Stratosphere Networks

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the project manager at Fieldwork LA-OC. We’re a market research company that provides a luxury facility and recruiting service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stratosphere Networks?

We’re a phone-based business. We were using a standard analog phone line, so we needed a vendor to update and convert us to a VoIP system.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a trustworthy service provider to guide us through this transition.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our sister offices was already working with them, and they referred us. Their team quickly responded to our inquiry, taking the time to explain every part of the project we were looking to complete. They seemed dedicated, so we chose to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

Our legacy phone system was serviced through AVAYA and Windstream. It had stopped allowing inbound and outbound calls, which was a key component of our business. We brought in Stratosphere Networks to provide a VoIP solution and get us back on track.

What was the team composition?

I consistently interacted with one person from their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We’re very impressed with their work and looking forward to using our new VoIP system. Their work ethic was spectacular.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They communicated effectively over the phone and through email. I’ve never worked with such a responsive vendor.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciated their professional and high-quality customer service. They’re sincere and customer-oriented in their phone conversations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything at this point.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We specialize in mental health. We are based in Chicago and operate five office spaces as well as a couple of residential programs.

What is your position?

I am the director of infrastructure systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Converged Systems?

We were working with a different vendor for maintaining our Avaya phone system. We had an issue that the vendor could not fix and started to look for a different company that would be close to our headquarters.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Through the years, we've added more phone systems in our locations, which Converged have maintained. All our locations are outfitted with an Avaya IP500 phone system. We also use one-X, which is a mobile application that allows us to emulate desk phones through a smartphone. We've also used them for managed services for our network.

How did you come to work with Converged Systems?

Our CFO [chief financial officer] was familiar with their company and felt it prudent to reach out to them when the opportunity arose.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for 10 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've had hardware failures at the IPO level prior to our managed service agreement with Converged. They stepped in quickly and replaced the necessary parts for us to resume operations temporarily. Since we've had our managed service agreement in place, Converged have been proactive in alerting us and fixing issues even before we knew something was wrong.

How did Converged Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Our collaboration process is very simple. We do have out-of-scope projects that involve implementing new solutions. Project managers are assigned to us and work out scheduling and other details. Our account manager is always involved and helps us with any issue.

We use a portal that they provide for ticketing. We can also send emails to their helpdesk address, which will log our issues in their system. We have access to a history of tickets, resolutions, recommendations, projected replacements for certain parts, and so on. The system is very granular. Issues have typically been resolved remotely. Most of their onsite presence is within installations.

What distinguishes Converged Systems from other providers?

They understand our needs as a nonprofit organization and tailor solutions accordingly. They often scale down proposals from Avaya, eliminating features that we don't need. Converged always make sure that everything is up and running. Our account manager is in touch with us on a regular basis. There is a genuine concern to make sure that everything is working fine on our end. 

Is there anything Converged Systems could have improved or done differently?

I've never felt that they were lacking in any respect. We've been thoroughly impressed with their reliability and performance.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a holding company. We own various assets, primarily focusing on property and casualty insurance, but we also own some warranty companies. We function as a merchant bank, similar to an investment bank. We not only buy and sell companies, but also invest in different financial instruments.

What is your position?

I am the director of IT [information technology] infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Stratosphere Networks?

We were in the midst of moving the company to new headquarters in Illinois and separating our operations from a company we had recently assimilated, which had previously provided their own IT support. Part of that divestment included their IT team. We needed help with this operation, and with some of the design and implementation of various aspects for the new headquarters.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Stratosphere Networks helped design our IT room and referred me to various partners for VoIP [voice-over Internet protocol] and network services for installing low-voltage cabling. We also signed on to a managed services contract with them.

We now primarily use them when we need to make changes to our LAN [local area network]. Stratosphere Networks provide consultation for the implementation of such items. We also work on smaller projects for replacing switches and other aging items within our offices.

When senior management purchased our firm, it was a much larger company with many different divisions. In 2012, they'd already spun off two of those and were in the process of consolidating the remaining divisions, primarily the insurance business, which was originally comprised of four smaller entities. I consolidated the IT staffs within those entities within my team and started providing support services for the holding company.

How did you come to work with Stratosphere Networks?

I knew their owners from a previous job. In 2005, I had worked as a consultant implementing a VoIP solution for a company that converged with the telephony operations of the business that was assimilated by our firm.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our managed services contract lasted for a year. They now provide consulting services on an as-needed basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I can't think of any instances in which they were over budget on a project. There were no unexpected server downtimes during our managed services collaboration.

Generally, people within the company were happy with Stratosphere Networks's services. They received various praises in time, and I don't recall any complaints.

How did Stratosphere Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

We rent ConnectWise from them for our ticketing system. We keep track of tickets involving the work that Stratosphere Networks do as well as our own tasks.

We haven't had a need for on-site presence from their technicians recently. During our bigger cutover work, Stratosphere Networks were present onsite for setting up new computers and other work. As of late, most of their work is done remotely. During our switch replacement project, the devices were shipped to their office where Stratosphere Networks configured them, and then shipped them for us to do the installation. They then connected remotely and finished the configuration.

What distinguishes Stratosphere Networks from other providers?

They're very process-oriented. We can count on tasks being handled professionally and in a similar fashion, time after time, unlike other providers I've come across. I don't get the impression that everything we bring to Stratosphere Networks is a whole new adventure. They have a level of expertise that allows them to provide a high level of support, which is considerably better than most other companies.