E.L.
Hollingsworth
RingCentral Helps E.L. Hollingsworth Keep Freight Moving and Drivers Happy
E.L.
The RingCentral platform plays a key role, especially for our Customer Success teams, in helping us consistently deliver a high-quality call experience to our customers and to be responsive whenever they need us.
Matthew Lawrence
Systems Administrator, E.L. Hollingsworth
E.L. Hollingsworth and Company consistently exceeds customer expectations by combining comprehensive logistics software with an extensive network of offices, terminals, and warehouses throughout the US and Mexico.
Communication is key in the competitive transportation industry. To keep freight moving efficiently, drivers must know exactly, down to the dock number, where to pick up and drop off loads. Customers need to know options, pricing, and delivery times. And there are often emergencies, from warehouse fires to natural disasters, that make conditions on the ground change rapidly.
In this environment, poor call quality, static on the line, dropped calls, etc., are unacceptable. “We’re a transportation company with logistics,” says Matthew Lawrence, Systems Administrator for E.L. Hollingsworth. “We promise to get customers’ packages from point A to point B. We tell them we’re available 24/7. If they can’t get a decent call to us, why would they use our services?”
INDUSTRY
Transportation
HQ
Flint, MI
YEAR FOUNDED
1924
EMPLOYEES
600
Global RingEX delivers on call quality; HD audio for international calls is “amazing”
Improving call quality was the top priority for Lawrence when he was looking for a new communications solution. He chose the RingCentral cloud platform because it would provide US and international telephony through Global RingEX™ along with RingEX™ for video conferencing and RingCentral Live Reports for visibility into the company’s call center operations.
“I remember the day we switched over,” says Lawrence. “The difference in call quality was night and day, and it’s been that way ever since.” For calls between the US and Mexico, the improvement in quality has been especially beneficial. “There’s nothing worse than poor call quality and a language barrier,” Lawrence explains. “But with RingCentral, we have high-definition audio and the calls are amazing.”
Global RingEX helped keep the Mexico City office up and running after an earthquake there. Luckily, the office was undamaged, but the staff had to evacuate for part of the day. With RingCentral call forwarding, office numbers were forwarded to employees’ cell phones and the staff was able to keep in touch with customers, drivers, and headquarters during that hectic time.
RingEX gets new drivers on the road faster
With RingEX, an online audio and video conferencing solution, E.L. Hollingsworth gained a more personal way to connect with employees and customers. “We were using an old-fashioned conference line,” says Lawrence. “Now we use RingEX multiple times a day. We built video conference rooms in every location so customers and employees, who never met before, can now talk face-to-face.”
RingEX also helped E.L. Hollingsworth solve a hiring problem. “The RingCentral platform plays a key role, especially for our Customer Success teams, in helping us consistently deliver a high-quality call experience to our customers and to be responsive whenever they need us.”
I remember the day we switched over. The difference in call quality was night and day, and it’s been that way ever since.
Matthew Lawrence
Systems Administrator, E.L. Hollingsworth
Live Reports improves support for drivers and keepsmanagers informed
The company’s dispatch call center operates 24/7 to support drivers, dealing with issues from the mundane (handing out assignments) to emergencies (hitting a deer at 3 a.m.). “We want to keep drivers happy,” says Lawrence. “If a driver is calling to get his assignment, we don’t want him on hold for too long.” After analyzing Live Reports real-time and historical data showing hold times, the company increased staffing between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., a popular time for drivers to call in for assignments.
Information from Live Reports is also valuable to the Sales and Logistics teams. “We’re paying to have our name out there," Lawrence explains. “If we generate 20 calls per hour, but can only answer 19, then we’ve got a spot to fill in. Reports can also let us know when something is amiss, such as only three calls being made when things should have been busier.”
The real-time visibility of Live Reports helps managers adapt quickly, especially during natural disasters. “When a hurricane or earthquake hits, we know a lot of people are going to need help,” Lawrence says. “Seconds matter. With Live Reports, we can watch call volume in real time and make adjustments immediately.”