Emco Wheaton Retail Corporation, a company that designs, engineers, and markets equipment for vapor recovery, spill containment, overfill prevention, and remediation, was facing challenges with its outdated Nortel PBX system. The system was becoming increasingly difficult to manage due to its obsolescence and the scarcity of parts for maintenance. Any changes or maintenance required the intervention of outside technicians, which was not only inconvenient but also costly. The company needed a more efficient and manageable system that would not become obsolete. The challenge was further compounded by the fact that the company only had one IT staff member, making it crucial to find a solution that could be easily managed internally.

Belly, a leading customer loyalty program provider, was facing challenges with its existing communication system. The system allowed employees to listen to their voicemail messages online, but it lacked many features that the company needed. The sales team, in particular, required more detailed access to their call history to monitor their performance. The system was not user-friendly, and individual users did not have the ability to access call logs. This lack of functionality was hindering the company's ability to effectively communicate internally and with its customers.

MyOutDesk, a virtual assistant company specializing in services for real estate agents, faced a significant challenge in maintaining consistent and reliable communication between its customers and virtual assistants (VAs). The company, which started in 2008 with 30 VAs, has grown to a company of 1,800 VAs serving more than 1,000 real estate agents and brokers across the US. Most of the company’s VAs (95%) are located in the Philippines. They handle a range of real estate–specific jobs, such as managing MLS listings, short-sale processing, filling out forms, calling prospects, and so on. The company's original VoIP system was not reliable enough to support consistent communication between the Philippines and the US, which was crucial for the company's success.

Travelers Haven, a full-service housing firm, was facing challenges in managing its rapidly expanding business. The company, which provides customized housing solutions across North America, was struggling with the increasing volume of incoming calls and the need for efficient communication. The company did not employ a receptionist to answer and route calls, instead relying on call queues to make multiple phones ring simultaneously until someone picks up. As the business expanded, the volume of incoming calls rose, and the company was looking for a better way of making sure more of those calls would be answered and fewer would go to voicemail. The company also needed a solution to improve the efficiency of its communication and collaboration, particularly in the context of sales. The company found that the quicker they could get a housing option in front of a client, the more likely they were to accept it.

Open Mortgage LLC, a nationwide mortgage loan originator, was facing a significant challenge with its legacy, open-source VoIP software. The system was single server-based, meaning all calls, nationwide, had to travel back to one location. This created a single point of failure, which could potentially disrupt the company's operations if the server went down. The company's IT manager, Scott Evans, was not comfortable with this risk. Furthermore, the company was using separate systems for phone, email, and fax communications, which was not efficient. Open Mortgage LLC needed a modern, integrated communications system that could provide flexibility and reliability to cater to its diverse clientele.

Craftlogic Software LLC, a Texas-based IT consultancy and recruitment firm, faced a significant challenge in its recruitment process. The traditional method of contacting job candidates via phone calls was proving to be inefficient and time-consuming. The company found it increasingly difficult to get job candidates on the phone, leading to a frustrating cycle of missed calls and voicemails. For instance, a recent job opening attracted over 900 resumes, and the company had to contact each candidate, which proved to be a daunting task. The company's existing SMS notification system, which was routed through another service provider, was not consistent. The SMS came from a phone number associated with the service provider, not from a Craftlogic business phone number. This inconsistency led to confusion and inefficiency as replies from candidates had to be manually forwarded to the right recruiter via email.

OppSource, a company that provides the PursuitPro software for sales development representatives (SDRs), was founded with the aim of making sales teams more effective by creating a specialized role for SDRs to focus on prospecting. However, the company faced a challenge in making SDRs more productive in a job that requires heavy phone contact. Initially, OppSource would have SDRs work with whatever Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform the client had as its standard. The company wanted to provide a system that enabled lead follow-up in their moments of interest and organized their day around the best next leads to pursue. Despite the importance of phone contact in the SDR role, many organizations still had representatives dialing every number manually. OppSource needed a solution that would make the time SDRs spend on the phone more effective, translating into a major productivity boost.

Midwest Freight Systems, a trucking and logistics company, was facing challenges in maintaining efficient communication and collaboration among its employees spread across different locations. The company, with its headquarters in Warren, Michigan, and operations in Bosnia and the Philippines, was struggling with its existing online chat room product. The software was inefficient in notifying users about new messages and supporting long-running conversations. Messages would disappear every couple of weeks, causing significant communication gaps. The chat room alone was not sufficient to support close collaboration between employees, whether they were in the same office or on opposite sides of the world. The company was in dire need of a solution that could streamline communication and collaboration, making it more efficient and effective.

Sleep Solutions of New York, a sleep disorders clinic, was facing a challenge in maintaining records of important conversations with insurers and patients. The clinic, which specializes in treating disorders such as sleep apnea, often had to deal with insurance companies that would initially approve a service or procedure, but later refuse to honor that commitment. To protect themselves in such situations, Sleep Solutions regularly recorded its calls and saved voicemails from insurers or patients. However, the clinic was struggling with organizing these recordings and archiving them for long-term retention. The clinic had switched to RingCentral in 2013, which eliminated a lot of system maintenance cost and hassles associated with their old system. However, RingCentral only retained voicemails and call recordings for 60 days, while Sleep Solutions wanted to keep them for seven years.

SKS Bottle & Packaging, a company that supplies a wide variety of containers to both small businesses and large Fortune 500 companies, was facing challenges with its on-premise PBX hardware. The company's website is a major sales channel, but phone service and support are also crucial to its operations. The old PBX system was logistically difficult to manage, especially when a phone extension needed to be moved to a different location, which required rewiring the building. As the business grew, managing the complex network of phone cables became increasingly burdensome. Additionally, the call statistics with the old system were inadequate due to consistently dropped calls and poor reporting. The company needed a more flexible solution with better reporting capabilities and tighter integration with the custom software SKS uses to run its business.

The Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center (CBCC), one of the largest free-standing cancer centers in the Western United States, was struggling with an outdated communications system. The legacy PBX system was not only old but also lacked a backup, which was a significant risk in a medical setting where phone communication is critical, especially during patient emergencies. The system was also hindering the center's agility and growth due to the complexity involved in moving people or departments around. Adding new people and locations required a labor-intensive process of running wires and installing new ports. The management and support of the old PBX hardware and the cost of T1 lines were inefficient and did not provide the flexibility and functionality needed by the center.

Home Inspector Pro, a small software company providing solutions for commercial and home inspectors, faced a challenge in managing their customer support calls. With an international customer base, the company received support calls on eight direct lines, which were configured to ring the line of the first available employee. To enhance their service, the company tracked the length of calls, hold times, and instances where customers hung up without speaking to anyone. However, this process was manually done by employees, which was not only time-consuming but also inconsistent. The company needed an automated solution to improve its response time and ensure consistent logging of calls.

Business Management Consultants, a home-based business providing accounts receivable management, was facing significant challenges with its communication system. The company, under the leadership of President Juan Gala, was using a traditional phone line, fax line, and voicemail from AT&T, costing about $75 a month. This setup was not only expensive but also inefficient and inconvenient. Calls would ring at the owner's house instead of the employees' phones, and employees had to call in to check voicemail multiple times a day. Clients were unable to reach them directly, which was affecting their service delivery. Gala was looking for a solution that would not only integrate his distributed staff but also enable him to expand easily as his company grows.

Michael Carr, co-founder of VolunteerHub, a system that offers a range of features from automated event registration to volunteer workforce management, faced significant challenges in managing incoming calls. The toll-free service he initially set up for handling calls was not efficient, with callers frequently encountering a 'All circuits are busy' message. This inefficiency led to the loss of approximately 20% of potential customers. In an attempt to resolve this, Michael tried a Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) service. However, this too proved problematic due to configuration issues and poor customer support. The VoIP telephone he purchased was permanently locked into the old system and couldn't be reconfigured, leading to further waste of resources.

Buyers Capital Stamford, a full-service real estate company based in Connecticut, was facing challenges in efficiently connecting its customers with its team members. The company has five offices and employs 41 agents spread across the state. The geographical dispersion of the team members was causing communication inefficiencies and was impacting the company's productivity. The company was in need of a solution that could streamline its communication processes, connect its distributed team members effectively, and enhance its business productivity.

DES Architects + Engineers, a leading architecture firm in Silicon Valley, recently opened a new office in San Francisco's Financial District. The new location was aimed at providing a convenient place for collaboration with San Francisco and North Bay clients and attracting the new generation of technology startups. However, the firm faced challenges in setting up the IT infrastructure for the new office. Rob Sampson, DES's Director of Information Technology, had two primary goals. First, he wanted to support employees' mobility as they often travel to job sites and clients' offices. Second, he aimed to use as many cloud-based services as possible, continuing the trend he had started at the Redwood City office. Another critical consideration was the compatibility of the new system with Google apps, as many employees had hundreds or even thousands of contacts in Google.

RE/MAX on the Lake and Northwest, one of the largest real estate brokerages in Washington State, was facing significant inefficiencies in its operations. The founder, Matt van Winkle, observed that the real estate industry was lagging behind other sectors in terms of technology adoption, particularly in the use of cloud-based systems to streamline business processes and enhance client relationships. In a business where mobility, agility, and constant connectivity are crucial, the lack of cloud-based technology was a significant drawback. The traditional, premises-based phone system was limiting the firm's potential, tethering the business to a specific location and hindering the anytime, anywhere functionality that was needed to serve clients effectively. Additionally, van Winkle wanted to avoid hiring IT staff to manage and maintain an on-premises PBX system.

Teachers College, Columbia University, the oldest and largest graduate school of education in the United States, was facing challenges with its legacy PBX system. The college was looking for a solution that was agile, lightweight, and cloud-based, eliminating the need for expensive, site-based hardware. The new system needed to provide flexibility and the ability to offer new services faster without worrying about significant capital expenses. A key requirement for the new phone system was compatibility with Google, as the college is a Google Apps for Education customer. The college also needed a solution that would support mobility, given that it runs master’s degree programs in Singapore and China, and its faculty travels globally. Additionally, the college wanted to leverage the new system to improve campus safety.

Bullet Music, an Atlanta-based music coverage company, faced significant challenges in coordinating its team of writers, photographers, and editors. The company, which publishes articles, videos, and podcasts covering a wide range of music styles, needed a way to efficiently assign and track tasks. The Editor-in-Chief, Sam Lawrence, was responsible for making and tracking assignments, but the team struggled with communication and task management. Initially, they tried using a Facebook group for communication, but found the mix of personal and work messages too confusing. Furthermore, the company was operating on a tight budget, making it difficult to invest in expensive project management tools.

DigitalChalk, a provider of a cloud-based, online education authoring and delivery platform, was facing challenges with its customer support process. The company's founding member, Dave Tinker, was responsible for ensuring that customers get the most out of the platform. After each sale, Tinker would personally take each new customer through a 'JumpStart' process, a 30-minute interview to understand their specific needs and use case. This process required both telephony and screen sharing. However, DigitalChalk had been purchasing these two functions separately, leading to issues such as dropped calls and poor call quality. The company was in need of a reliable solution that could integrate telephony and screen sharing.

BACTES, a leading provider of medical record requests for healthcare providers across the US, was facing a significant challenge with its outdated on-premise phone system. The system, which was over a decade old, lacked scalability and many basic features that were critical to their business. This was a significant issue as BACTES provides Release of Information (ROI) services for healthcare facility clients in 40 states, ensuring secure electronic exchange, delivery, and integration of Protected Health Information (PHI). The company needed a solution that could handle the high demands of their operations and comply with federal and state regulations regarding the handling and transmission of PHI.

Motion Recruitment Partners, a leading talent acquisition solution provider, was facing challenges with its legacy on-premise POTS system. The company, which relies heavily on a reliable, high-quality, scalable, and cost-effective phone system, found its existing system to be a hodgepodge of local hardware-based POTS lines connected to the copper network. This system was not scalable, was difficult to integrate, and was becoming burdensome to the IT staff. The company needed a simpler, more manageable, scalable, and reliable system to continue providing a great experience for its clients and to maintain and grow its broad network of relationships, which are critical factors for its success.

Stratejm, a leading cybersecurity firm, was founded on the belief that traditional cybersecurity approaches focusing solely on prevention were unsustainable due to the ever-evolving threat landscape. The company's founder, John Menezes, believed that a more effective strategy would be to concentrate on rapidly detecting and responding to intrusions. He also saw cloud-based security, provided as a subscription service, as significantly more efficient, effective, and cost-beneficial compared to traditional on-premise solutions. However, Menezes understood that a technical solution alone would not guarantee Stratejm’s success. Exceptional customer service was identified as a critical success factor. This required implementing a comprehensive, cloud-based business communications solution for Stratejm’s secure cyber intelligence center—a solution that allows customers to contact Stratejm using their preferred method, including voice, chat, text, email, or video.

Advanced Diabetic Solutions (ADS), a company that provides home delivery of products for diabetics, was preparing to launch Rx Valet, an online service for ordering medications and medical supplies. The company realized that in addition to a robust website, the business was going to need mobile apps and support for mobile messaging as an alternative to email. The company's IT Director, Bob Thompson, noted that when he joined ADS in 2009, the company was still managing its operations using spreadsheets and email. Thompson set to work equipping the business with a more modern set of systems for managing its operations, including desktop software of his own design. However, the launch of Rx Valet presented a new challenge as it would be more of an online business than any of the previous ADS ventures. The company needed a solution that would allow all interactions to take place online.

First Credit Services (FCS), a collection agency primarily serving health clubs, was facing a significant challenge with its call archiving system. The company, with about 300 employees across offices in New Jersey and Mumbai, India, makes collection calls and provides outsourced business services to its clients. The nature of their work necessitates the archiving of call recordings for a couple of years as proof of conversations, particularly in the event of a consumer complaint or lawsuit. However, the volume of calls and the regulatory duration of archiving required a customized solution. FCS was also concerned about the reliability of its previous phone service, which led them to consider switching to RingCentral. While the transition to RingCentral was smooth, FCS was exceeding the limit of call archiving every few days. The company needed a solution that would allow them to retain call recordings for about two years, and potentially longer in case of litigation.

PlanOmatic, a company that serves the real estate industry with photography, floor plans, and interactive home tours, was facing a challenge in effectively communicating with its contract photographers. The company was using email notifications to inform photographers about appointments, but these were often overlooked due to their routine nature. The company needed a more immediate and reliable method of communication to ensure photographers were at the right place at the right time. The challenge was to improve the process of getting photographers to the right locations at the right time, which is crucial for capturing excellent property photos.

Cresa, the world’s largest tenant-based real estate firm, was facing a challenge in supporting its mobile workforce and attracting high-tech clients. The company's business model emphasizes customer service, which means its employees spend 60–70% of their time on the road meeting with customers and doing site tours. The Senior Vice President of Technology at Cresa, David Nuss, aimed to make their data available to them at all times. However, the company's older communication tools were not up to the task. Additionally, Nuss wanted to attract high-tech clients, a rapidly growing market in commercial real estate. He believed that adopting the same platforms that tech companies use would help to dispel the image of Cresa as an 'old, stodgy real estate company'.

John Varvatos, an American contemporary menswear designer brand, faced a significant challenge when it became independent from the apparel and footwear company VF Corp. in 2012. The company's VP and CIO, Lee Goldenberg, saw this as a unique opportunity to completely refresh the company's IT infrastructure. His vision was to create an entirely cloud-based IT environment to support the company's employees in being as productive as possible and to enable them to work from anywhere, on any device, at any time. However, achieving an all-cloud environment was more difficult in 2012 and 2013, when Goldenberg was setting up his infrastructure, than it is today. Another challenge was the company's phone system, which was an old on-prem PBX when he joined the company. The company needed a solution that could support international calling between the John Varvatos main office in New York City, its flagship store in London, and its showroom in Milan.

Porch, a data-driven home service company, was facing a significant challenge in managing its sales and service teams' communications. The teams were constantly interacting with customers and prospects, using Salesforce® CRM to track and manage these interactions. However, Porch's initial communication setup involved a physical PBX and a cloud-based call center solution from different vendors. This setup required additional development work to integrate with its CRM software. The fragmented nature of this system was not only inefficient but also costly. Furthermore, the company was looking to improve its customer service by offering services tailored to the needs of its different users, such as contractors and other professionals who heavily rely on their mobile phones for communication.

Yellowfin, a global business intelligence and analytics software vendor, faced a significant challenge in managing its communication infrastructure across its various offices worldwide. Since its inception in 2003, Yellowfin expanded from its Melbourne headquarters to include remote offices in Sydney, Tokyo, Osaka, the UK, and North America. Each of these offices established their own communications infrastructure, resulting in a wide variety of solutions and tools across the organization. The offices’ communications tools were point solutions, meaning that a typical office had separate applications for chat, web meetings, and phone functionality. This fragmented approach to communication was inefficient and complex, leading to a need for a more streamlined and unified solution.