Nation’s Largest Independent Bookseller Selects Netarx for Network Best-Seller
Customer Profile
Growing from a small bookstore in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1986, to the largest independent bookseller in the United States, Cincinnati headquartered Joseph-Beth Group’s approximately 450 employees operate seven stores throughout the Midwest.
Situation
After evaluating several solution providers, Joseph-Beth Chief Operating Officer, Mark Wilson, selected Farmington Hills, Michigan-headquartered Netarx. The 45-person Cisco Gold Certified partner with four offices throughout the Midwest holds Cisco specializations including Unified Communications, Wireless and Security, providing the solutions and expertise Joseph-Beth required.
But before beginning, Wilson needed to present to the company’s board of directors a detailed ROI analysis that would demonstrate the hard-dollar savings the Netarx-implemented Cisco solution would deliver. Wilson worked with Netarx Account team to costjustify why Cisco Unified Communications would not only reduce costs but was the right technology to meet the company’s current and future needs.
Excited with the ROI findings, the board approved the project and Netarx began the two-month implementation in September 2007. To stabilize the network and increase throughput and security, Netarx installed a Cisco Power over Ethernet (PoE) network infrastructure.
Netarx then implemented Cisco Unified Communications to integrate Joseph-Beth’s communications onto a single IP infrastructure that would improve companywide communications and provide a platform on which the company could grow.
To enable complete mobility, Netarx installed wireless access and Cisco 7921 Unified Wireless IP Phones, which allowed employees to better service incoming callers and in-store customers, while improving overall productivity and efficiency.
Results
With its Cisco Unified Communication solution, Joseph-Beth employees now connect between stores with simple four-digit dialing, eliminating all long distance charges, and its Cisco Meet- Me feature has eliminated another nearly $600 per month in conference call expenses.
“At the end of the day we experienced an 8 percent reduction in hard-dollar costs monthly,” says Wilson. “And we got the solution, installation and training out of the box for less per month than we were spending with our prior system.”
Beyond the substantial savings, Joseph-Beth now adds service center people as needed to answer calls at all stores. And employees carry their Cisco wireless phones, enabling them to move freely throughout the stores to help customers and continue their duties, without missing calls. With its powerful, reliable and scalable network foundation in place, Wilson says Joseph-Beth can more efficiently manage its business today and accomplish its future goals.
“I recommend Netarx and Cisco hands down,” says Wilson. “They worked cohesively from the ROI analysis through implementation, and remain a valuable resource as we go forward. I’m confident our Cisco solution will improve our business today and tomorrow, and has already improved our customer.
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