Equity Trust Case Study
Equity Trust Communication Solution
Company Overview
Equity Trust is a leading provider of self-directed IRAs and 401(k)s, with approximately $25 billion of retirement plan assets under their administration (as of 12/31/17). The company has grown overwhelmingly since 1974 and is established in Westlake, OH with the mission to help investors make tax-free profits through education, innovation, and a commitment to understanding their individual needs. Equity Trust has over 400 users in 3 locations on their telephony system and runs a sophisticated call center with over 100 call center agents, and 9 call center supervisors.The Challenge
Equity Trust’s phone system contract with Cisco was coming to a close which forced them to evaluate their current call center functionality, reporting capabilities, and provider services in comparison with their expanding business requirements. The challenges that lay before them existed in three different mission-critical areas.1
Running on a current Cisco phone system, their provider couldn’t function like the reliable partner Equity Trust desired and needed for navigating the changing landscape of their business requirements for call center functionality and managed services. Making the changes they needed to their telephony system would require a provider who could deliver not just functionality, but partnership.
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Timely and accurate reporting is critical for call centers. Equity Trust’s current Cisco system lacked the ability to deliver the reporting functionality they desired at the speed in which they needed it delivered. In addition to desiring efficient reporting, Equity Trust was challenged by not having features available that were able to facilitate the streamlined processes and functions they envisioned for the growth and sustainability of their business.
3
Lastly, and perhaps most critical, was the realization that the overall cost for their telephony system versus the functionality being delivered was not inline. Seeking a solution within the ever-changing industry of VoIP—with all its purchasing model variables—presented a challenge for Equity Trust who desired to maintain affordability firmly at the top of their requirements.
TTx gave us a sales experience that made us believe they were genuinely interested in supporting our business needs. The personal approach of TTx seemed more lucrative than a larger conglomerate, with ShoreTel as only a very small fraction of TTx’s overall offering.
– John Moses, Enterprise Infrastructure Director at Equity Trust
The Solution
Equity Trust explored the options of both a Cisco hosted and on-premise solution, as well as an Avaya option, before ultimately landing on the decision to choose ShoreTel as a Service with TTx as their new technology partner. The solution they chose included: a fully deployed ShoreTel Phone system, ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center with Salesforce.com integration. Equity Trust Supervisors also required advanced call documentation applications which is why TTx deployed Uptivity call recording, screen recording, speech analytics, and workforce management along with this all-in voice platform solution as a Service.DELIVERING PARTNERSHIP
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With Equity Trust being unhappy with their previous partner, TTx set out to deliver ShoreTel in a way no one else could. “The value is in the partnership,” says Nathanael Petry, Senior Account Team Lead at TTx, “where we help the supervisors and agents utilize what the system provides both efficiently and effectively.” Equity Trust chose their ShoreTel solution primarily based upon the benefits of a trusted, present, and reliable partnership with TTx.
DELIVERING FUNCTIONALITY
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Making the much needed changes from a Cisco to a ShoreTel system was a perfect fit for an organization the size of Equity Trust, from their infrastructure footprint, to the new features and functionality. Increased reporting functionality, ease of management, and being able to integrate Salesforce capabilities into their phone system were all major players in choosing ShoreTel and TTx as their solution to desiring improved functionality.
DELIVERING AFFORDABILITY
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Reducing the overall monthly expense of operating their system was a top priority for Equity Trust, and with ShoreTel as their solution, they were able to lower their costs but also improve and expand their functionality. The affordability of the new ShoreTel system came with technology that is scalable to the future growth of Equity Trust.
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— Brandon Kenney, COO at TTx
The Outcome
Equity Trust explored the options of both a Cisco hosted and on-premise solution, as well as an Avaya option, before ultimately landing on the decision to choose ShoreTel as a Service with TTx as their new technology partner. The solution they chose included: a fully deployed ShoreTel Phone system, ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center with Salesforce.com integration. Equity Trust Supervisors also required advanced call documentation applications which is why TTx deployed Uptivity call recording, screen recording, speech analytics, and workforce management along with this all-in voice platform solution as a Service.PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
The partnership with TTx resulted in greater flexibility and versatility in achieving business goals and requirements for Equity Trust. “TTx gave us a sales experience that made us believe they were genuinely interested in supporting our business needs. The personal approach of TTx seemed more lucrative than a larger conglomerate, with ShoreTel as only a very small fraction of TTx’s overall offering.” – John Moses, Enterprise Infrastructure Director at Equity Trust.
OPTIMIZED FOR FUNCTIONALITY
Equity Trust is now better equipped to handle their call center operations planning now and for the future, their audit and compliance teams are furnished with more tools and functionality than they ever envisioned, and the improved and optimized functionality has increased efficiency for the entire company, allowing for scalability over the long-term.
EXPERIENCING THE AFFORDABLE
Now with a fully integrated phone system aligned to the overall cost of operating the system, Equity Trust is experiencing the freedom of finding a solution with a purchasing model that matches their business requirements.
Summary
Equity Trust found confidence in TTx as their technology partner to deliver a solution without making compromises or sacrifices to their greatest desires as a company. They found alignment and reliability in the functionality along with a newly established relationship with a telecommunications firm that puts people first.
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