Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc.

Boyd Bros.
Transportation Inc. “The Avaya
The Avaya Aura® Solution for Midsize
Enterprise has helped Boyd Bros. to build
a highly collaborative culture, empowering
people to work in support of their
business objectives.
OLD
NEW
Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc., headquartered in Clayton,
Alabama, is a flatbed truckload carrier that operates
throughout a large part of the United States, hauling
primarily steel products and building materials. In these
markets, Boyd Bros. serves high-volume, time-sensitive
shippers that demand time-definite delivery. With 1,050
conventional tractors and 1,670 48-foot flatbed trailers,
the company has full-service terminals in Birmingham,
AL, Cincinnati, OH, and Clayton, AL. There are service
centers in Greenville, MS, Cartersville, GA, and Cofield,
NC. The company has received many awards, including
“Best Fleet to Drive For” recognition in 2010 from the
Truckload Carriers Association.
Boyd Bros.’ mission statement includes important
Boyd Bros. has met its communications needs with
business values such as safety, respect for
Avaya products for many years. Today, when
employees, high standards, fiscal responsibility,
challenges in the transportation industry require
and one that’s so critical, it’s repeated three times:
advanced capabilities to compete effectively, the
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
Avaya Solution for Midsize Enterprise provides
advanced engineering to help Boyd Bros. continue
being “the best.”
CHALLENGES
°° Streamlining system management,
achieving operational efficiencies,
°° Keeping qualified people on staff
when they relocate
°° Providing sales personnel with
headquarters-based mobility
options
°° Addressing the critical shortage of
drivers in the transportation
industry
2
| avaya.com
and providing scalability for future
growth
°° Providing state-of-the-art
SOLUTION
Boyd Bros. deployed the Avaya
Aura® Solution for Midsize
Enterprise, which provides a
consolidated Avaya Aura
videoconferencing for
communications platform that
collaboration and customer/
supports:
employee motivational purposes
°° voice
°° messaging
°° video
°° presence
°° application enablement
°° contact center and agents
°° full SIP capabilities
°° Competitive advantage in hiring
and retaining drivers
°° Flexible, high-definition video
conferencing capabilities that
provide enhanced collaborative
and relationship-building
capabilities
The deployment also includes Avaya
Contact Center Elite, Avaya one-X®
“In 2010 we’d had a long, excellent
unified communications applications,
‘run’ with our legacy Avaya
presence services, and Avaya 1000
equipment at the Clayton
Series Video Conferencing Systems. headquarters and an Avaya S8700
server at the Birmingham facility, but
BENEFITS
°° Cost avoidance of training new
employees: $40K-$60K per year
we were ready to take the next step
toward advanced communications
capabilities,” explained Elaine Maund,
Vice President Information Systems.
“For us, that next step would be a
°° 300 % increase in home agent
productivity
°° 80% improvement in time needed
for system management
°° SIP integration
°° Easy to establish home offices and
mobility options
consolidated solution that was more
streamlined, easy to manage, feature
rich, and scalable to meet all of our
future communications needs.”
Consulting with their Avaya channel
partner, Boyd Bros. developed a plan
“The Avaya Aura®
Solution for Midsize
Enterprise has helped
us to create a more
effective and mobile
workforce, and to
continue building a
highly collaborative
culture. Today, we have
a very comprehensive
yet agile
communications
infrastructure with
advanced applications
that empower people
to work together both
personably and
efficiently in support of
our business
objectives.”
- Elaine Maund, Vice President
Information Systems, Boyd Bros.
Transportation Inc.
that would achieve their major goals:
°° Ability to establish virtual offices
for agents and other staff members
to work at home
°° Effective mobility options for sales
personnel
°° State-of-the-art videoconferencing
°° A consolidated infrastructure for
ease of management, operational
efficiencies, and scalability
avaya.com | 3
Boyd Bros. selected the Avaya Aura
Solution for Midsize Enterprise,
which enables real-time
with the same capabilities they have
Advanced capabilities help Boyd
Bros. manage workforce
requirements and increase
productivity
on dedicated servers. Engineered
Boyd Bros. Transportation has faced
specifically for midsize businesses, it
some strong staffing challenges in
scales from 250 to 1000 users and
recent years. “First of all, with regard
250 locations, providing voice,
to contact center positions, we are in
messaging, video, presence,
a very remote area of Alabama,
application enablement, and full SIP
where job force availability is nothing
capabilities. (Please see a detailed
like it is in the metropolitan areas,”
list of systems and applications on
Maund explained. “This means that
page 8.)
we really have to work to find
communications applications to
perform in a virtualized environment,
Consulting with their
Avaya channel partner,
Boyd Bros. developed a
plan that would achieve
their major goals:
Meeting the challenges
and delivering results
qualified people. When we have well“The installation process was
trained people who are experienced
surprisingly quick, and it did not
in working with our drivers and
disrupt our operations at all,” Maund
customers, we don’t like to lose them
stated. “There was never a moment
if they need to relocate. So one of
when an employee needed to
our biggest challenges and
communicate but was unable to do
preeminent goals recently has been
so because of the changeover. We
to develop a system whereby we
have to give a lot of credit to our
could keep our experienced people
• Effective mobility options for sales personnel
Avaya channel partner for this
with us by setting them up to work
success, and for the success of
remotely.”
• State-of-the-art videoconferencing
clients for the system. The firm has
Virtual office capabilities available
been a trusted partner for years, and
with the Avaya Aura® Solution for
• A consolidated infrastructure for ease of management, operational efficiencies, and scalability
they continue to do a great job for us
Midsize Enterprise were a huge
in developing our comprehensive
deciding factor for Boyd Bros. For
communications solution.”
contact center agents working at
• Ability to establish virtual offices for agents and other staff members to work at home
4 || avaya.com
avaya.com
subsequent deployments of new
home, Boyd Bros. uses Avaya
one-X® Agent running on their
Avaya Aura platform. This desktop
employee, totaling between $40K
software application enables the
and $60K per year.”
contact center to extend all
functionality to the home office.
State-of-the-art communications
One-touch access to functions such
also helps Boyd Bros. stay highly
as conference, transfer, and
competitive in hiring and retaining
supervisor assist enables agents to
drivers. According to Maund, “The
effectively manage both
transportation industry has a critical
communications and agent tasks –
shortage of qualified drivers, and the
helping them be responsive and
situation promises to get worse
collaborative. Integrated presence
rather than better. We feel it’s
and instant messaging enable Avaya
important to have the most
one-X® Agent users to reach out
advanced communications
quickly to an available expert
capabilities to compete effectively in
anywhere in the enterprise. Agents
this very difficult employment
have the tools they need to drive first
marketplace.
call resolution and high customer
satisfaction.
“One of the most effective strategies
is the person-to-person impact that
“Our business model
now requires that some
employees move
frequently among our
offices. Now, the Avaya
Aura Solution for
Midsize Enterprise has
helped us to create a
more effective and
mobile workforce, and
to continue building a
highly collaborative
culture. Today, we have
a very comprehensive
yet agile
communications
infrastructure with
advanced applications
that empower people
to work together both
personably and
efficiently in support of
our business
objectives.”
Productivity among home agents
we can achieve with our new video
has proven to be extremely high.
conferencing capabilities,” Maund
Maund said, “We’ve found that our
commented. “For example, there’s
home agents are able to take three
just nothing like the dramatic effect
calls to every one call taken by
of our senior management meeting
- Elaine Maund, Vice President
Information Systems, Boyd Bros.
agents in the office. We attribute this
with new trainees at a remote
Transportation Inc.
to the fact that agents who work at
location by live, interactive video. It’s
home do not have the distractions
becoming an absolutely essential
though our voice capabilities are
that typically arise in an office
medium for communicating how
terrific, there are still times when
environment. In addition to this vast
much we support and care about our
seeing people – being able to view
increase in productivity, we also
drivers and their families.”
their reactions and just generally
getting to know them better – is
realize a tremendous savings
through retaining experienced
Maund added that the company is
important. With interactive video,
personnel, even when they need to
also beginning to use
even though we are in the ‘midsize’
relocate, vs. training new employees.
videoconferencing with customers
category with a widely distributed
The savings is at least $5K-$6K per
and other employees as well. “Even
workforce, we can still have a small-
avaya.com | 5
company feel as we work with our
purposes, and they can leverage the
employees and customers.”
rich functionality and long distance
cost savings that are inherent in the
Boyd Bros. utilizes Avaya 1000
system.”
Series Video Conferencing Solution,
which are high-definition, lowbandwidth SIP based endpoints that
deliver video to everyone in an
organization from individual desktop
users and small workgroups to large
conference rooms.
Mobility options provided by Avaya
Virtual office
Consolidation with
Avaya Aura reduces
management time and
supports the rapid
deployment of new
applications
“With our previous mix of two
one-X® Mobile have been the right
different phone systems, it was often
answer for Boyd’s sales force and
difficult and time-consuming to
other employees as well. Maund
make anything new happen,” Maund
explained, “Previously, our sales
commented. “We found it hard to
people used personal cell phones
move people, and sometimes it was
and home phones, which required
a struggle to keep up with the
them to give out personal access
number of service requests that we
numbers. This sometimes created
received. Now all of that has
Productivity among
awkward situations when a sales
changed dramatically. Since we
home agents has proven
person would leave, since customers
to be extremely high.
deployed the Avaya Aura Solution
might continue to call his or her
for Midsize Enterprise, the time
personal numbers. Now we can
required to perform most system
State-of-the-art
provide each sales person with a
management functions has been
communications also
direct company number that can be
slashed by about 80%.”
helps Boyd Bros. stay
extended to his or her mobile device,
highly competitive in
laptop, and home IP phone, for both
hiring and retaining
incoming and outgoing functionality
drivers.
comparable to being in the office.
capabilities available
with the Avaya Aura®
Solution for Midsize
Enterprise were a huge
deciding factor for Boyd
Bros.
This makes them reachable on one
office number for all business
6
| avaya.com
Boyd Bros. has moved quickly to
Maund concluded, “Now that we are
deploy many of the most forward-
well-established in meeting our
looking Avaya technologies,
immediate needs, we are looking
including a unified communications
toward the future and all the
(UC) strategy that enables
possibilities that are inherent in our
employees to access information and
SIP integration. Skype and presence
to collaborate effectively no matter
are the two most immediate
where they are located. The
functions that we are planning for
company’s existing and planned
now. Beyond that, it seems that our
portfolio of UC capabilities includes
options are almost unlimited – both
Avaya one-X® Mobile; Avaya one-X®
for new functionalities and
Portal; Avaya one-X® Communicator;
continuing to improve our
presence services; video
operational expenses through the
conferencing; and voicemail to
consolidated infrastructure.”
e-mail integration.
For more information on how Avaya
“Our business model now requires
can take your enterprise from where
that some employees move
it is to where it needs to be, contact
frequently among our offices,”
your Avaya Account Manager or a
Maund said. “Before, we had
member of the Avaya Connect
difficulty accommodating that from
channel partner program, or access
the telecommunications perspective.
other collaterals by clicking on
Now, the Avaya Aura Solution for
Resource Library at
Midsize Enterprise has helped us to
www.avaya.com.
create a more effective and mobile
workforce, and to continue building
a highly collaborative culture. Today,
we have a very comprehensive yet
agile communications infrastructure
All statements in this case study were made by
Elaine Maund, Vice President Information
Systems, Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc.
“With our previous mix
of two different phone
systems, it was often
difficult and timeconsuming to make
anything new happen.
We found it hard to
move people, and
sometimes it was a
struggle to keep up
with the number of
service requests that
we received. Now all of
that has changed
dramatically. Since we
deployed the Avaya
Aura Solution for
Midsize Enterprise, the
time required to
perform most system
management functions
has been slashed by
about 80%.”
Elaine Maund, Vice President
Information Systems, Boyd Bros.
Transportation Inc.
with advanced applications that
empower people to work together
both personably and efficiently in
support of our business objectives.”
avaya.com | 7
Systems and
Applications
°° Avaya Aura® System Manager
°° Avaya one-X® Communicator
°° Avaya Aura® Session Manager
°° Avaya one-X® Agent
°° Avaya Aura® Application
°° Avaya 1010, 1030, and 1050 Video
The overall solution is comprised of
the consolidated server that hosts the
Avaya Aura® Solution for Midsize
Enterprise as well as additional
Enablement Services
°° Presence Services
applications and endpoints.
°° Avaya Aura Utilities Services and
S8800 Server consolidated Avaya
Aura Solution for Midsize Enterprise at
SAL
°° Avaya Contact Center Elite
headquarters in Clayton:
Conferencing Systems
°° Avaya G430 (with EBM), G450, and
G700 Media Gateways
°° 8400 Series Digital Deskphones
°° Avaya 4600 Series and 9600 Series
IP Deskphones
Additional applications and
°° Avaya Aura® Communication
endpoints:
company facilities
Manager
°° Avaya Aura® Communication
Manager Messaging
°° S8300 Servers (LSP) at three other
°° Avaya one-X® Mobile
°° Avaya one-X® Portal
About Avaya
Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications,
contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information
please visit www.avaya.com.
© 2011 Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Avaya and the Avaya Logo are trademarks of Avaya Inc. and are registered in the United States and other countries. All trademarks identified by ®, ™, or SM are registered marks,
trademarks, and service marks, respectively, of Avaya Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Avaya may also have trademark rights in other terms
used herein. References to Avaya include the Nortel Enterprise business, which was acquired as of December 18, 2009.
06/11 • UC4728-03
8
| avaya.com