PC Doctectives
"The phone is absolutely critical to us - it's imperative to our business that our phones are up and running. I have a client-centric business to run and I cannot be worried about whether they can reach us, much less how we come across. With Aptela, I have that peace of mind."
Cliff Bodenweiser, President, PC Doctectives
Challenge: Providing quick, reliable service to geographically diverse clients.
The PC Doctectives service small businesses, home-based businesses, and residential customers with American-based specialists who provide instant, reliable online remote computer support as well as repair and maintenance for Windows-based systems.
When computer troubles strike a small business, even with the growing number of virtual users, the downtime can be devastating. That's where The PC Doctectives come in. They support and maintain PC systems and help secure professional and personal data for over 500 clients. With that many clients-and just three full-time employees and four contractors-PC Doctectives provides most of their service remotely via the internet and phone, simultaneously.
Phone system reliability was a high-value problem for the company. Says Chief Technology Officer Isaac Girard, "We went through two other VoIP providers before Aptela - both were absolute nightmares." One day, he came into the office with the phone system completely down and no one at the provider could be reached. "Our business was dead that day... our reputation tarnished permanently."
Solution: Finding a system that provides mobility, flexibility and reliability.
With Aptela's hosted VoIP service, PC Doctectives no longer has to worry about their phone system going AWOL. "Once we went to Aptela, it's been fantastic," says President Cliff Bodenweiser. "We now have confidence that someone who cares is standing behind us. We can't afford to be ‘left in the lurch' if a problem does arise."
And Aptela gives PC Doctectives' mobile workforce the tools they need to fix clients' computer problems on the fly:
- Auto Attendant lets PC Doctectives customize menus so client calls get routed to the right place the first time.
- Attendant Schedules automatically switches between business and after hours greetings.
- Find Me Lists help PC Doctectives manage high incoming call volume at the office by ringing remote employees' home or cell phones.
- Voicemail to Email Integration allows employees at secure locations or in bad-cell-reception areas to receive their voicemail messages as email attachments (.wav or mp3 formats) and respond quickly
- Seamless Remote Connectivity means employees can work from home or while on the road-they're never disconnected from the office.
- Audio Conferencing allows PC Doctectives technical specialist to instantly bring in manufacturer support representatives on the line.
- Announce Callee lets the doctective on the receiving end know who is calling, no matter where they pick up the call... even on a cell phone.
As PC Doctectives continues to grow and add more off-site staff, Bodenweiser plans to add virtual extensions to the company's Aptela service. Virtual extensions will allow calls to be quickly transferred directly to employees' mobile phones by dialing just an extension number. Mobile employees can then use Aptela's virtual transfer menu to manage the calls (transfer, hold, start/stop recording and more).
"Aptela makes it very easy for our clients to connect to us while hearing us ‘as-clear-as-a-bell' . We were easily able to customize our system around our business model to meet our needs and more-importantly, the needs of our clients."
Results: Growing a business that is dependent on service speed and reliability.
Customer service is the name of the game for PC Doctectives. "Aptela makes it very easy for our clients to connect to us...in a very efficient and effective manner," says Bodenweiser. With Aptela's reliable VoIP solution, the company has reduced back and forth phone tag for appointment scheduling. Now PC Doctectives can send out automated emails for quarterly service schedules and clients simply leave a voice mail message with their preferred appointment times. Bodenweiser estimates he is saving at least five man-hours every week-in an office with only three full-time employees.
In addition, Aptela's high-definition (HD Voice) platform allows PC Doctectives to "have our clients experience our voices as if we're sitting right next to them." Service calls are no longer interrupted by echoing or noise on the line. "Our clients feel we are a professional organization. Aptela helps us project the image we want to put forth-that we are responsive and on the cutting edge," Bodenweiser says.
