Challenge

Improve efficiency using technology while providing a user-friendly and dynamic way to manage their lobby at low recurring cost.

Many companies today want to stand out to their clients, be memorable, and move forward with the times. Jitasa is one such company. When they needed to replace their receptionist – who was retiring from the company – they started hunting for a different solution.

Because the number of visitors to the Jitasa office on any given day is not partially high, hiring a replacement receptionist to dedicate to this role was something management questioned. They considered the option of not filling the position at all and having office staff listen for visitors when they arrived. They determined fairly quickly that this approach would be disruptive to the staff and would also feel less professional for the visitor.

At one point during these discussions, a comment was made about hiring a robot to do the job. Someone took that idea and did a quick search on Google to see if there was a technology solution that actually addressed these issues. It wasn’t long before they were reviewing ALICE Receptionist.

“We didn’t really want to fill a full-time position for just fielding visitors so we looked at other options. When we found out there was an automated solution, we were pretty excited about that.” Says Aaron Tevis, Manager of Quality Assurance. Aaron received an MBA from Boise State and spent a year as a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints before joining Jitasa as an accountant seven years ago. “We looked at similar products, but it seemed like Alice Receptionist was better suited for our needs than the others.”

Solution

Why ALICE? They wanted a high-tech, future forward solution that had a low recurring cost and involved a simple implementation process. ALICE gave the the ability to have a fully functional receptionist for much less than the cost of a traditional one. ALICE greeting and managing visitors allowed staff members to stay productive — only being interrupted when ALICE notified them that a visitor had arrived. ALICE could also track visitors activity on visitor reports that were self-maintained and easy to review.

They did have some reservations: how long would the hardware last? How often would new hardware have to be purchased? Was maintenance difficult or expensive? Do they go with a big wall mounted screen, or a sleek kiosk Where do they put it in the lobby so guests know to come and interact with ALICE? ALICE staff was on hand to help Jitasa answer these questions and give advice on the best options for their lobby. They even worked with staff to train them on how to manage the employee list, maps and other content on ALICE. In addition to the training, product software was included at no additional charge and ALICE’s support team is available to assist when needed.

The implementation process for ALICE was smooth. The ALICE system was preconfigured and tested prior to being sent to Jitasa. When ALICE arrived, Jitasa simply needed to plug in the 24” all In One Nye desktop and work with the ALICE Support team to finalize configuration settings and testing once the system was connected to their network. It was an easy process. With ALICE’s image gallery widget configured to show guests the building layout, visitors are able to find where they need to go with ease. Ring groups were also added for guests that do not know who to see. Visitors simply click a “Receptionist” button that dials a list of staff members who are able to assist them.

Results

With ALICE Receptionist managing their lobby rather than a full-time employee, Jitasa is saving over $20,000 annually while simultaneously allowing their employees to be more efficient. Staff can continue working at their desk and are notified and connected with guests only when needed, eliminating multiple trips to the lobby and interruptions from salespersons and unexpected visitors. This allows employees to screen guests quickly and remain productive.

Clients of Jitasa are impressed with ALICE’s technologically advanced look and feel. Jitasa took advantage of ALICE’s highly configurable abilities and widgets, implementing the ALICE weather widget and a map of the building layout, providing guests with important information in easy to understand visuals

In summary, ALICE Receptionist has provided company employees with the ability to control how and when they interact with visitors without the need for hiring someone to direct traffic or putting additional duties onto their staff. With ALICE’s easy to use, visually dynamic technology, Jitasa has enhanced their lobby and visitor experiences while maintaining an efficient and productive work environment for staff members.

Challenge

Stone Energy was hit hard by the $60 per barrel drop in the price of crude oil. The reduction triggered investor sell-offs and the implementation of dramatic cost-cutting measures. Every operational budget was cut and headcount was reduced.

Brad Breaux, Manager of Infrastructure Services, says, “Whenever oil and gas prices fall, like they did in the middle of 2014, one of the first personnel cuts we make is the full-time receptionists at the remote office locations.” There is not a lot of foot traffic at the remote offices, but there is still a need for a visitor management system without having somebody actually sitting at the front desk.

Solution

Brad’s number one requirement was ease-of-use. He says, “To perform the receptionist functions, we needed something that would allow visitors to walk up to it and, without explanation, be able to use it. We were impressed enough with the way ALICE Receptionist functioned that we put it in production within a week. We didn’t evaluate anything else because ALICE immediately served the purpose we were looking for.” Stone Energy is using ALICE Receptionist at all four of its office locations. ALICE Receptionist visitor management system senses motion when someone walks into the lobby. An automated greeting is activated, and ALICE can even print a visitor’s badge.

ALICE Receptionist is tied to Stone Energy’s CISCO Unified Communications Manager (CallManager.) To Cisco, the ALICE Directory looks just like another node on the telephone network. When a visitor touches a name on the screen, ALICE places a call through Call Manager to the selected employee. For its content, Alice visitor management software is synced with Stone Energy’s existing Microsoft Active Directory. Whenever there is a change in the company staff, the names, titles, phone numbers and photos of the employee directory are automatically imported into Alice. Stone Energy has a desktop system with a 43-inch Elo touch screen mounted to the stand. Brad says, “It’s noticeable as soon as you walk into the lobby. It has our logo. It’s personalized to our company.”

Benefit

“ALICE Receptionist has been a big win for us. The office managers’ workload in greeting and handling visitors has gone down quite a bit. Visitors love it because it is really easy to use. They just walk up to the screen, touch a button and get an immediate response.”

ALICE Receptionist visitor management system can handle reception functions at one tenth the cost of a full time employee. For companies in cost-cutting mode, like Stone Energy, the implementation of ALICE Receptionist has an immediate cost benefit. Brad concludes, “In the year and a half that we’ve been working with ALICE we have found the people at WinTech to be very personable and responsive. If I have a question, I get a call back within a few minutes. We get somebody that understands our network and our deployment. Whenever I call to get help, I don’t have to explain to them how it’s set up. They are responsive and personal, the two things that I enjoy the most about working with them. For us, ALICE was the right choice.”