition
Solutions
- Business Telephony
- Converged Campus Network
- Mobility