This solution scenario is a fictitious example of a how the Norstar* phone system from Nortel can help small businesses get on their feet and be prepared for the future.

• As SuperPets Grew, It Needed a Super Phone System
• Company
• Challenge
• Solution
• Transition
• Results
• Future

Pet stores can be chaotic places. There are usually dogs barking and birds squawking, and it's not unusual to see a loose hamster scurrying across the floor. The SuperPets franchise in Brookview, Texas is no exception. SuperPets is a national chain of upscale pet stores, and most of its franchises are individually owned and operated as small-to-mid-size businesses. In Brookview, Doug and Linda Jackson own the SuperPets store. When they first opened their doors, doing business was chaotic, and not just because of the runaway hamsters. The Jacksons needed to streamline how they ran their store, and early on they turned to Nortel to help them.

SuperPets sets itself apart from other big-box pet stores by concentrating on the tried and true retail motto "the customer is always right." For SuperPets that means always having the best pet food and supplies in its inventory and going above and beyond to meet customers' expectations for quality products, great service and value. SuperPets, Inc. sets operating objectives to maximize each store's growth and sales potential. Goals for each franchise include double-digit sales growth and profit, high employee satisfaction and continuously finding new and more effective ways to meet and exceed customers' expectations.

Doug and Linda knew that they'd have to hit the ground running when they opened their SuperPets franchise in Brookview. There was already one chain pet store in the area and SuperPets would need to make a big impression to woo customers from the other store and attract new customers. They needed to quickly build a reputation for great products and fair prices, supported by excellent customer service. As a key communications link with customers and suppliers, the right phone system is critical for success in meeting these objectives. For SuperPets, they knew that they'd have anywhere from six to 20 employees on duty at any given time and that they'd need separate lines for the grooming department and their offices. What they didn't know was what type of communications solution would best meet this need today and in the future as their business evolves and grows.

Doug and Linda's communication partner recommended the Norstar telephone system by Nortel. The Norstar solution is perfect for small-to medium-sized organizations, with proven effectiveness in over a million businesses throughout the world. Norstar is also easily scalable, which was important to the Jacksons. They wanted a phone system that would grow with them and were impressed by the Norstar system's flexibility, along with Nortel wide range of compatible and complementary communication solutions.

One of the applications built into the SuperPets Norstar is CallPilot*. It's an automated attendant/voicemail function that allows customers and vendors to get the information they need and be transferred to -- and/or leave messages for -- specific departments. Common questions (what are your hours?, what is your address?, what is your fax number?) can be answered by a recorded voice, freeing up employees for other inquiries. If a customer needs to change a grooming appointment for her poodle and has to call before the store opens, she can leave a message for the groomer to return her call. Or if a potential customer wants to find out about the availability of a breeding pair of parakeets his call can be directed to the experts in the bird department. Having CallPilot means SuperPets doesn't have to pay a designated employee to answer the phone and take messages -- anyone on staff can answer any call. The Norstar system the Jacksons chose for SuperPets also has desktop messaging which allows them to manage their incoming phone and e-mail messages on their PC, giving them more time to concentrate on running their business.

In any retail environment, training employees on key functions of their jobs translates to an investment in time and money. Every employee of SuperPets shares responsibility for answering the phone, so it's vital that they all be familiar with the phone system. The Jacksons' SuperPets store employs a lot of high school and college students, which usually means a steady flow of new employees. The Norstar system is very easy to learn and understand, New employees can spend more time being trained on how to care for the animals, rather than how to use the phone.

Even before the Brookview SuperPets celebrated its first anniversary, Linda and Doug Jackson knew their hard work was paying off. With their excellent customer service and competitive prices, SuperPets was an obvious success and had exceeded the expectations of not only the Jacksons, but SuperPets, Inc. too. The corporate office was very impressed with their sales numbers and awarded the Jacksons the "Franchisee of the Year" award.

While the Jacksons were pleased with the award, they were blown away by the effect of Norstar on their bottom line. Their channel partner told them that they would see considerable cost savings with the Nortel solution when they were evaluating their options a year ago. The Jacksons were excited to see that their cost savings more than paid for their system. The auto attendant/voicemail capability of CallPilot alone saves over 1,000 hours a year in employee's time answering the store's most common questions and reduces the time employees spend routing callers to the correct departments. Those hours, multiplied by what their average employee makes in salary and benefits, saves the Jacksons over $15,000 annually.

As business grew, SuperPets quickly found itself struggling to maintain its customer service standards. One of its biggest challenges were frustrated employees who were "tied" to the wired phone and not able to help customers in the store. The Jacksons contacted their communications partner for help, and a workable solution soon emerged. The Norstar system easily interfaces with the Nortel's T7406 cordless phone. With the mobility that the T7406 provides, employees don't have to leave customers on hold while they check on inventory -- just one example of how this capability can enhance customer service. And, by eliminating lost or delayed calls, the T7406 can quickly add to any businesses' sales. Consider if three sales people miss four calls a day that would have generated $30.00 each in sales, that adds up to an $90,000.00 a sales each year. That's a whole lot of bird seed.

The Jacksons always keep one eye on the future. They know that if SuperPets continues to grow as it has, its phone system will have to accommodate the growth. To that end, they've also installed basic call center software onto the CallPilot system to continue to meet their customers' requests for information. Calls are split between basic inquiries about store hours, location, price checks and specific requests about the animals and their care. Now the Jacksons can have specialists man the phones during peak hours to quickly answer questions and drive people into the store.

Running a pet store can be a chaotic endeavor, but with the Norstar system SuperPets has a super phone system that has grown with them. Nortel solutions helped the Jacksons establish their business - now find out how Nortel helps them manage growth.