When lightning strikes, it can be a good thing. That’s the case for creativity, collaboration, sports, and many other fields. But can an actual lightning strike be good?
That was the question when lightening took down the PBX (News - Alert) system that powered RE/MAX Tri County real estate agents. The company knew its PBX was aging, but the system was done in when lightning wrecked its phone system.
Instead of the natural disaster being, well, a disaster, RE/MAX Tri County discovered that it was a blessing in disguise. That’s because instead of replacing the destroyed PBX with new hardware, the company opted for the hosted PBX services of cloud VoIP provider, 8x8 (News - Alert).
The new system has proven far superior to what came before.
With the latest features, the 8x8 solution has unlocked business opportunities for the brokerage and driven efficiency. It is now easier for the 57 agents in the company to close deals whether in or out of the field. Every RE/MAX Tri County agent has a direct phone number and can take calls anywhere, and this means agents in the field are more connected.
Further, in-home agents are now more seamlessly connected. Being a remote worker is no longer a sentence to business Siberia.
“With our old system, we couldn’t transfer callers to agents who worked at home,” explained office manager Mary Mammino. “Our receptionist would have to take a message and have the agent call back, or she would have to give out the agent’s home number or cell phone number.”
The new PBX also comes with 8x8’s Follow-Me service, which makes the company’s operation look more professional. That’s because the system is more unified.
“With 8x8, we can route calls right away—to the agent’s home, cell phone or computer. The caller has no idea that the agent is not in the office,” said Mammino. “8×8’s VoIP service is absolutely seamless, and lets us handle incoming calls much more efficiently.”
So lightening strikes can be a positive—even actual lightening.
“Of course, there’s some wisdom in the old adage that, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” noted Jacqueline Nasser-Kolek on the 8x8 blog. “But as many business owners are discovering, if a phone system doesn’t support business growth, it IS broken.”
Edited by Rachel Ramsey