The Customer
Based in Santa Barbara, California, Strategic Health Care develops and provides performance improvement and real-time data analytics software for various healthcare providers in the United States, including hospitals, physician groups, and accountable care organizations.
Based in Santa Barbara, California, Strategic Health Care develops and provides performance improvement and real-time data analytics software for various healthcare providers in the United States, including hospitals, physician groups, and accountable care organizations.
Business Challenges
At first glance, a new telecommunications system did not seem to be a priority for Strategic Health Care in Santa Barbara, California. Unlike many companies still struggling to convert an old analog system to a web-centric VoIP system, Strategic Health Care already had a sophisticated, up-to-date IP telecommunications system. Sophisticated, until they considered the costs. “It was very expensive,” says Cevin Doppmann, network engineer at Strategic Health Care. “For two years, we had outsourced an IT system called Clear Star to Impulse Advanced Communications. The costs were enormous—between $70 and $80 per user per month.”
With a team of about 40 employees, Strategic Health Care was looking for a replacement system that would significantly reduce these costs and allow it to manage telephony in-house. As a recent addition to Strategic Health Care, Doppmann was hired to lead the transition after management had conducted its research and due diligence to find a new telecommunications system. An experienced network engineer, he was familiar with the Cisco Unity solution and its convergence-based communication services. “I didn’t know Switchvox or Asterisk in detail, but I had a general understanding of the open-source concept,” he says. Management had considered several options, including a cloud system and even renegotiating hosted costs with Clear Star. They had also evaluated a variety of IP and web systems. In terms of cost reduction, the hosted option did not stand out. When comparing features and prices, Switchvox prevailed over all the competition.
Solutions From Sangoma
“They were confident in their choice, but said that if I found a better solution or knew something they didn’t, they would be happy to listen. In fact, the more I read about the Switchvox solution, the more certain I became that it was the right choice.” Because Strategic Health Care had the basic infrastructure to install IP products, Doppmann was able to deploy Asterisk-based Switchvox right out of the box. The solution’s simplicity meant he did not need additional technical support for installation. “We kept our existing Polycom IP phones, but I was prepared to have to reconfigure our phone setup and reset the entire phone system to Switchvox specifications.” Doppmann admits he was pleasantly surprised when the process turned out to be simple and hassle-free. He continues to learn a lot about all the features the new system offers, and has found the support lines and online help to be invaluable resources. Doppmann says he configured call queues and facilitated call groups based on a tiered system to ensure calls are routed to the right people. The company currently uses two call queues and voicemail-to-email.
“They were confident in their choice, but said that if I found a better solution or knew something they didn’t, they would be happy to listen. In fact, the more I read about the Switchvox solution, the more certain I became that it was the right choice.” Because Strategic Health Care had the basic infrastructure to install IP products, Doppmann was able to deploy Asterisk-based Switchvox right out of the box. The solution’s simplicity meant he did not need additional technical support for installation. “We kept our existing Polycom IP phones, but I was prepared to have to reconfigure our phone setup and reset the entire phone system to Switchvox specifications.” Doppmann admits he was pleasantly surprised when the process turned out to be simple and hassle-free. He continues to learn a lot about all the features the new system offers, and has found the support lines and online help to be invaluable resources. Doppmann says he configured call queues and facilitated call groups based on a tiered system to ensure calls are routed to the right people. The company currently uses two call queues and voicemail-to-email.
The Results
Strategic Health Care was able to eliminate more than $2,100 per month (about $25,000 per year) in user fees alone by replacing its existing phone system with Switchvox. Through a web portal, the previous application gave the customer support team many conveniences they did not want to give up in a new system. As Doppmann discovered, implementing Switchvox meant keeping these support features while reducing costs. “One of the coolest things was that when I installed the phone feature packs (PFPs) that came with the Switchvox PBX, Asterisk recognized them, and all I had to do was plug in our phones and Asterisk connected them without my having to reconfigure them manually.” The phone feature packs deliver many Switchvox applications directly to the endpoints so you can immediately record a call, browse your voicemail, answer parked calls, and much more.
Strategic Health Care was able to eliminate more than $2,100 per month (about $25,000 per year) in user fees alone by replacing its existing phone system with Switchvox. Through a web portal, the previous application gave the customer support team many conveniences they did not want to give up in a new system. As Doppmann discovered, implementing Switchvox meant keeping these support features while reducing costs. “One of the coolest things was that when I installed the phone feature packs (PFPs) that came with the Switchvox PBX, Asterisk recognized them, and all I had to do was plug in our phones and Asterisk connected them without my having to reconfigure them manually.” The phone feature packs deliver many Switchvox applications directly to the endpoints so you can immediately record a call, browse your voicemail, answer parked calls, and much more.
Doppmann also noted that the advanced system includes many useful features, such as the ability to receive a fax digitally. Another benefit for Strategic Health Care is that the software allows the company to continue using its proprietary software. They do this by logging in through a web portal where their customer support team can perform all its functions online, including creating reports and documenting customer issues. There are also aspects of the phone system that are still being implemented. “It was easier to execute than I ever would have thought for such a high-tech product,” says Doppmann. “Not only is Switchvox flexible and extensible, giving us plenty of room to grow, but it has drastically reduced costs, which was one of the project’s main objectives.”