Pedders Suspension & Brakes drives 130 stores towards reliable, efficient communications with 8x8

The Challenge: An inefficient and inflexible legacy system

Prior to adopting 8x8, Pedders Suspension & Brakes grappled with a number of challenges stemming from its legacy Mitel communication system. Despite being a cloud hosted solution, the platform was SIP-based and lacked the agility and scalability needed to keep up with Pedders' expanding operations.

With Mitel, failover procedures were sluggish, leaving Pedders vulnerable to outages and connectivity issues, particularly in a geographically diverse retail environment. This inconsistency in failover configurations exposed the company to potential service disruptions and downtime, affecting customer experience and business continuity.

Moreover, the billing process presented a cumbersome ordeal. Splitting bills between the head office and franchisees consumed valuable time and resources, which underscored the need for a more streamlined and direct billing approach that aligned with Pedders' franchise structure.

Working with consultancy TelcoDataCloud, the retailer evaluated three top providers: RingCentral, Cisco WebEx, and 8x8. Andrew Zuccarini, Operations Manager at Pedders, recounts, "Our evaluation involved an in-depth selection process, where we scrutinized multiple options to find the best fit for our diverse needs."

Despite being an existing Cisco customer, the Pedders team chose 8x8 due to its flexibility, scalability, advanced features, unified billing, and advanced contact center capabilities — all of which were vital to modernizing and future-proofing their communication infrastructure.

The Solution: A modern, scalable system with easy administration

Implementation of 8x8 Work was smooth, starting with the company-owned stores and a few franchisees. "We accomplished the rollout with ease, transitioning 15 sites within a week,” says Simon Richardson, Senior Executive of Technology and Systems at Pedders. “The process was remarkably efficient."

Post-implementation, Pedders’ IT team has seen no issues and they’ve found 8x8 both reliable and simple to maintain on an ongoing basis. “The nicest thing about 8x8 has been that we don’t have to worry about it,” says Zuccarini. “Also, we have direct access to the system’s administration, unlike in the past.”

One of the team’s pain points with their previous solution was around managing date/time configurations. The Mitel system couldn’t recognize scheduled breaks like public holidays or daylight savings time adjustments, leading to headaches for IT and disruptions for the business. With 8x8, the team has been able to set it and forget it.

Direct access to the admin console also enables the IT team to better triage calls from franchisees, including store owners and managers, to help solve business problems faster.

Onboarding new stores to 8x8 is just as easy. The fully remote process includes simply adding new stores to the system and having any hardware needed configured and shipped. Once the numbers are ported, the stores just plug everything in and they’re ready to take calls. It's also driving adoption of softphones, further reducing cost and increasing agility.

At company headquarters, 8x8 Frontdesk enables the reception staff to stay productive and efficient when handling calls. At one point, the Pedders’ receptionist left the company and Frontdesk made it easy for the broader administrative team to cover the role.

The Results: Reliability, stability, and scalability

Since implementing 8x8, Pedders Suspension & Brakes has significantly improved its communication systems, operational efficiency, and customer service. Richardson states, "Our transition to 8x8 has been transformational. We now enjoy stable, reliable communication and failover capabilities that keep our operations seamless."

The retailer’s billing process has also undergone a remarkable transformation. Richardson highlights, "8x8's direct billing approach has eliminated the complexities of splitting bills and centralized our financial processes. It's a game-changer."

Pedders' administrative team has embraced the newfound control and agility that 8x8 provides. Richardson emphasizes, "With advanced analytics and an intuitive admin console, we've taken charge of our communication resources like never before. It's a true enabler for our operational efficiency."

Furthermore, Pedders' customers now experience more streamlined interactions. As Richardson affirms, "Our customers benefit from the enhanced reliability and responsiveness that 8x8 empowers us to provide."

The Pedders team firmly believes that 8x8 is not just a provider, but a partner that has played an integral role in their ongoing success, reinforcing their position as an industry leader. Richardson concludes, "8x8 has emerged as the solution that addresses our challenges, empowers our scalability, and enriches our customer interactions. It's an integral part of our ongoing growth strategy."