Subaru Canada is streamlining its communications using Microsoft Lync, avoiding the phone and email tag that were putting spokes in the wheels of their business.
Toronto-based Navantis Inc., a provider of enterprise software and services, first installed the platform after Subaru’s legacy Nortel telecommunications system wasn’t up for the job anymore, according to an article in ITBusiness.ca. And today, says Andy Popadopoulos, vice-president of Navantis, Subaru has a better handle on many different aspects of their business, from their contact centre to their internal lines of communication.
For example, he said, unlike with e-mail that doesn’t give any indication of how busy a particular employee may be or what stage he or she is at in a task, the Lync instant messaging service gives instant feedback.
“With Lync’s Presence technology a Subaru staffer can see if the parts guys are active because the system would show a green light. I can call Joe because he’s there and say, ‘Is there this part for this car?’ He says ‘yes’ and now that task is done,” Papadopoulos said.
At Subaru Canada, Ted Lalka, the vice-president for planning and marketing, said while he can’t give exact numbers on what the company has saved by deploying the system, Lync has reduced travel costs as people have a more comprehensive platform for remote communication across the country.