CallTower’s Native Microsoft Teams Direct Routing: A Major League Upgrade for Franklin Sports
Franklin Sports, a household name in sporting goods, needed to replace their outdated legacy phone system with a modern, cost-effective, and secure solution. By partnering with CallTower, they successfully transitioned to a Native Microsoft Teams Direct Routing voice solution, maximizing their existing Office 365 infrastructure while reducing costs and improving efficiency.
About Franklin Sports
Founded in 1946, Franklin Sports began as a regional sporting goods brand and grew into a globally recognized name. Known for its innovative partnerships with world-class athletes like Joe Namath, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Barry Bonds, Franklin Sports has become a leader in the sporting goods industry. Their products are sold by major retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Target.
The Challenge
Operating for decades often brings a unique challenge: modernizing communication systems. Franklin Sports faced several hurdles with their outdated legacy PBX phone system:
- Lack of Mobility: The system offered no “on-the-go” options, which are critical for today’s business needs.
- No Dedicated Support: The absence of a reliable support structure created inefficiencies.
- Cost and Complexity: The system was costly to maintain and lacked integration with their existing Microsoft Office 365 tools.
Franklin Sports initially explored Microsoft’s voice calling options but found the support and cost structure unsatisfactory. After reviewing solutions from RingCentral, Windstream, Mitel, and Arkadin, they realized third-party providers lacked the unified communication features they required. They needed a native Teams solution with a trusted partner who could deliver expertise and seamless integration.
The Solution
Franklin Sports partnered with CallTower, a certified Microsoft Solutions Partner, to implement a Native Microsoft Teams Direct Routing voice solution. CallTower’s extensive experience in Microsoft voice solutions, dating back to 2008, made them the ideal choice.
Key Features of the Solution
- Native Teams Integration: Eliminated limitations with Microsoft Teams voice calling, providing seamless collaboration and efficiency.
- 24/7/365 Support: CallTower offered round-the-clock support and redundancy options for Teams Voice, ensuring peak performance and reliability.
- CallTower Connect: A proprietary user/admin portal that simplified system management, reducing administrative workloads and support headaches.
- Expert Implementation: CallTower’s team handled complex tasks like licensing and porting, easing the burden on Franklin Sports’ IT team.
Within weeks, Franklin Sports transitioned to CallTower’s solution, phasing out their legacy PBX system and gaining a modern, collaborative communication platform.
The Results
1. Seamless Integration with Office 365
- Franklin Sports now has a collaborative phone and conferencing system built directly into their existing Microsoft Office 365 tools, eliminating redundancies and improving efficiency.
2. Cost Savings
- CallTower’s flexible phone plan eliminated usage costs, passing significant savings to Franklin Sports.
3. Reduced IT Workload
- The CallTower Connect admin portal and dedicated support team allowed Franklin Sports’ IT staff to focus on other strategic projects.
4. Work-from-Home Ready
- When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Franklin Sports transitioned to a remote work model within days. Their newly implemented communication system proved reliable and time-tested, enabling employees to collaborate effectively from home.
5. Universal User Adoption
- Employees received Microsoft Teams training, ensuring smooth adoption and collaboration across the organization.
About CallTower
CallTower is your trusted partner for seamless, intelligent communication solutions. We specialize in:
- Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS).
- Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).
- Conversational AI (CAI) technologies.
- End-to-end professional and managed services.
Our innovative and scalable solutions are designed to:
- Streamline workflows.
- Optimize IT infrastructure.
- Empower businesses to connect, collaborate, and grow with ease.
At CallTower, we redefine communication by combining innovation and expertise to drive meaningful connections and lasting success.