Select Trenchless Pipelines
Pipeline Innovators Improve Customer Care with Small-Business Telephony Solution
Partner: Select Trenchless Pipelines
Web Site: www.selectstp.com
Customer Size: 12 employees
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Other Professional Services
Partner: Data Resolution
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Customer Profile
Select Trenchless Pipelines is a 12-person company that specializes in water-line and waste-line repair and maintenance.
Software and Services
- Microsoft® Office Outlook 2007
- Microsoft® Response Point™
"With Microsoft Response Point, we can program each phone to automatically transfer calls to workers in the field so that any employee or customer can reach an out-of-office technician, if necessary."
Dee Reed, Operations Manager, Select Trenchless Pipelines
Business Needs
Located in Southern California, Select Trenchless Pipelines (STP) is a five-year-old company that specializes in repairing broken or clogged water supply and waste lines. Traditional methods of repair involve significant excavation and can take several days. STP uses a method called “cured-in-place,” which involves injecting a compound made of epoxy resin into a damaged pipe to fill the cracks. The compound eventually hardens to provide a new, permanent lining for the pipe. This method minimizes expenses and maximizes convenience for the customer.
When a pipe is damaged, customers want repairs done quickly and cost effectively to prevent water or sewage buildup. “If a customer has sewage backing up into their house in the middle of the night, they don’t want to wait until business hours the next morning. They need help right away,” says Dee Reed, Operations Manager at Select Trenchless Pipelines.
For the first three years, STP used a hosted Panasonic PBX telephony solution that lengthened employee training time and limited the quality of customer service. “We didn’t know what features the phone had or how to take advantage of it because we didn’t have passwords to get into the system. We couldn’t even access voice mail,” recalls Reed. “A lengthy manual had to be referenced just to figure out how to put a call on hold.”
The complicated phone system did not enable STP to respond promptly to customers’ needs. “We want to provide outstanding customer service through one-on-one contact. We don’t want people to have to press buttons and jump through hoops to get help,” states Reed. “We want to make sure our customers get a live person at all times.” STP began researching other telephony systems that could provide the level of service that its customers deserve.
Solution
STP discovered Microsoft® Response Point™ phone system software, a phone system made for small businesses that is easy to use and even easier to manage. STP viewed online demos and was impressed with the features of the system. “When we found Microsoft Response Point, we said, ‘This is it,’ and at that point, we stopped looking at other telephony solutions,” says Reed.
STP used the specialist locater on the Microsoft Response Point Web site to get in touch with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Microsoft Small Business Specialist Data Resolution. With the help of Data Resolution, STP ordered 12 phones and set up the system in an hour.
By configuring Microsoft Response Point phone system software with Microsoft Office Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, the system provides a written log of missed calls with caller ID information and a recorded voice message through the e-mail inbox. “The last thing we want to do is leave our customers in voice mail. So with a list of missed calls in hand, I can go right to the ones I need to tackle first and no longer have to shuffle though or replay messages to get the information I want,” explains Reed. STP employees can also use the voice activation feature to call contacts stored in Office Outlook.
STP employees who work off site can call into Microsoft Response Point to change their call settings. “With Microsoft Response Point, we can program each phone to automatically transfer calls to workers in the field so that any employee or customer can reach an out-of-office technician, if necessary,” says Reed.
Benefits
STP has supplied its employees with a telephony solution that dramatically increases the quality of customer service. With Microsoft Response Point phone system software, STP field workers can stay in touch with customers, lending a level of professionalism and customer care unmatched by the company’s competitors.
Simplifies Phone Use and Configuration
STP employees no longer struggle with complicated procedures to transfer or hold calls. “Microsoft Response Point is so much easier to use than the Panasonic phone system we had. You just hit the Microsoft Response Point button and tell it what you want,” explains Reed. Microsoft Response Point also simplifies changing phone settings. “It’s so easy to do because it gives us setting options as soon as we pull up the user interface,” says Reed. “Our people can set how many rings they want and where to forward the call if they’re away from their desk. We can also configure these settings remotely, so calls can be directed to a home or cell phone line.”
Minimizes Training Time
Microsoft Response Point phone system software reduces the amount of time spent training new employees. “When we hire someone new, we know there’s a certain amount of training that’s required to familiarize them with our systems. If we have to spend a lot of time training a new hire how to use a phone, we’re wasting time,” says Reed. “Microsoft Response Point is virtually error proof and can be taught in just a few minutes.” Easy training fosters efficiency and productivity because both trainer and trainee can immediately get back on task without wasting time trying to understand a complex phone system.
Increases Responsiveness to Customer Inquiries
With Microsoft Response Point phone system software, STP can quickly respond to customers’ needs. “By transferring phone calls directly to whoever’s out in the field or on call, we’re letting our customers know that they’re important to us,” explains Reed. “Even when we close the office doors for the night, the phone transfers calls to a live person so that customers can always reach somebody in case of an emergency.” By providing excellent, prompt customer care, STP looks forward to many more word-of-mouth referrals and, ultimately, more business.
For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies