8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), a provider of cloud-based unified
communications, contact center and collaboration solutions, today
announced that McDonnell and Associates, a multi-state, general practice
law firm, is connecting seven offices and dozens of remote workers using
8x8 Virtual Office cloud communications services. The firm transitioned
from an on-premise key telephone system to 8x8’s cloud-based platform in
less than 30 days and has seen a dramatic reduction in its telephony
maintenance costs and improvement in employee efficiency as a result.
McDonnell and Associates is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina,
and maintains additional offices in Georgia, North Carolina, and South
Carolina. McDonnell and Associates operates as a general practice firm,
focusing on real estate law, auto accidents and personal injury law,
business formation, criminal defense, domestic issues and family law,
wills/estate planning/probate, general civil law, civil litigation, and
creditor's rights.
Initially, McDonnell and Associates used an NEC key system within its
headquarters, but as the firm expanded, provisioning new users and
installing equipment became time consuming and expensive. The firm’s
ongoing maintenance contract for the system was also costly. Management
decided to transition to a cloud-based telephony solution that could
support McDonnell’s multi-state offices, as well as mobile attorneys who
travel to complete real estate closings.
According to the firm’s CIO Paul Siskin, a couple of factors
differentiated 8x8 right from the start. “8x8 has the most robust cloud
solution and the best references in the industry,” said Siskin. “The
mobile app is also ideal for our users, because we have attorneys
traveling to banks and homes to sign off on closings, sometimes making
multiple trips in one day.”
McDonnell and Associates first installed 8x8 service at its Columbia
offices and at the locations of remote employees. Full deployment took
less than 30 days. To date, McDonnell’s most significant cost savings
have resulted from the drastic reduction in ongoing maintenance charges.
According to Siskin, that is one of the most important advantages of the
8x8 system.
“We used to have a maintenance contract for our key system,” Siskin
noted. “Whenever we wanted to make a change to it or add something new,
we had to call a service tech and pay an installation fee. 8x8’s
self-service portal lets us maintain the system on our own, and make
changes on the fly when we need to.”
In addition to unifying the firm on a single telephony platform, 8x8’s
solution includes an online meeting and collaboration solution that
saves time and promotes employee efficiency. For example, McDonnell
recently selected a new provider for its healthcare plan. Rather than
give the same presentation seven times in each of the firm’s offices,
the HR department used 8x8 web conferencing and desktop sharing features
to present the information at one firm-wide meeting.
“The ubiquity of cloud communications enables 8x8 to unite organizations
with offices and users in multiple locations immediately,” said 8x8 CEO
Vik Verma. "There is no inside wiring to install and 8x8 phones and
mobile applications make the transition from a traditional phone system
simple and seamless. Once our cloud-based service is deployed, customers
can easily manage it themselves. When they need a change, they make the
change and go right back to focusing on their business.”
About 8x8, Inc.
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) is the trusted provider of secure and reliable
cloud-based unified
communications and virtual contact center solutions to more than
36,000 small, midsize and distributed enterprise organizations operating
in over 40 countries across six continents. 8x8's out-of-the-box cloud
solutions replace traditional on-premise PBX hardware and software-based
systems with a flexible and scalable Software as a Service (SaaS)
alternative, encompassing cloud business phone service, contact center
solutions, and web conferencing. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or
www.8x8.com/UK or connect with 8x8
on Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About McDonnell & Associates
McDonnell & Associates operates as a general practice firm, focusing on
real estate law, auto accidents & personal injury law, business
formation, criminal defense, domestic issues & family law, wills/estate
planning / probate, general civil law, civil litigation, and creditor's
rights.
Copyright Business Wire 2014