San Jose, California; 20, June 2016: As their three-year contract was coming to a close, Berryessa Union School District (BUSD) decided to explore other options for a new hosted VoIP provider despite having the option of one-year renewal with the previous company. In hopes of more reliability and fewer voice quality and service outage issues, the district sent out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find a vendor better suited for their needs (13 schools with close to 750 IP-phones total).
BUSD had their hands full after more than 20 of the top VoIP providers in the area responded to their RFP in March. They analyzed each bid through a detailed screening process, evaluating each company on cost, system capabilities, system design, and technical expertise. The district’s evaluation team used a scoring system to select the top four companies, and asked each to give a solutions presentation at the district office. The four firms were also asked to bring along phones for the evaluation team to test, and provide any additional information about their proposed system.
Local provider, 101 VOICE scored highest on the list and provided a few phones for BUSD to give a two-week trial run, after which the test users at the district had nothing but positive sentiments toward both the equipment and the firm’s service. “Throughout the RFP process, we found 101 VOICE's team to be very responsive and proactive in making certain that we had everything we needed to make our decision. It's what I expect from every vendor, but unfortunately, many times they fall short. That wasn't the case with 101 VOICE,” said Dave Johnston, Director of Technology Services at BUSD.
BUSD also found the significant cost savings they would realize with 101 VOICE, particularly attractive, and appreciated the close proximity of the vendor’s support office and data centerto the district’s facilities. “Frequently, voice services come from providers who might have a talented sales team working locally, but the actual service comes from headquarters and switching facilities across the country. With their headquarters and primary data center locally, we are more confident that our district's needs will be met, and any potential issues can be addressed quickly,” explains Johnston. The district expects to receive a high-quality and reliable phone system from 101 VOICE, to help modernize the technologies used at their schools and other district facilities. They’ll also be upgrading to newer and higher quality phones, which the BUSD staff is pretty excited about.
101 VOICE’s president, Arman Eghbali is confident his team will be able to provide the type of service, system and equipment BUSD is looking for, and is ready to help the district fulfill their goals. “We’re excited about the opportunity to work with BUSD, and we’re more than capable of delivering the type of service they were missing with their previous provider. We’re among the few VoIP vendors with a primary data center in Northern California, and our unified communication system is standards-based and can work with overhead paging systems to enhance campus security. These are substantial benefits, especially for a school district,” states Eghbali.
So far, 101 VOICE seems to be a good choice for BUSD. Johnston seems to agree that data center location is a vital component, advising other districts to make sure they’re taking the location of the company’s data centers into consideration when selecting a phone system provider. Berryessa found noteworthy improvements in connectivity with 101 VOICE’s network compared to their previous vendor, whose data center was out-of-state. This minor difference can have a drastic impact on call quality and reliability.
About 101 VOICE:
101 VOICE provides cloud-based business communication solutions that are simple, reliable, feature-rich, and affordable. It provides organizations with communication tools and cutting-edge features to enhance their professional image, improve their connectivity, create flexibility, and increase efficiency. For more info, visit www.101voice.com or contact by phone at 408-739-1100 or email at info@101VOICE.com.
About Berryessa Union School District:
Berryessa Union School District is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, nestled against the northeast foothills in San Jose, California. The District serves a community of approximately 45,000 homes and has almost 8,100 students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade. More than 800 certificated and classified Berryessa employees work daily at 10 elementary schools and three middle schools as teachers, administrators, and other support staff. For more info, visit www.berryessa.k12.ca.us.
