Neusner Communications
Communications Firm Stays in Touch Using Flexible, Reliable Phone System Software
Partner: Neusner Communications
Web Site: www.neusner.com
Customer Size: 3 employees
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Other Professional Services
Partner: RiteTech
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Customer Profile
Based in Washington, D.C., Neusner Communications specializes in speechwriting, strategic communications, and editorial support.
Software and Services
- Microsoft® Response Point™
Business Needs
Neusner Communications helps its clients move people to action at the highest levels of politics, business, and media. Through persuasive speeches and convincing opinion pieces, and by drawing on its established relationships with the press and policymakers, Neusner Communications helps turn ideas into action by bringing attention to the leadership and strategies of its clients.
With communications at the core of its business, the telephone is essential, and Neusner Communications found that its phone system was unreliable. “My clients would sometimes tell me they got a busy signal, even though the system was configured to send incoming calls to voice mail when I was on the line,” remarks Noam Neusner, Founding Principal at Neusner Communications. “When your practice is advocacy and your tagline is ‘It’s time for people to hear you,’ a busy signal is the wrong signal to send.”
As the company grew, setting up a new user or making configuration changes required expensive consulting. Also, Neusner travels frequently and relied on a receptionist to answer the office phone. To retrieve messages while travelling, Neusner would call the office during business hours and wait while his assistant conveyed messages from missed calls. If meetings or flights kept Neusner from reaching the receptionist, clients might wait longer for a call back.
When Neusner was ready to move offices, he decided to reevaluate his company’s technology and telephony needs. Specifically, Neusner wanted a phone system that was reliable, supported his mobile work style, and supported company growth cost effectively.
Solution
Neusner described his IT and telephony needs to Dave Bainum, Principal Consultant at RiteTech, a Microsoft® Small Business Specialist based in Herndon, Virginia. For Neusner’s telecommunications needs, Bainum recommended Microsoft Response Point™ phone system software. Microsoft Response Point is an advanced phone system software designed especially for small businesses. With support for both traditional phone service and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Microsoft Response Point phone systems are easy to manage and even easier to use.
Neusner was immediately drawn to these Microsoft Response Point features:
- Delivery of voice mail to the e-mail inbox
- The flexibility to easily add new users cost effectively
- Reliability
In April 2007, RiteTech installed and configured Microsoft Response Point phone system software. Currently, Neusner Communications has four phones (three Syspine and one D-Link). In addition, the company has three more extensions that ring through to partners or employees who work remotely.
Because RiteTech had completed the majority of the configuration work before arriving at Neusner Communications offices to install the phones, installation and final adjustments to the configuration took just a few hours. “The ability to configure much of the system before we arrive on site to install it is a powerful feature of Microsoft Response Point. The benefit to customers is that we spend less time interrupting their work day,” Bainum remarks. Training took minutes. “Dave showed me the blue button and how to push it,” quips Neusner with a smile. “Response Point really is that easy.”
Benefits
Neusner no longer relies on an assistant to answer and route calls or take messages. Neusner says, “If there ever was a phone system that could take the place of a receptionist, Microsoft Response Point is it. The system is friendly, inviting, and easy to use and provides advanced features in a phone system perfectly suited to small businesses.”
Reliable, Responsive System
Neusner no longer worries about dropped calls or clients getting a busy signal. “When I’m on the line, calls reliably go to voice mail.” Employees also don’t have to key through prompts to access the voice mail they want to hear. Employees can open a voice mail from their e-mail inbox easily. The e-mail message identifies the phone number of the caller and has the voice-mail recording attached. Selecting the audio file opens it for listening.
Seamless, Constant Connection
With the old system, Neusner sometimes had to wait for his assistant to convey messages from missed calls while he was on travel. The delay meant he might miss an important message. Microsoft Response Point phone system software brings immediacy to voice mail by sending messages from missed calls almost instantly to Neusner’s computer and handheld device. He can review voice-mail messages immediately. “Having voice mail drop into my e-mail inbox is so handy. It’s fast, too. In fact, my Microsoft Response Point voice mail appears in my inbox faster than a missed call on my cell phone shows up in my cell phone voice-mail mailbox.”
Better Experiences
By delivering voice mail to his inbox, Microsoft Response Point supports Neusner’s mobile lifestyle and confers a professional image, giving him seamless contact with clients no matter where Neusner happens to be. “Clients don’t worry about how to reach me; they always know they can contact me simply by calling my office phone,” says Neusner.
When he calls a colleague, Neusner prefers to dial an extension number on the keypad. But one of his employees might prefer to use the voice-enabled user interface. Because Microsoft Response Point supports both keypad commands and voice-enabled functionality, people can choose to interact with the phone in the method they prefer.
Support for Growth
With its ability to support small businesses up to 50 employees, Microsoft Response Point phone system software gives Neusner Communications the flexibility to grow. “Now, I don’t need to hire an expensive consultant to manage my phone system because my IT vendor is also my phone vendor,” says Neusner.
For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies