CALLTOWER’S NATIVE MICROSOFT TEAMS DIRECT ROUTING DELIVERED A HOLE IN ONE UPGRADE FOR PING GOLF
Empowering PING Golf with Natively Integrated Microsoft Teams UCaaS and CCaaS Solutions
ABOUT PING GOLF
PING is a family-owned company founded in 1959 in the garage of Karsten Solheim. Karsten’s frustration with his putting inspired him to design a putter, which made a “pinging” sound when striking a golf ball. Today, PING is synonymous with innovation, quality, and service in the world of golf.
PING products are designed, engineered, and assembled at the company’s corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The company employs workers in various capacities, including golf club production, customer service, administrative, engineering, and managerial positions.
THE CHALLENGE
Manufacturing organizations faced unique challenges during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike companies that could easily transition to remote work, manufacturers often require physical labor under one roof, with limited space for social distancing. Additionally, many manufacturers rely on hardware-based phone systems, creating hurdles for transitioning to a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) system with softphone technology and mobile connectivity.
PING Golf, a household name in the golf world, faced a communication challenge in early 2020. They needed to upgrade their communication systems to keep the business thriving and ensure employee safety. While a communication change had been on the horizon, the pandemic pushed this decision to the forefront. Chris Mellott, Senior Telecommunications Technician at PING Golf, was tasked with leading the change.
“We already had Microsoft Teams for a number of our employees, particularly those who work in the offices, so we knew that was the solution for the rest of the company.”
– Chris Mellott, Senior Telecommunications Technician, PING Golf
PING Golf was nearing the end of their contract renewal period with Mitel when COVID hit. Although there were plans to transition to Teams eventually, the pandemic accelerated the timeline. PING also wanted a separate contact center solution for their customer service department while maintaining Microsoft Teams licensing for the rest of the company.
THE SOLUTION
Maverick Networks, PING’s on-prem systems vendor, explored the UCaaS provider community to find the right fit. After reviewing solutions from RingCentral, 8×8, and Mitel, none met PING’s desired price point or support requirements. Additionally, PING wanted to maintain control of their licenses and integrate a robust, cloud-based contact center solution from Five9 for their customer service department.
CallTower was the only provider that met all of PING’s requirements. CallTower delivered a competitive price point, managed the transition of licenses from Maverick Networks into CallTower’s Microsoft Teams Direct Routing solution, and provided licensing control through the CallTower Connect admin portal.
PING REQUIRED:
- Competitive pricing
- Robust support program
- Control of their licenses
- Cloud-based contact center
CallTower Connect, a proprietary user-friendly portal, was a critical component of the solution. It allows customers to administer services without requiring expertise in specific technologies or hiring outside consultants. The portal simplifies tasks like call forwarding, password management, PIN changes, and voicemail personalization, reducing the workload for PING’s administrators.
THE RESULTS
PING Golf now has a complete turnkey Native Microsoft Teams solution with:
- A comprehensive admin portal
- A robust US-based customer service apparatus
- A single monthly bill for their accounting department
All employees, including those not sitting in front of a computer, can now benefit from the functionality, collaboration, and mobile flexibility of the new system.
While some employees missed the familiarity of desktop phones, they acknowledged that the advantages of the UCaaS solution outweighed the initial adjustment challenges. With CallTower’s support, PING Golf successfully navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and made a technological leap forward.
“We’re incredibly proud of the customized turnkey Teams UCaaS solution we designed for PING Golf. Our goal was to bring all the pieces together to make PING’s communication system modern, powerful, flexible, and effective in the new world environment we’re all facing, and we feel like we accomplished that – and then some.”
– William Rubio, Chief Revenue Officer, CallTower
ABOUT CALLTOWER
Experience seamless, intelligent communication with CallTower, your trusted cloud communications provider.
We specialize in:
- Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
- Collaboration
- Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
- Conversational AI (CAI)
Our expertise and commitment to exceptional Customer Experience (CX) empower businesses to connect, collaborate, and grow with ease. From streamlining workflows to proactive management, our innovative and scalable solutions are designed to meet your unique business needs.