As the largest plumbing service in the U.S., Roto-Rooter is continuously looking to streamline its operations, cut costs and provide better customer service. The company has historically embraced new technologies in its bid to stay on top of the game, and a new partnership with push-to-talk (PTT) messaging company Voxer will up the ante.
Roto-Rooter is now using the Voxer Business application to provide an instant and efficient means of voice and multimedia communications for its desk and field workers. The application, currently in use by 800 service technicians, enables workers to stay in touch with supervisors and dispatchers while out in the field using their existing devices and networking setups. The company expects to double the number of users this year.
Voxer Business is easily set up on workers’ smartphones through a central administrative console, enabling immediate communications. Roto-Rooter admins can also upload contact lists and the app works with Android, iOS and Windows Phone (News - Alert) 8 devices and a variety of carriers, without any disruption to the user. A web client is also available for desk workers, enabling dispatchers to have multiple PTT conversations simultaneously as well as tracking locations and timestamps to keep tabs on their field technicians. Conversations are also recorded and saved for later playback, ensuring workers never miss an important conversation. Additional features include the ability to send photos, videos and text messages.
According to Itamar Kandel, chief revenue officer at Voxer, Voxer Business is a great fit for a number of vertical markets, including transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, repair services and event management. And not only does the app improve overall communications, but it helps customers dramatically reduce costs and increase their profits.
“Organizations have saved on costs dramatically by avoiding traditional roaming charges associated with voice calls when traveling internationally,” said Kandel. “Even domestically, by reducing calls by up to 80 percent, companies have seen a reduction in their phone bills. Companies have also seen a rise in profits with improved efficiency and collaboration in the organization.”
He pointed to NYC-based customer Future Cab, a taxi company that has seen its profits triple and quadruple because of the efficiencies enabled through Voxer Business. Indeed, Voxer’s customers are extremely varied and the company counts Houghton Chemical, Centro Elevator, eXp Realty and Windom Windows among its Voxer Business users.
“Push-to-talk is a crucial communication tool for our field employees, and therefore for our overall business,” said Joyce Welage, director of office operations, Roto-Rooter. “While we provide a dedicated phone line for technicians, we have found that they prefer to communicate via PTT as it is quick and allows short to the point conversations. Voxer also records messages, ensuring that important communication is not missed or does not need to be repeated, saving time and improving productivity for our employees.”
Edited by Stefania Viscusi