The Challenge

Established in 1986, QIEM is North America’s largest CRM and Internet Marketing management consulting organization focused on sales, marketing and customer service with Microsoft CRM, TeleMagic, Sage CRM and SalesLogix. QIEM works with its clients delivering new customers, increased sales, greater efficiency, higher profit and improved productivity.

For its own customer service needs, QIEM had a clear vision: to provide the best possible customer phone experience, along with maximum convenience and minimum disruption for QIEM’s employees. Knowing the company’s aging PBX system could no longer deliver on that vision, CEO Jonathan Schloo had started the search for a replacement. Together with many other requirements, he was adamant that the new system be capable of simultaneously ringing his office desk phone, cell phone and home office line, ensuring that customers get through anytime and anywhere.

The Solution

Searching for “parallel ringing” on the Internet, Schloo discovered that the Find-Me, Follow-Me feature provided by TELUS IP-One could do exactly what he wanted. Coincidentally, he also received an invitation to attend a demonstration of TELUS IP-One in downtown Toronto. After a live demonstration he was sold. In October, 2004, QIEM went live with IP-One.

“Now, when someone calls our main number and dials the employee’s extension, it simultaneously rings their office phone, cell phone and home phone,” says Schloo, “It’s a real plus for us because it reduces the amount of phone tag and voicemails people have to reply to.” What’s more, when employees call from outside the office, the call is identified as coming from QIEM, projecting a thoroughly professional image.

As an added benefit, in addition to Microsoft Outlook, TELUS IP-One integrates Internet Marketing with CRM. QIEM not only offers these products to its customers, its own people use them too. “Our employees can manage their time better, they can track messages, work with them, prioritize and organize them,” says Schloo. “And while we’re listening to a message, we can press 88 and the system will automatically dial the caller. It’s a real time saver.”

Over the years, a number of QIEM employees had amassed private phone numbers and different extension numbers. TELUS IP-One was capable of capturing them all. Says Schloo: “Customers can now call me on an old phone number I had 15 years ago, our 1-800 number or my new direct number and they’ll reach me. It’s a great platform because we don’t have to tell people ‘Our menu has changed, please listen carefully.’”

QIEM offers Internet Marketing and CRM as a hosted service to its own customers, so choosing a hosted service was not a big leap for them. Schloo knew he would never have to worry about whether QIEM has enough lines, nor would he need to be concerned about backing up, maintaining and managing the system, or upgrading it. It’s been an ideal fit from day one.