Introducing the Intermedia Business Innovators series – where Intermedia honors business and civic leaders who are improving customer care, employee engagement, and operations through innovative thinking and decisive action.
People love their pets and pet-lovers know that their dog or cat is a genuine member of the family. When pet-owners choose a care provider for their much-loved family members, trust is a key imperative for the provider they select. Dr. Brittany Simpson and her husband Andrew Simpson, owners of the Page Point Animal Hospital & Pet Resort, knew this full well and they designed their business to deliver a positive experience for both pets and their owners. I had the pleasure of speaking with the Simpsons, along with Elsa, their four-legged brand ambassador.
The business, which the Simpsons opened two years ago, was a labor of love. They wanted to create an environment that was low stress and comfortable for their guests, the pets. In creating a comfortable environment, the Simpsons even gave careful consideration to the smallest details such as using the right colors and materials to create a comfortable environment. For example, they added a matte finish to floors, so that surfaces don’t look slippery to dogs. They also chose colors in lighter hues on the blue spectrum, as they are more calming for dogs and cats.
And their business approach is different from most vet clinics and pet daycare centers as well. They call their resort employees Bark Rangers and their hospital staff Patient Advocates. This unique perspective is a testament to the way they place care of their guests as top priorities.
With 16,000 square feet of space, Page Point Animal Hospital & Pet Resort deliver exceptional care and provide a safe, engaging environment for pets to stay when their families are away.
Communicating Is Critical to Operations, But Their Existing Phone System was Ruff
For any organization that places a premium on delivering consistently superior customer care – reliable, responsive communication is critical to fulfilling that promise. Said Mr. Simpson, “Communication is key. When clients come to us, we want them to always understand what’s going on whether their pet is a patient or a guest at the resort.”
Without the right tools and practices in place, however, strong communications can be severely compromised. And that’s what was happening for the team at Page Point as their existing on-premises phone system began to fail more and more frequently. “We had service interruptions at least once a month, which required workarounds. Reliability is the number one thing you want in a phone system. If it doesn’t work, then nothing else matters.”
Frustrated with the old provider, Mr. Simpson began looking for alternatives with reliability as the driving factor. He researched eight different options and Intermedia’s cloud-based phone system, Intermedia Unite®, stood out for several reasons, “The system was ranked as highly reliable and having great support. It also offered a broad range of features and, because it is based in the cloud, provided the versatility to connect from wherever our team may be working.”
Mr. Simpson even looked at boutique offerings specifically designed for the veterinary industry, but they didn’t convince him of their dependability. He connected with Intermedia and felt confident in migrating.
With Intermedia Unite, Page Point received more than just a phone system, they received a phone system plus integrated video, chat, contact center, file sharing and more. In addition to desk phones, Unite comes with mobile and desktop apps that allow users to take Unite with them, and their iOS or Android-enabled device, wherever they go. And with 99.999% uptime service level agreements and J.D. Power-certified 24/7 technical support – all for less than what many traditional on-premises phone systems cost – reliability and support go hand in hand/paw.
Quick Set-Up and Implementation During COVID, Followed by Immediate Results
Mr. Simpson decided to go with Intermedia just as the COVID pandemic was starting. Because it is cloud-based, Intermedia was able to help the team at Page Point quickly deploy the new system remotely.
When the pandemic started, a number of team members began working remotely. Unite came at just the right time, according to Mr. Simpson, “Certain team members began working from home, including the person who handles resort bookings. Thanks to Unite, they could take calls from home, transfer calls quickly and easily to staff no matter where they were working and do it all without being on-site.”
Dr. Simpson immediately noticed quality improvements as well. “Before, I had to say, ‘Sorry I can’t hear you.’ With Intermedia, I’ve never had to do this.”
Dr. Simpson also appreciates she can use Unite’s mobile app to manage calls instead of giving out her personal cell number. Mr. Simpson appreciates that Unite comes with 90+ enterprise-grade phone features, not to mention how easy Unite’s web-based admin portal makes managing the system,
No Compromises on Quality or Reliability
In serving the pet community and their families, reliable, high-quality phone service is imperative. Without it, the situation can detract from the critical work their team is doing. “The capabilities, ease of use, how simple the process was, all made Intermedia a great choice,” Dr. Simpson added.
Learn more about the Page Point Animal Hospital & Pet Resort in my full interview with the Simpsons.
Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson is Intermedia's Chief Marketing Officer, and is responsible for Intermedia global marketing, including product, brand, direct, channel, demand, and digital marketing, as well as internal/external communications.
June 16, 2021
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