International Producer Case Study

International Producer & Marketer of Food, Agricultural, Financial & Industrial Products & Services

Overview:
In business since 1865, this client is one of the largest – and oldest – international producers and marketers of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services in the world. Today, it employs 131,000 people in 66 countries.

Challenge:
With a widespread business base comprised of thousand of locations, connectivity is of primary importance to the company. Equally important is keeping its cost of doing business well in hand.

For more than four years, Comm-Works understands how critical effective interaction with your customers, employees and partners is to your business. Without it, you are at risk of customer defection, poor morale and business inefficiencies. For this reason, Comm-Works offers a complete package of global services built around a robust portfolio of interaction technologies. The client’s corporate IT department, which supports all of its business units, is lean by design, and has relied on Comm-Works to fill in periodic resource gaps and to provide the complementary expertise for complicated projects.

Recently, the company decided to deploy a Cisco Unified Communications system as the standard for its business units going forward. Doing so enables the company to reduce the costs associated with old multi-platform phone systems and gives it the ability to centrally manage and globally support a single system. Because each site is unique and can range from a standard office environment to a large production facility or warehouse, each site has a different set of business needs and requirements. The client selected Comm-Works as a partner for this high profile initiative.

LimITless Possibilities:
Comm-Works' project involvement always begins with a comprehensive site survey and the creation of detailed documentation regarding the specific site environment. From here, Comm-Works conducts a needs assessment with the customer and provides recommendations for specific design solutions that will meet the business goals of the particular location. Upon acceptance of the recommendations, Comm-Works collaborates with the client to develop a comprehensive project plan that lays out the specific steps and resources necessary to meet their business requirements in the most cost-efficient way.

Prior to on-site installation, the client ships their Cisco equipment to the Comm-Works Logistics Center to be staged and configured. The Comm-Works Team works closely with the client’s corporate IT department to ensure that configurations are appropriate and supportable. Once the configurations are approved, the equipment is shipped to site for implementation.

Once onsite, Comm-Works completes any necessary infrastructure upgrades and clean-up. This can be as minor as running a few Cat6 cables to completely re-cabling the location and rebuilding the MDF. Comm-Works also removes all of the existing voice and data equipment from the network and packages it for the customer. Once the new Cisco IP hardware is installed and connected to the local area network (LAN), Comm-Works completes testing to ensure that it registers with the central Cisco Unified Communications Manager and also completes comprehensive testing of the call routing to make certain it matches the customer’s original design requests.

To ensure that all systems are performing to the customer’s expectations, the Comm-Works field resources remain on-site to provide training and Day 2 support.

Results & Value:
Business and service interruptions due to legacy phone system failures are now a thing of the past, which means that the client’s customers, both internal and external, are better served. Location managers also appreciate the productivity boosts that IP communications, such as call routing and single number access to desk and cell phones and other communication devices, bring to their operations. Individual users enjoy the system’s flexibility and personalization options. For example, an employee was able to sync her Bluetooth-capable hearing aids to her phone, enabling hands-free calling without a headset.

The client understands the value of working with a trusted partner like Comm-Works and relies on the company to complete a variety of other projects including AV installations and wireless projects. Most recently, Comm-Works completed a wireless bridge installation that involved connecting five remote locations that were spread over a three mile radius.

The client knows that in a constantly changing and complex technology environment, it is virtually impossible and extremely costly to have all of the required expertise on staff. Comm-Works provides the client with a skilled, variable work force that results in faster time to market without the overhead of full time employees. Comm-Works truly is an extension of the company. In fact, Comm-Works project managers are located at the client’s facilities and work full time to support their communications programs and ensure that projects, no matter how complex, are seamless in their execution, on time and on budget.