Transportation Services Provider KC Integrated Services Protects Bus. Continuity Throughout Distributed Enterprise With 8x8 C...
March 27 2014 - 8:15AM
Business Wire
8x8 Cloud-Based Solution Replaces Outdated
On-Premise PBX and Ensures Communications Between 14 U.S. Locations
Remain Intact Through Stormy Winter Seasons
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT), a provider of cloud-based unified
communications, contact center and collaboration solutions, today
announced that KC Integrated Services, a full-service
transportation and supply chain solutions provider for North
America and beyond, has implemented 8x8 cloud communications across
its geographically distributed organization, which spans 14
locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Mississippi and Ontario, Canada.
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Carleton, Michigan, KC
Integrated Services provides truckload services, finished vehicle
transport, and fleet leasing and maintenance through its KC
Transportation, KACE, Tran Tech, and Markare Services divisions.
The company has also established itself as one of the largest
Certified Minority Owned logistics providers in North America.
The newly deployed 8x8 cloud-based solution replaces an outdated
analog phone system that routed all communications through a
central hub at the company’s main office in Carleton. Whenever that
office lost power or connectivity, the entire communications system
failed.
“Environmental factors definitely played a role in our decision
to deploy an 8x8 cloud solution,” said Bob Bergstrom, director of
information services at KC Integrated Services. “Michigan has
brutal winters and severe thunderstorms that made our previous
system vulnerable to outages. With 8x8, we can protect the business
but still communicate easily across all locations.”
KC Integrated Services currently uses 8x8 cloud communications
services in 14 sites across seven geographic locations. A
centralized corporate directory included on every desktop lets
employees quickly look up coworkers, see their status and call
their extensions. Auto attendants with both day and night greetings
efficiently route outside calls to the right departments.
8x8’s internal chat feature and mobile app have also enhanced
worker productivity. Employees who need a quick answer to a
question can now use chat rather than wait for an email response.
The 8x8 mobile app gives them the flexibility to make and take
business calls anywhere without revealing their personal cell phone
numbers.
Bergstrom and other employees are also taking advantage of
advanced 8x8 phone features, such as “find me, follow me,” which
allows users to set up their own personal call-routing rules. For
example, when a user does not answer a call at the office, the
caller can be given the option to try the user’s cell phone, home
phone, or any other configured phone number.
Meeting features are included in the company’s 8x8 service,
eliminating the added cost of a separate conferencing application.
Bergstrom notes that 8x8's Outlook plug-in makes scheduling and
managing meetings much easier for users. The intuitive, web-based
system administration portal gets very high marks from Bergstrom’s
technical staff.
“Making changes to our previous system was very complicated, and
there was only one guy who really knew how to do it,” recalled
Bergstrom. “8x8’s web interface is straightforward, user-friendly,
and highly configurable. We’ve trained our entire IT team on the
new system so we all know how to make changes and can share
knowledge instead of losing it.”
As a company that deals with transportation logistics, KC
Integrated Services has unique requirements for routing calls to
its dispatchers. When Bergstrom contacted customer support for help
in configuring the phone system, 8x8 created a customized routing
solution.
“8x8 has opened up new avenues of communication for us and been
a true partner in the process,” said Bergstrom. “We believe that
partnership will help us grow our business over the long term.”
"The flexibility of 8x8 cloud communications allows us to
deliver affordable solutions that meet specific business
requirements and provide disaster recovery,” said 8x8 CEO Vik
Verma. "By moving their communications to the cloud, geographically
dispersed organizations like KC Integrated Services can eliminate
single points of failure in their networks and achieve a triple
win: better business continuity, richer communication tools, and
significant cost savings.”
About 8x8, Inc.
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) is the trusted provider of secure and
reliable cloud-based unified
communications and virtual contact center solutions to
more than 36,000 small, midsize and distributed enterprise
organizations operating in over 40 countries across six continents.
8x8's out-of-the-box cloud solutions replace traditional on-premise
PBX hardware and software-based systems with a flexible and
scalable Software as a Service (SaaS) alternative, encompassing
cloud business phone service, contact center solutions, and web
conferencing. For additional information,
visit www.8x8.com, or www.8x8.com/UK or connect with
8x8
on Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About KC Integrated
KC Integrated Services, headquartered in Carleton, Michigan, was
established in 1986 and has grown into a full service Supply Chain
Solutions provider for North America and beyond. We have
established ourselves as one of the largest Certified Minority
Owned logistics providers in North America. KC Integrated Services
offers our customers a full range of logistics services including
Transportation Management, Part Sequencing and Sub-Assembly
Services, Truckload Services, Finished Vehicle Transportation,
Equipment Leasing & Maintenance and IT Solutions. Our network
of facilities is strategically located within the vast
manufacturing areas of North America.
8x8, Inc.Tim Polakowski, 669-200-6638tim.polakowski@8x8.com
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