Case Studies

Blue Ridge Healthcare

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The Most Advanced Technology is Affordable for...EVERYONE!

BACKGROUND

Blue Ridge HealthCare, a modern multi-facility health service provider in North Carolina, approached Consultedge with the intention of replacing an unreliable phone and voicemail system in one of their hospitals. When budgetary constraints stalled the progress of the upgrade, ConsultedgeTM called on their partner PAETEC to evaluate the feasibility of an Equipment For Services (EFS) arrangement.

EQUIPMENT FOR SERVICES

For organizations that have the desire, but not necessarily the budget, to upgrade their voice and data network, PAETEC offers an exclusive financing program called Equipment For Services (EFS). This profit-sharing arrangement actually enables clients to use a portion of the money they spend on PAETEC carrier services to subsidize the purchase of upgraded communications equipment.

After Consultedge introduced Blue Ridge HealthCare to PAETEC, the discussion of upgrading additional locations began. The decision makers of Blue Ridge had already realized the potential operational benefits of having a reliable unified network in place. But cost had always been an obstacle. With the EFS program, they could now seriously consider a broader upgrade.

NOT TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Blue Ridge had been spending approximately $30,000 per month just on network services as provided by multiple previous carriers. Working cooperatively, Consultedge and PAETEC were able to replace existing network services and bundle a $725,000 equipment lease onto one invoice and still save Blue Ridge several thousand dollars each month.

“The upgrade was so dramatic and the cost savings so significant, that at first we were suspicious,” said Larry Pizzorni, Vice President of Support Services for Blue Ridge HealthCare. “Our system was so old and so unreliable, it was taking quite some time to reboot. It was just a time bomb waiting to completely fail us. Now, we can work with one carrier and one unified service provider and our internal team can become much more proficient managing a single source.”

EQUIPMENT

Blue Ridge’s old system had some Avaya components but was mainly comprised of Nortel equipment, and it was so old that it was no longer supported. Their upgraded solution now includes:

• Avaya Communication Manager 5.0
• Avaya Intuity Audix Voicemail
• Spectralink wireless phones, and
• Consultedge’s 5-year maintenance program.

LOOKING AHEAD

Though the system installation is not yet complete, Blue Ridge HealthCare is already enjoying greater reliability and improved call quality. At long last, they were able to implement the system they had considered for years but never thought they could afford. Pizzorni said, “Without the EFS program, this might never have happened for us. It has been a remarkable mechanism for Blue Ridge to afford the upgraded switches we desperately needed while developing partnerships with Consultedge, Avaya, and PAETEC. We have had an outstanding customer service experience so far. To date, they have really walked the talk.”