MEDIA RELEASE – Wednesday, 2 December, 2009
Radically streamlined telephony for Orca
Orca is a global kiwi success story – a sports brand preferred by both the world’s elite triathlon competitors and
non-professional sportspeople. Orca apparel is renowned for its high performance and technical superiority. www.orca.com
What was the challenge?
Orca’s rapid growth and international expansion – as they moved from local start-up in 1992 to global distribution with
offices in the UK and Hong Kong today - meant their phone needs had changed markedly. Like many companies, they had
bought an expensive PABX system and signed multiple contracts with multiple suppliers to try and meet their expanding
needs. Orca were convinced there had to be a more streamlined and advanced way of accessing telecommunications.
In 2009, set to open a new retail store and head office on Auckland’s waterfront, Orca decided it was time to change.
How Conversant helped
When Orca contacted Conversant, the internet-based telephony experts were able to easily reduce the cost and complexity
of the phone system while giving Orca a radically better service.
The Conversant solution included setting up a ‘virtual’ PABX system for Orca – this meant Internet-based software
replaced the need for a PABX box and Orca can add or remove extension numbers and other services by logging onto a
website.
The Conversant C-Vox hosted PABX meant Orca could keep all their current numbers without having to pay indefinitely for
expensive call forwarding.
Conversant’s internet-based phone system let Orca consolidate the number of phone lines they needed providing a much
more streamlined and easier to manage service, at a fraction of the cost of the old system. Moving to internet-based
telephony also made organising the office move much easier – phones could be unplugged at the old building and plugged
in at the new without any drama waiting for a phone company to install or move an old-style physical PABX.
Orca now have a solution tailor-made for their business today, with the flexibility they need for future growth.
A winning result for Orca
Orca have achieved at least a 40% saving on their monthly phone bill, amounting to thousands of dollars per year. What’s
more, the improved system makes it easier for customers and suppliers to reach the right Orca staff member, streamlining
the service the company provides.
By choosing Conversant, Orca secured an intelligent, modern phone system, with all features of a high-end PABX, without
having to buy any expensive hardware. The virtual phone system is hosted, managed and maintained by Conversant, and Orca
only pay for the lines and services they use. What’s more they can scale up or down at will, adding new extension
numbers, for example.
In addition, the Conversant system will let Orca fully integrate the telephony for their Hong Kong, UK and New Zealand
operations. And create a virtual presence anywhere in the world as they grow, by quickly and cheaply establishing local
numbers in other countries.
“It was great to have someone who could answer all my questions so patiently and give me a really personalised, boutique
service, rather than being just a number holding in a queue to speak to someone at a big Telco.”
Hildegard Unsworth, Director
Conversant is proud to have given Orca a flexible and high performing phone system - an asset to their business and
their brand. www.conversant.co.nz
ENDS