Reduction in Cost
The City of Wilkes-Barre cut costs by 50% after switching to 8x8
The City of Wilkes-Barre cut costs by 50% after switching to 8x8
The City of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is a progressive city with industrial roots. Located along the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre is the seat of Luzerne County and is a keystone of Northeastern PA. With a current population of 40,500+, Wilkes-Barre is experiencing a social and economic renaissance, encouraged by business growth and increased optimism in its future. The City strives to improve the quality-of-life for its neighborhoods each and every day, and serves as a benchmark municipality within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
50%
2020
8x8 Customer Enrollment
40K+
Population
50%
Reduction in Cost
2020
8x8 Customer Enrollment
40K+
Population
50%
Reduction in Cost
2020
8x8 Customer Enrollment
40K+
Population
50%
Reduction in Cost
2020
8x8 Customer Enrollment
40K+
Population
"With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half, which was huge, especially for our administration."
- Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology, City of Wilkes-Barre, PA
"With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half, which was huge, especially for our administration."
- Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology, City of Wilkes-Barre, PA
"With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half, which was huge, especially for our administration."
- Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology, City of Wilkes-Barre, PA
"With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half, which was huge, especially for our administration."
- Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology, City of Wilkes-Barre, PA
The Challenge: A difficult-to-manage digital system
Prior to 2020, the City of Wilkes-Barre was running basic (POTS) telephone service before switching to a digital solution with Frontier. Over time, it became clear that the Frontier platform was difficult to work with, and any system changes needed required a call to Frontier support for assistance.
The City wanted to find a solution that better suited its needs, so the IT team turned to their local telecom consulting firm, Norstar Networks. The firm presented several options, including Cisco and 8x8, and the team got hands-on with demos of each. After careful consideration, the IT team decided to go with 8x8 due to the platform’s affordability and robust functionality.
The Solution: Ease of use for IT, mobile flexibility for users
Because the City of Wilkes-Barre had already moved to the cloud with Frontier, migrating to 8x8 Work in late 2020 was a breeze. If they had questions during the early months, the IT team made use of 8x8’s online learning and community resources, as well as 8x8 Support. After ironing out a few things during the first year, they have barely needed help since. “We really haven’t had many issues, and I haven’t needed to contact support in at least a year,” says Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology for the City of Wilkes-Barre.
Since making the transition, the IT team has found 8x8 to be a good choice for them and their users. Hershberger says, “8x8 makes system administration very easy. We can transfer and change users, or move things around without any headaches.”
The City is using 8x8 for daily operations as emergency services are handled by the county. Office staff use 8x8 on desk phones, and police officers use the 8x8 Work mobile app as they are moving around throughout their day. In fact, the softphone feature was a key requirement for the City when choosing a new solution. Before, officers had to rely on voicemail to get messages, but now, they can pick up calls or respond to messages in real time, wherever they may be.
The Results: Lower costs, simplified administration
Since moving to 8x8, the City of Wilkes-Barre has seen some significant advantages. “With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half,” says Hershberger, “which was huge, especially for our administration.” He and his busy team have found managing the system a simple part of their workload: “Everything is pretty straightforward on 8x8, and there's not a whole lot of time involved, other than when new people start or people leave, but even that is easy. I would honestly recommend 8x8 to anybody, it’s a ‘set it and forget it’ type of solution. ”
The Challenge: A difficult-to-manage digital system
Prior to 2020, the City of Wilkes-Barre was running basic (POTS) telephone service before switching to a digital solution with Frontier. Over time, it became clear that the Frontier platform was difficult to work with, and any system changes needed required a call to Frontier support for assistance.
The City wanted to find a solution that better suited its needs, so the IT team turned to their local telecom consulting firm, Norstar Networks. The firm presented several options, including Cisco and 8x8, and the team got hands-on with demos of each. After careful consideration, the IT team decided to go with 8x8 due to the platform’s affordability and robust functionality.
The Solution: Ease of use for IT, mobile flexibility for users
Because the City of Wilkes-Barre had already moved to the cloud with Frontier, migrating to 8x8 Work in late 2020 was a breeze. If they had questions during the early months, the IT team made use of 8x8’s online learning and community resources, as well as 8x8 Support. After ironing out a few things during the first year, they have barely needed help since. “We really haven’t had many issues, and I haven’t needed to contact support in at least a year,” says Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology for the City of Wilkes-Barre.
Since making the transition, the IT team has found 8x8 to be a good choice for them and their users. Hershberger says, “8x8 makes system administration very easy. We can transfer and change users, or move things around without any headaches.”
The City is using 8x8 for daily operations as emergency services are handled by the county. Office staff use 8x8 on desk phones, and police officers use the 8x8 Work mobile app as they are moving around throughout their day. In fact, the softphone feature was a key requirement for the City when choosing a new solution. Before, officers had to rely on voicemail to get messages, but now, they can pick up calls or respond to messages in real time, wherever they may be.
The Results: Lower costs, simplified administration
Since moving to 8x8, the City of Wilkes-Barre has seen some significant advantages. “With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half,” says Hershberger, “which was huge, especially for our administration.” He and his busy team have found managing the system a simple part of their workload: “Everything is pretty straightforward on 8x8, and there's not a whole lot of time involved, other than when new people start or people leave, but even that is easy. I would honestly recommend 8x8 to anybody, it’s a ‘set it and forget it’ type of solution. ”
The Challenge: A difficult-to-manage digital system
Prior to 2020, the City of Wilkes-Barre was running basic (POTS) telephone service before switching to a digital solution with Frontier. Over time, it became clear that the Frontier platform was difficult to work with, and any system changes needed required a call to Frontier support for assistance.
The City wanted to find a solution that better suited its needs, so the IT team turned to their local telecom consulting firm, Norstar Networks. The firm presented several options, including Cisco and 8x8, and the team got hands-on with demos of each. After careful consideration, the IT team decided to go with 8x8 due to the platform’s affordability and robust functionality.
The Solution: Ease of use for IT, mobile flexibility for users
Because the City of Wilkes-Barre had already moved to the cloud with Frontier, migrating to 8x8 Work in late 2020 was a breeze. If they had questions during the early months, the IT team made use of 8x8’s online learning and community resources, as well as 8x8 Support. After ironing out a few things during the first year, they have barely needed help since. “We really haven’t had many issues, and I haven’t needed to contact support in at least a year,” says Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology for the City of Wilkes-Barre.
Since making the transition, the IT team has found 8x8 to be a good choice for them and their users. Hershberger says, “8x8 makes system administration very easy. We can transfer and change users, or move things around without any headaches.”
The City is using 8x8 for daily operations as emergency services are handled by the county. Office staff use 8x8 on desk phones, and police officers use the 8x8 Work mobile app as they are moving around throughout their day. In fact, the softphone feature was a key requirement for the City when choosing a new solution. Before, officers had to rely on voicemail to get messages, but now, they can pick up calls or respond to messages in real time, wherever they may be.
The Results: Lower costs, simplified administration
Since moving to 8x8, the City of Wilkes-Barre has seen some significant advantages. “With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half,” says Hershberger, “which was huge, especially for our administration.” He and his busy team have found managing the system a simple part of their workload: “Everything is pretty straightforward on 8x8, and there's not a whole lot of time involved, other than when new people start or people leave, but even that is easy. I would honestly recommend 8x8 to anybody, it’s a ‘set it and forget it’ type of solution. ”
The Challenge: A difficult-to-manage digital system
Prior to 2020, the City of Wilkes-Barre was running basic (POTS) telephone service before switching to a digital solution with Frontier. Over time, it became clear that the Frontier platform was difficult to work with, and any system changes needed required a call to Frontier support for assistance.
The City wanted to find a solution that better suited its needs, so the IT team turned to their local telecom consulting firm, Norstar Networks. The firm presented several options, including Cisco and 8x8, and the team got hands-on with demos of each. After careful consideration, the IT team decided to go with 8x8 due to the platform’s affordability and robust functionality.
The Solution: Ease of use for IT, mobile flexibility for users
Because the City of Wilkes-Barre had already moved to the cloud with Frontier, migrating to 8x8 Work in late 2020 was a breeze. If they had questions during the early months, the IT team made use of 8x8’s online learning and community resources, as well as 8x8 Support. After ironing out a few things during the first year, they have barely needed help since. “We really haven’t had many issues, and I haven’t needed to contact support in at least a year,” says Frank Hershberger, Director of Information Technology for the City of Wilkes-Barre.
Since making the transition, the IT team has found 8x8 to be a good choice for them and their users. Hershberger says, “8x8 makes system administration very easy. We can transfer and change users, or move things around without any headaches.”
The City is using 8x8 for daily operations as emergency services are handled by the county. Office staff use 8x8 on desk phones, and police officers use the 8x8 Work mobile app as they are moving around throughout their day. In fact, the softphone feature was a key requirement for the City when choosing a new solution. Before, officers had to rely on voicemail to get messages, but now, they can pick up calls or respond to messages in real time, wherever they may be.
The Results: Lower costs, simplified administration
Since moving to 8x8, the City of Wilkes-Barre has seen some significant advantages. “With 8x8, we cut our telecom bill in half,” says Hershberger, “which was huge, especially for our administration.” He and his busy team have found managing the system a simple part of their workload: “Everything is pretty straightforward on 8x8, and there's not a whole lot of time involved, other than when new people start or people leave, but even that is easy. I would honestly recommend 8x8 to anybody, it’s a ‘set it and forget it’ type of solution. ”
