How VoIPstudio helped consolidate communications for a multi-site retail chain

Industry

Retail

Company Size

51-200 Employees

Headquarters

Sheffield, United Kingdom

Founded

1941

About

CLC is an international organisation committed to the distribution of the Bible, Christian books and a variety of Christian media. It has more than 180 bookshops, 18 distribution warehouses and 18 publishing houses across 50 countries. CLC was founded in England in 1941 and currently has 11 stores throughout the UK. The organisation’s International Headquarters are located in Sheffield.

The Challenge

CLC operates 11 shops across the UK. Each store had its own BT internet and phone connection. As a result, CLC had to manage and administer 11 different BT accounts. This setup was proving costly, in terms of both subscription and management. Worse, as each shop only had one line, customers were finding it difficult to contact staff, because the lines were often busy. In turn, this meant that obtaining the direct, personalised service that many customers expect was a challenge.

Furthermore, the setup meant that voicemails left by customers were saved to 11 different voicemail boxes, accessed via 1571 on BT, rather than to individuals, meaning that some enquiries were missed or left – another hinderance to the excellent customer service that CLC prides itself on.

The Solution

CLC trialled VoIPstudio for six months, initially in one shop. Things went so well that the solution was rolled out across the remaining UK locations over a twomonth period. Paul Jordan, Head of Retail at CLC, says the deployment was quick and easy, installing the phones himself across CLC’s UK estate.

All internet connections were upgraded to PlusNet, providing fast connectivity with all accounts and UK shop numbers easy to access in one place – VoIPstudio.

The solution was upgraded to VoIPstudio 2.0 without fuss, following the initial deployment. Jordan emphasises that whenever there was a challenge, VoIPstudio support was “excellent”, making the transition stress-free.

We love the versatility of the system.

VoIPstudio customer service is excellent and overall the solution has significantly improved our communications within the organisation and with customers – all the while reducing costs.

The Impact

Overall, Jordan estimates that costs have reduced by around 50 per cent since the move to VoIPstudio.

Shops no longer miss calls, as VoIPstudio provides call waiting and queuing functionality. Individuals are also now better able to build direct, personal customer relationships with customers, as they have access to individual voicemails.

We now have significantly better connectivity and CLC has consolidated the multiple BT accounts and lines.

Meanwhile, the ability to quickly and easily reroute calls within and between shops means that CLC can ensure that customer enquiries are dealt with quickly and without multiple calls, which has improved customer satisfaction – and service delivery.