Success Story
Toshiba Wins the Communications Case at Coastal Law
MISSION: Network Remote Law Offices With VoIP
The firm’s primary objective in choosing a new voice communication solution was to network its offices so that its employees could easily communicate with each other and improve efficiency overall. The partners wanted to be able to see who was on the phone at any of their offices and also have direct extension dialing between all the employees at all the offices.
David Wells, partner, said, “Communication is essential to our success, and being able to stay in touch makes all the difference in fast-changing legal situations.”
The partners also wanted to have a centralized voice communication system that would allow them to have one receptionist handling all incoming calls for all the offices. Wells added, “A single receptionist allows for better call management. Overall, we wanted to improve the efficiency of handling incoming calls while managing employee overhead costs.”
Solution: Toshiba VoIP System Meets the Firm's Goals
Dave Hansen, dealer principal at Telecom Myrtle Beach, recommended Toshiba’s Strata® CIX™ VoIP systems for the law firm. He said, “Coastal Law previously had an older Toshiba DK system that had proven its reliability, dependability and durability, but its time had come. Based on their positive experience with Toshiba, the firm’s partners were happy to migrate to a newer Toshiba platform.”
The law firm’s new system includes a Toshiba Strata CIX100 at its Conway headquarters, which houses the centralized voice mail and processes hundreds of calls each day. All inbound calls are logged in the central computer system at headquarters and dispersed throughout their instant messaging computer network. It also provides three-digit extension dialing for all the firm’s employees regardless of location.
A second Strata CIX100 at the firm’s Surfside office is networked to the Conway headquarters’ Strata CIX100 via Toshiba’s Strata Net. Its two other locations, located in Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach, are exclusively on IP telephones that are connected back to the Conway office system. Toshiba’s Strata iES32 voice processing system serves as centralized voice mail for all four locations.
The system has 37 Toshiba digital telephones, with 15 at its headquarters in the Conway office and 12 at the Surfside office. Its Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach offices have 10 IP telephones total, a mix of IPT2010-SD and IPT2020-SD models. All four sites have VPN for security. The firm’s owner, Michael Wells, uses a SoftIPT® softphone on his laptop computer to communicate on his office telephone from virtually any location with Internet access.
Result #1: Instant Communication Between Offices
With the Toshiba Strata CIX systems networked between the primary offices and IP telephones at the other two offices, the firm’s employees can instantly communicate with each other via three-digit dialing. They can also see who is on the telephone and who is available.
The firm’s attorneys and paralegals often float between offices, and easy-to-use, intuitive Toshiba telephones make it simple for them. In fact, the attorneys move between offices about 50 percent of the time, while the paralegals rotate between offices 25 percent of the time.
Wells explained, “Our attorneys and paralegals have jam-packed schedules, and with the legal nature of our work, real-time communication is essential to efficiency. With the Toshiba telephones, they can log-in to the phone no matter which office they are working out of so they can be reachable quickly and easily. From any phone, we can see who is on the telephone in any of the offices.”
Result #2: IP Phones Eliminate Need for More Systems
By using exclusively IP phones in two of its offices, Coastal Law saves on having to buy two additional systems. In addition, using IP eliminates the need for additional phone lines, which helps lower the monthly overhead for the law firm. In fact, the firm saves $500 per month by eliminating unnecessary business phone lines.
By centralizing the entire system, including the offices on IP phones, Coastal Law is able to have a single receptionist rather than one in each office. This gives them a savings of about $60,000 annually.
Result #3: Toshiba Helps Coastal Law Be More Profitable
According to Wells, the Toshiba voice communication system has helped Coastal Law be more productive and profitable. He said, “Our main office receptionist can now handle all incoming calls for all three offices. She can seamlessly transfer callers to the right extension in any of our offices.”
He said, “In fact, the Toshiba system has helped all of us be more efficient in our voice communications. As a result, it has helped us lower our overhead and be more profitable.”
“As well, since the Toshiba system grows with us, we have the assurance that our investment is protected,” he added.
Result #4: Toshiba Delivered the Best Price via Migration, Warranty, and Cost Savings
Prior to installing the new Toshiba Strata CIX system, Coastal Law had an older Toshiba Strata DK digital system. With Toshiba’s migration capabilities, the firm was able to keep much of its older Toshiba equipment, including its digital telephones and system cards.
Wells said, “Toshiba’s migration plan allowed us to retain 80 percent of our original investment, providing a significant savings on the cost to move to the new Strata CIX system. Toshiba’s migration promise gives us the peace of mind that our system can grow with us.”
Bottom Line: $60,000 in Annual Savings, Productivity Increases
Toshiba and Teleco Myrtle Beach met Coastal Law firm’s objectives of having a networked, converged digital and IP system that helps improve communication and delivers cost savings, while allowing them to grow the system as their business grows.
The law firm saved about $7,000 in migration costs by being able to re-use existing telephones and system cards, and it also saves about $500 per month in eliminated line charges by moving to IP phones. It also saves about $60,000 a year by being able to have a centralized receptionist for all four offices. Internal and external communication is also improved since attorneys and paralegals can float between the four offices with ease and are able to log into any telephone.
Wells said, “Toshiba and Teleco Myrtle Beach delivered a communications solution that perfectly meets our needs today and gives us the opportunity to grow tomorrow. In our judgment, Toshiba wins the case every time!”
