Interstate Lumber Builds Strong Bonds With Customers Using a 3Com Voice and Data Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2003

Family Owned Retailer and Distributor of Building Materials 

Bolsters Customer Services,

Saves Over $30,000 Annually in Phone Expenses

In the fast-paced lumber business, every second counts. Customers calling to order supplies or check on deliveries demand immediate attention, and suppliers like Connecticut-based Interstate Lumber must respond instantly to every phone call, which is why the 80-year-old, Greenwich, CT, retailer deployed a 3Com(R) voice and data network at its headquarters and remote sites.

Today, using the 3Com NBX(R) 100 Communications platform to converge voice services over its Ethernet local area networks (LANs), Interstate attends to every customer call in seconds. Moreover, the 150-employee company is saving $2,000 a month in long-distance phone charges as well as $600 per month by eliminating 17 analog phone lines. The retailer also uses 3Com SuperStack(R) 3 Switch 4400 switches to prioritize voice over data traffic, ensuring that customers always have easy access to its staff.

"We needed a full-featured voice solution that would improve how employees communicate with each other and with customers," said Gary Schneidman, Interstate Lumber's CIO. "3Com is providing us with an easily managed communications solution that enables our staff to work together more effectively and more efficiently respond to customer needs."

Advanced Features, Robust Communications

Using an NBX chassis at each site and 3Com application-aware switches in every Greenwich location, Interstate enjoys premium-quality voice services at an exceptional low total cost of ownership. The NBX platform's virtual tie lines (VTLs) and voice over IP (VoIP) functionality, for instance, let employees quickly and affordably contact co-workers at any Interstate location using simple four-digit extensions. The 3Com system's automated attendants and dial plans streamline communications by speeding customer calls to the appropriate employee in any department, from sales to delivery, at any of the company's eight sites.

Interstate is additionally leveraging the NBX system to increase productivity. Employees use the computer telephony integration (CTI) feature to dial phone numbers directly from Microsoft's Outlook. The 3Com solution's phone conferencing feature, likewise, boosts productivity for site managers who consult with each other regarding product marketing plans, delivery procedures and sales goals from the convenience of their home offices. Moreover, rather than relying on legacy paging units that required staff to leave their desks to page colleagues in lumber yards, the NBX system lets users page them via their handsets.

Interstate uses the NBX solution's call detail reporting feature to monitor long-distance charges, and its IT staff use the platform's Web-based NBX NetSet(TM) administration tool to effortlessly manage the entire phone system from the Greenwich office. The NBX NetSet administration tool also enables individual employees to easily customize their phones for improved call handling.

A Unified, Cohesive Solution

Previously, Interstate used a combination of outdated Lucent, AT&T and NEC PBX systems at its eight locations. The mixed-vendor, non-integrated solution was difficult to manage and slowed communications between customers and staff, who could not even transfer customer calls between offices. Moreover, to unify the systems into one enterprise-wide solution would have been too prohibitive. Instead, Interstate sought to cost-effectively link all of its sites using a new feature-rich voice solution.

After consulting with its NYC-based value added reseller, Voice & Data Solutions, Interstate chose 3Com over Nortel and Lucent because of 3Com's reliable and feature-rich solution. In addition, Interstate was won over by the NBX solution's scalability, which allows the company to affordably expand the system as communications needs dictate.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a tier-one provider of innovative, practical and high-value networking products for enterprise customers. 3Com is also a leader in Internet protocol (IP) service platforms and access infrastructure for the network service provider market. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, the 3Com logo, NBX and SuperStack are registered trademarks and NBX NetSet is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.