The Customer
FormFast (now Interlace Health) is the leading developer of medical documentation automation and workflow optimization software for hospitals and clinics. It also offers consulting services to help users implement and maximize their solutions, including technical support, form design, conversion, and training.
FormFast (now Interlace Health) is the leading developer of medical documentation automation and workflow optimization software for hospitals and clinics. It also offers consulting services to help users implement and maximize their solutions, including technical support, form design, conversion, and training.
Business Challenges
According to Matt Rygelski of PhoneWire in Fairview Heights, Illinois, FormFast is a highly technical company with the resources and expertise to implement custom solutions using the open-source tool Asterisk. At first glance, it seemed logical to replace their 15-year-old Nortel digital system with a custom Asterisk solution. Ultimately, FormFast chose not to reinvent the wheel. Although Asterisk would have provided the required features, the process would have taken too long. “The truth is, we’re a very technical company, and I knew Asterisk. But I’m not a phone expert,” explains Ratliff. Once they decided not to build their own solution, they began exploring proprietary systems. “Four companies came in to present to us or show us demos,” says Ratliff. “We started working with the Switchvox web interface and saw how we could customize things, program the auto attendant, IVR and Caller ID, review all the mapping functions, and implement the option to add our own applet. Switchvox was the winning choice for us.”
Sangoma Solutions
“Switchvox was designed for a company like ours—one that wants all the features of an Asterisk-based system, but preconfigured and packaged at an all-in price, making it much more affordable than the big brands,” says Ratliff. Cost and scalability were key selling points of the Switchvox system. “We didn’t have a precise budget figure, but Switchvox clearly saved us money,” he explains. “The other systems cost three times as much as Switchvox for the same features, and we really like the ability to expand. We were maxed out with the existing setup, but Switchvox gave us 45 extension positions at the high end. When we switched over, we bought 100 licenses. Since implementation, we’ve added 25 more, and Switchvox has had no problem keeping up with growth.” Since then, FormFast has doubled its number of wireless USB headsets, from 75 to 150. In addition to the main Switchvox server, FormFast was also able to buy and preconfigure a cold standby server for emergency backup and redundancy. “If we lost our entire phone system, I could have it back up and running in thirty minutes,” says Ratliff.
“Switchvox was designed for a company like ours—one that wants all the features of an Asterisk-based system, but preconfigured and packaged at an all-in price, making it much more affordable than the big brands,” says Ratliff. Cost and scalability were key selling points of the Switchvox system. “We didn’t have a precise budget figure, but Switchvox clearly saved us money,” he explains. “The other systems cost three times as much as Switchvox for the same features, and we really like the ability to expand. We were maxed out with the existing setup, but Switchvox gave us 45 extension positions at the high end. When we switched over, we bought 100 licenses. Since implementation, we’ve added 25 more, and Switchvox has had no problem keeping up with growth.” Since then, FormFast has doubled its number of wireless USB headsets, from 75 to 150. In addition to the main Switchvox server, FormFast was also able to buy and preconfigure a cold standby server for emergency backup and redundancy. “If we lost our entire phone system, I could have it back up and running in thirty minutes,” says Ratliff.
Results
FormFast particularly appreciates how easy it is to configure softphones remotely, which is much simpler than troubleshooting MCK adapters. “We don’t need to visit our employees. We simply connect to the Switchvox web interface and, from there, we can configure the user, set up voicemail to email, create our own rules, etc.” It was also crucial for FormFast to integrate Salesforce, their main CRM software. “FormFast employees weren’t expecting the breadth of detailed Salesforce information accessible through the Switchvox system, which is a huge help to the representative during a customer call,” says Rygelski of PhoneWire. “It was like night and day for them to be able to read previous notes and add annotations to customer records. Before, everything was manual, done by hand, which involved a lot of human error. Now all the records are right in front of the representative, and the caller doesn’t realize the calls aren’t coming from an office or a call center.” Thanks to the power of Switchvox, this medical software company now has a call center queue for technical support and complete administrative control over a dispersed team of employees.