Case Study: my1voice Powers Energy Firm

Balanced Wind was founded in 2008 when a grant made it possible for the company to begin manufacturing its wind-powered alternative energy products in North America. The technology allows building owners in urban settings to install a wind turbine on top of a flat-roof building to generate their own clean electricity rather than purchasing it from the local power utility. This power source is more efficient, greener and more affordable than electricity brought in on the grid. Balanced Wind currently has 17 employees in the United States and is expanding its sales into Europe.

The Challenge. When Balanced Wind first launched it had only three employees, but company chairman André De Rosa saw that the potential for rapid growth was huge and wanted a phone system to support that growth.

Many small companies operate strictly off the mobile phones of their employees,” De Rosa said. Thats a cost-effective strategy, but also a limiting one. I knew from the start that we needed something more robust. I wanted to have a single number that could be used to reach anyone in the company, with the ability to zero out and reach someone else if the person you want to talk to is unavailable. I wanted an automated system to greet callers and help direct them rather than having to staff a receptionist, voice mail, conference calling and the like.”

When he looked into purchasing a system like that, however, De Rosa couldnt justify the expense. Unwilling to compromise on features, he began looking for an alternative that was more in line with a small but growing companys budget.

The Solution. De Rosa determined a virtual phone service for small business would provide the phone capabilities Balanced Wind sought while bringing everyone in the company under the umbrella of a single phone number. After trying several, the company selected my1voice for its combination of call quality, ease of use, rich feature set and cost efficiency.

The call quality on my1voice was clearly better than the others,” De Rosa said. It sounded like a normal phone conversation. And I liked the fact that anyone here could change how its set up versus having to call an outside technician.”

The primary benefit Balanced Wind sought was the ability for callers to reach a live person rather than leave voice mail messages when an employee is not at his/her desk. my1voices smart call forwarding, which allows users to forward their office lines to their mobiles, home or any other numbers, has increased these first-call connections. Not only is it used when employees are away from the office which is 90 percent of the time its even valuable when they are in the office.

With past systems Ive used you had to be near your office phone to forward it,” he said. If you forgot to do it, the calls would stay there, whether you were out of the office or just down the hall at a meeting. my1voice lets you set the phone to ring your mobile or other phones simultaneously or in sequence, so you never have to remember to forward it. If you need to make a change you can do this from any Internet connection. Its much easier.”

Balanced Wind employees appreciate the flexibility my1voice offers as well. Some set their phones to go directly to voice mail at certain times, effectively establishing office hours, while others forward their calls at all times. De Rosa also has my1voice connected to his Skype account, which he uses while traveling and for international calling. In addition, the free support has been superb he said; if an employee needs assistance they can call and get an answer right away.

The scalability of my1voice has been beneficial as well since the service allows unlimited extensions at no extra cost. The ease of use of the online user interface means anyone can be assigned to manage users, even if they dont have a technical background.

When we started Balanced Wind we had three employees,” De Rosa said. Were now up to 17, and assigning an extension takes no time. If you can add a contact to your e-mail application, you can administer my1voice.”

The Results. By selecting my1voice, De Rosa eliminated the $38,000 initial payment for an equipment-based phone system, plus the $300-$600 per month for maintenance. Instead, his only costs are $30 per month for my1voice and the cost of the mobile phones for his employees, which he would have to pay regardless of the phone system.

De Rosa said my1voice has helped his company present a cohesive image while servicing customers better. In fact, he likes it so much he has been recommending my1voice to his customers.

Many of our customers have small offices with a dispersed work force,” he said. my1voice is perfect for them. I have yet to have anyone come back with anything but praise for it.”