A scalable communications system supports business growth
Like many other businesses that started in 2019, the well-laid plans of Jon Coss at JC Cyber Security were soon seriously challenged.
Having worked in cyber security for his entire career, Jon had identified a gap in the market. He started the business to make robust cyber security measures that would mitigate serious risks affordable for small and medium-sized companies.
He says: “Now, more than ever, secure remote working is essential and this has affected many businesses. The pandemic hugely increased cybercrime: by June 2020 it had increased by over 660%, compared with the beginning of lockdown. Businesses were facing increased risks because their people weren’t working behind corporate-grade defences. Breaches were not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’, and we have seen many nasty things”.
Industry
IT and online security support
Featured Technology
The Challenge
Although Jon had plans for rapid growth, the pandemic changed things dramatically. He says: “At the beginning many businesses didn't want to spend on cyber security but after about three months – in June ’20 – we started to become very busy”.
Jon had initially set up his business with an office landline number that could be diverted to his mobile phone when needed. This gave him the flexibility to speak to his customers wherever he was, but it wasn’t ideal, especially when he was working so hard to respond to the urgent needs of his growing customer base.
He explains: “There was no distinction between business and personal calls. I couldn’t see until the last moment if callers had chosen a department like support or accounts and couldn’t provide a welcome message. I needed to streamline the process and make it more professional”.
Jon wanted to make calls from his office number wherever he was, with the flexibility to add users when he needed to, and with the option to streamline his day by holding reliable, professional video conferences. He spoke with BTT between lockdowns about his requirement for a more dynamic and professional solution.
Our Recommendations
We understood that Jon needed a phone system with features and tools that would help him run his business and provide the level of support he required for his customers.
Jon chose a soft-phone solution that would allow him to make telephone calls over the internet via his computer or smartphone. It could be installed on his laptop, tablet, and smartphone, providing all the features you would expect from a desk phone. It gave him the flexibility to respond professionally to his customers, wherever he was. It would also be easy to add extra users when he needed to.
The Horizon system is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. It works well for remote workers and businesses that have multiple sites, so it could meet Jon’s need for scalability. It’s easy to divert calls from a desktop phone to a PC, smartphone, or to a colleague, and voicemails can be redirected to email. Fees are on a simple per-user basis so Jon would be able to control his costs too. All he needed was an internet connection via WiFi or a 3G or 4G mobile data provider.
Implementation
Jon had a very clear idea of what he wanted. He says: “When BTT demonstrated the system I said, ‘where do I sign?'.
“There was the initial onboarding process and then I worked with the team to make sure the system looked and worked the way I wanted it to. Once that was agreed they built the system. We made a couple of tweaks and then everything was up and running really quickly.
Now Jon can handle his calls easily and also set up video conferencing, easily including whoever he needs to be involved.
With his first member of staff joining him Jon also had an opportunity to test call routing. Jon says: “Scalability was an important requirement. There’s no minimum with the new system, so numbers can go up and down, based on one licence. That’s important because businesses shouldn’t be paying for things they don’t use”.
Jon has been using a customer relationship management (CRM) system since he started his business. Integration with his CRM system means that he can immediately see who's calling and can also dial out from the CRM.
It’s a straightforward solution that is a big improvement to the way in which he communicates with clients.
The Benefits
Jon had previously worked with large corporate organisations, so his standards of customer service were very high, whether his client is a single person or a multinational company.
Jon’s five-year plan is to have a business that can run without him because he has built a solid team. He expects the demand for cyber security to increase dramatically due to the internet of things, smart homes, and increasing automation and integration across the industrial and manufacturing sectors.
He says: “Agility is important because of these rapid developments. Threats are developing so quickly that businesses can’t afford to fall behind”.
Choosing a system now that will continue to meet his needs as the business grows was essential. The new system has been in place since October 2020 and Jon now knows the origin of every call thanks to integration with his CRM. If callers select a call option their enquiry can be directed to the right person, who will then know why they are calling.
In conclusion, Jon says: “Working with partner companies and customers is streamlined. It has changed the way we handle the business and I will be able to include monitoring as the team grows. It’s completely different.
“I would recommend BTT to anyone. Even if people who aren’t technical, the team will explain it all clearly”.
“I would recommend BTT to anyone. Even if people who aren’t technical, the team will explain it all clearly”.