Case Study: Toshiba's Strata CTX Makes A Splash At Viscount Pools, Spas & Billiards Stores

BY MICHAEL DURANCE

When Viscount Pools, Spas & Billiards retail store chain needed to upgrade and network the business communications system for its six stores and warehouse facility, it turned to Toshiba Telecommunication Systems Division and Authorized Toshiba Dealer CTS/Unitel of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a Toshiba dealer for more than 20 years.

The Madison Heights, Mich.-based leading retailer of pool, spa and billiards products needed a business communications system that would network its seven locations, provide centralized voice mail, overhead paging and enable them to improve their overall communication and customer service.  The companys IT director, Sean Tull, wanted a system that he could remotely manage and that was an affordable migration from their current Toshiba Strata DK systems.

Figure 1: Pat Burdick of CTS/Unitel and Sean Tull of Viscount Pools worked together to network Toshiba Strata CTX systems between seven stores in Metro Detroit.

At the recommendation of Pat Burdick, sales representative at Authorized Toshiba Dealer CTS/Unitel, Tull choose Toshibas Strata CTX670 with the Toshiba Stratagy Enterprise Server (ES), which serves as the backbone of the business communication system and is located at the Viscount Pools main warehouse location.  Toshiba Strata CTX100 systems were installed at each of the six retail stores located throughout Metro Detroit, many of which are more than an hour away from the main warehouse location.  The seven locations were networked together using Toshibas StrataNet networking software with T1 lines providing point-to-point connections, and RTDU cards in each of the Strata CTX100 systems.

Centralized Voice Mail
Prior to the installation of the new Strata CTX with the Stratagy ES voice processing system, each Viscount Pools store had its own voice mail system.  Tull explained, Because the systems were all separate, nothing was centralized, and we werent able to send or share messages between stores.

Having seven voice mail systems was more than just inefficient. It also took a lot of administrative time.  Simple jobs like changing outgoing greetings had to be done seven times, once for each location, and had to be implemented on location, so it was very inefficient, he said.

With Stratagy ES, the voice processing capabilities for all seven locations have been centralized, so changes can be made across the network for all seven locations at the same time.  For example, changing the outgoing greeting for all stores can be done with one simple recording, said Tull.  This not only makes it easier to manage but also gives us a consistent greeting across all the store locations.

Customers Never Get a Busy Signal
With customer service its top objective, the Strata CTX system was set up so Viscount Pools customers never get a busy signal.  Burdick explained, We set up the Viscount telephone system so that if all the lines are busy at the particular store the customer called, the call bounces to the corporate offices so that customer can be immediately helped.

Figure 2: Sean Tull of Viscount Pools and Pat Burdick of CTS/Unitel are thrilled with the cost savings and improved efficiencies with the Toshiba Strata CTX systems which Burdick says goes beyond our expectations.

Tull said, CTS/Unitel went the extra mile to help ensure that our customers never get a busy signal, and that goes a long way with our ability to service our customers.

Overhead Paging for Instant Communication
Using the Strata CTXs overhead paging capabilities, anyone at any of the stores can easily page the other stores to get information.  Tull said, Overhead paging is so easy to do, and you can get an immediate response to your request.  This has been a favorite feature among our salespeople.

The intercom system is also a great resource according to Tull.  Anyone can intercom directly to another store, without having to go through the overhead paging system.  Having the intercom capabilities is a tremendous help to us and a big reason we were able to do away with our cell phones and many of the pagers, he explained.

Eliminated Cell Phones and Pagers
Before the new Toshiba Strata CTX solutions were installed, Viscount Pools depended on cell phones to communicate between the locations and to the main warehouse location.  Tull said, Our salespeople and managers spent hours on cell phones calling each other to check inventory and availability of products for our customers. Being able to eliminate the cell phones saved us hundreds of dollars every month.

As well, some of the Viscount Pools stores are in cellular black holes, which made it really hard to stay connected on the cell phones.   In fact, in some areas it was so bad that our salespeople had to go way outside the store to try to get reception when they were using their cell phones, Tull pointed out.

Figure 3: Sean Tull of Viscount Pools and Chris Bacon of CTS/Unitel set up centralized voice mail for Viscounts seven stores using Toshibas Stratagy ES.

We were also able to reduce the number of pagers we needed as it became so easy and cost-effective for us to communicate between the stores using the new Toshiba telephone system, he added.

Real-Time Inventory Information
Viscount Poolss new inventory system allows the sales people to get information on real time sales as the sales are made.  They can check on inventory at the main warehouse or at any of the stores to locate the product the customer wants.

With these capabilities, customer service at the Viscount Pools stores has improved since store salespeople are able to immediately ascertain if a product is in inventory or needs to be ordered, and can let the customer know what to expect. 

The new system has also helped improve the companys inventory management capabilities.  Tull explained, We can tell exactly whats selling at which store and when.  The improved communication has allowed us to have correct daily sales totals for all our locations and has greatly improved our shipping and inventory management capabilities at the warehouse.

Remote System Administration
One of Tulls key objectives was to have a system that he could manage from his desk at the corporate offices.  It just wasnt efficient to have the dealer or me go out to all our locations every time they needed something changed on their telephone system.  Now, with the Strata CTX, I can remotely administrate the system at all seven locations, without ever leaving my desk.  I can easily change outgoing greetings, add new telephones or extensions, and much more without having to drive the hour-plus to each store.

Another benefit of the systems remote administration capabilities is that all the stores telephone systems are virtually identical.  We have a consistent outgoing message for all our stores, and the telephones work and are handled the same at all the stores, he explained.  This makes it a comfortable environment for both our customers and employees and allows them to have the same positive experience regardless of the location of the store.

Bleeding-Edge Technology Thats Easy
A self-confessed tech geek who lives on the bleeding-edge of technology, Tull said, I want to take advantage of what technology has to offer, which is exactly what Im getting from our Toshiba Strata CTX system.  At the same time, I want to shield my users from anything thats too technical and make it easy and intuitive for them to use the system.

He said, Toshiba has developed a highly technical product thats very easy for end-users.  Everything is intuitive and easy, so all users, regardless of the knowledge or experience with technology, can maximize the system use. With the Toshiba Strata CTX system, technology is an enabler, not a barrier, allowing us to do business better than ever before.

In the retail business, customer service is everything, and the Toshiba system has really allowed us to increase our level of communication, which has translated directly to even greater customer satisfaction, he added.  

Significant Savings Plus Migration and Room to Grow
Viscount Pools is a long-time Toshiba user, having most recently used Toshibas Strata DK40 and DK16 systems at its warehouse and stores.  With the introduction of networking capabilities in Toshibas Strata CTX family, Burdick proposed the new system to Viscount Pools.  Being impressed with the existing Toshiba telecommunications system, Tull was interested, but with the caveat that the system would save them money, which it has accomplished significantly.

Among the key cost savings in moving to the new system was the migration path from the older Strata DK systems.  Viscount Pools was able to keep and re-use its telephone handsets as well as some CO line and station cards, which resulted in a savings of 20 percent over having had to purchase all new equipment, according to Burdick.

In making the decision to upgrade to the Toshiba Strata CTX, Tull said it was not only important that it solve his problems today, but also provide the ability to grow in the future.  He said, We wanted a solution that will grow with us and one that we can migrate as we grow.  Toshiba has already proven its strength with its migration of our existing Strata DK systems to the Strata CTX system. With my new Toshiba system, I am ready for anything!

Reduced Long Distance Charges
Since our stores are so spread out, virtually every call we made between stores was a toll call, said Tull.  Because ours is a retail business, customer service is key to our success, and a big part of service is being able to communicate with customers by phone and then locate the product the customer is seeking.  As a result, we make a lot of calls between stores and also to the warehouse to see what products are available, and the long-distance costs really added up.

Together, CTS/Unitel and Toshiba delivered a solution that helped Viscount Pools meet its goal of reducing long distance charges.  In addition to decreasing long distance charges between the stores and the warehouse, CTS/Unitel set up least cost routing (LCR) for all the long distance calls. 

Strata CTX Goes Beyond Expectations
Using the Toshiba Strata CTX, Viscount Pools was able to drastically cut the long distance costs between the seven locations, delivering a 6070 percent decrease in the monthly phone bills.  Eliminating the cell phones by implementing overhead paging and intercom capabilities at the stores further contributed to the cost savings. 

On the productivity side, system administration has improved close to 100 percent, according to Tull.  I can manage the system almost entirely from my desk, which saves hours of travel and on-location time, and frees me up to do other things.

Michael Durance is vice president and general manager of Toshiba's Digital Solutions Division (DSD). Toshiba DSD is a leading provider of business communication systems for small- to medium-sized enterprises. Based in Irvine, CA, Toshiba TSD markets its Strata CTX, Strata DK, Strata CS and Stratagy systems through its network of more than 500 authorized dealers.

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