A to Z Machine Company

It’s no small task to run and manage a business, so having an effective communications system is key. The 20-year-old machine shop, A to Z Machine Company based in Appleton, WI was using an outdated phone system that had limited capabilities and wasn’t able to keep up with the growing business needs. As a result, the staff was struggling to communicate with one another while working in different areas of the office and shop. They needed a centralized communication system that could keep the staff connected no matter where they were located in the building and reliably handle the growing number of incoming calls and customer requests. It was also important to ensure staff could coordinate and adjust workflow in real-time, and communicate urgent messages or potential safety issues without fail.

"Our company was growing so quickly and we needed a communication system that could scale at the same rate as our business," said Marc Manteufel, Senior Project Manager at A to Z Machine Company. "Our previous phone system was so limited and restrictive, that it was starting to impact our business."

A to Z Machine Company worked with Aaron Schmitt, system engineer at Appleton Information Technologies, a certified Panasonic unified communications reseller, to help them quickly identify a high-performance, reliable unified communications platform to better meet the needs of their business. After evaluating several options, the company selected Panasonic’s KX-NS1000 IP communications platform. The business communication server was the best solution for A to Z Machine Company because it offered centralized telephony services that helped the business improve its communication and collaboration capabilities across multiple sites. The One-Look Networking feature of the KX-NS1000 allowed A to Z Machine to seamlessly connect two separate buildings, yet function as if they were one, working on a single system.

Shortly after installation, the failover capability engineered into the design of the system was put to the test when their phone carrier experienced a circuit failure. The team was able to rectify the situation quickly by re-routing calls across the One-Look Network, and the KX-NS1000 handled the challenge with no further service interruptions. What would have normally been a full day without service was minimized to an hour or less.

"A to Z Machine Company wanted to take advantage of the latest communication technology, but a key requirement was that it needed to be very simple and easy to use," said Schmitt. "We were able to adapt the Panasonic business communications server to fit their needs, and give them a solid communications platform that can expand as their company grows."

Since the upgrade, the shop’s staff has seen an increase in productivity, allowing them to respond to incoming calls and customer requests in a more efficient and effective manner. In addition, to support its growth, the shop has expanded to support additional staff in two remote locations, one in Iowa and a secondary location in Wisconsin. The Media Relay Gateway feature of the KX-NS1000 has made the addition of these offsite telephones a very simple process. The remote employees stay connected via IP phones which allow for extension dialing and real-time presence status enabling better communication on the shop floors, regardless of their location.

"Setting up the new system at our front desk has changed how we do business," said Manteufel. "The biggest advantage is that it has given us the flexibility to easily relocate people however necessary, seamlessly…no matter which building or offsite location."