Healthcare Case Study
A 400-location kidney care provider saves more than $1.2 million annually by switching to Fusion Connect voice services.
The Result
High Costs, Unexpected Service Disruption, Unexplained Fees
The company’s networking and telephony team is chartered with helping clinical staff focus 100% on patients and patient care by providing quality, reliable, cost-effective infrastructure. The man who leads the team, Marcus Burks, Director of IT Networking and Telephony, says, “We want IT and IT services to simply work.”
Services from the previous telecommunications provider didn’t always live up to this mission, as random service changes occurred without timely, effective Support response. “The red flag went up when there were charges on our invoice that even our national account rep couldn’t explain,” says Burks.
These charges, along with extremely high costs for very basic plain old telephone system (POTS) lines, led Burks to look for an alternative provider. With 400 locations across the United States, Burks wanted a single provider that could cover the company’s entire geographic footprint with consistent installations, service, and support for a range of modern telephony and connectivity services.
$1.2 Million Immediate Savings, Annually - More to Come
Burks worked with a partner who referred him to Fusion Connect.
“I gave Fusion Connect one of our invoices,” says Burks. “When they did an apples-to-apples comparison of lines and services, their quote showed they could save us $100,000 per month or $1.2 Million annually, on POTS lines alone.” As a result, the company switched to Fusion Connect.
Telecom costs will continue to drop as the company transfers POTS lines to SIP and rolls out Hosted Voice (VoIP). As more locations are brought ‘on-net’ (onto SIP and Hosted VoIP), long-distance charges for calls between locations will drop. The healthcare provider receives a single invoice for all of its Fusion Connect services.
No More Surprises
Unexpected fees and charges weren’t the only surprise that the organization experienced with its previous provider. Sometimes, phone numbers would unexpectedly port from POTS to SIP.
“These spontaneous ports happened without anyone being notified. Worst of all, calls to 911 would not work,” says Burks. “Not once have we had anything similar happen with Fusion Connect. With Fusion Connect, ports are scheduled ahead of time, we’re informed, and they happen as planned. There is really good communication, and there are no issues with 911 access.”
Better Service: Happier Internal Customers
To log a service or support request with the previous provider, Burks or someone on his team had to send an email to the account rep and then wait sometimes more than 24 hours for confirmation the ticket was opened. “An Inbox is a poor place to manage support requests, status, and resolution,” says Burks.
Like all Fusion Connect customers, the organization can access an online portal to view all their existing services, order new services, submit change requests and open and monitor support tickets. “We know right away that our request or issue is being worked. We see up-to-the-minute status, including escalation. My team is more productive and responsive to our internal customers across all 400 locations thanks to the Fusion Connect portal. These customers are happier because we consistently meet our KPIs for service levels and times,” says Burks.
The company subscribes to Fusion Connect Elite Gold Support for its POTS lines. It provides 24/7 Director/VP escalation for the rare outage and a dedicated team of tenured support agents. “The people from Fusion Connect are the cream of the crop, obviously experts in their field. They are well-seasoned, highly professional, and the most knowledgeable reps available.”
Transparency in Invoicing = Time Savings
Fusion Connect invoices contain no surprises for Burks, the Accounts Payable team, and the clinics they serve. By avoiding the need to question charges, pursue and follow up on resolution, track bill credits, and so on, Burks estimates saving 20 to 30 hours per month.
“Fusion Connect’s transparency and accuracy in invoicing is refreshing. It saves time and money, and it helps several people in our company focus on other important priorities.”
A Range of Enterprise-class Services and Solutions From a Single Trusted Partner
Fusion Connect assigns dedicated staff and has rigorous processes for ports, migration, service changes, and service turn-up. Together, these result in consistent, predictable service delivery that avoids errors and surprises.
“From a customer service standpoint, I can’t stress enough how good of a job Fusion Connect has done compared to the service we received from previous providers,” says Burks.
Fusion Connect Service Delivery is exceptional. “With dedicated staff and a uniform process for each turn-up, our experience is consistently great. Whether it’s from a billing standpoint, bringing on a new site, advising and consulting with us on service options, or resolving a LEC issue, working with Fusion Connect has been a huge change for the better.”
As the company migrates to Hosted Voice or adds other Fusion Connect services, implementation can occur on the company’s preferred schedule.
Fusion Connect - The Path Forward
As this healthcare company acquires and integrates new locations or upgrades existing locations to modern IP-based voice and data services, Burks and his team can continue to rely on one provider to provide a consistently high-quality experience and set of services.
Fusion Connect experts can assist with solution design taking into account the company’s overall network needs. “Fusion Connect delivers enterprise-class solutions and service, without the high price tag. Fusion Connect has become a strategic partner for helping us stay on the cutting edge of communications technology,” remarks Burks.
“I appreciate the expertise Fusion Connect brings, and the broad range of modern products and services available nationwide that help us fulfill our mission, while saving money.”
Full Services Solution
“I gave Fusion Connect one of our invoices,” says Burks. “When they did an apples-to-apples comparison of lines and services, their quote showed they could save us $100,000 per month or $1.2 Million annually, on POTS lines alone.” As a result, the company switched to Fusion Connect.
—Marcus Burks, Director of IT Networking and Telephony
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“With Fusion Connect, ports are scheduled ahead of time, we’re informed, and they happen as planned. There is really good communication, and there are no issues with 911 access.”
–Marcus Burks, Director of IT Networking and Telephony
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