Solutions

Fusion Recruitment

Small Business, Big Shoes to Fill - Fusion Recruitment Group, Vancouver, B.C..

For Alan Welyk, President and Managing Partner of Fusion Recruitment Group, the business of recruiting can be summed up in a few words: people, solutions, results. His five-person professional search company delivers on all three dimensions for clients that range from large multi-nationals looking to fill a Vice President of Marketing position, to small, locally-owned companies who want to establish a team of sales representatives. No matter what size the client, the business of placing skilled personnel in high-growth positions of sales, marketing, and management is one that puts a high value on service. As a small office with big shoes to fill, Fusion needed an IT solution that would fit their small office environment and meet their big service demands.

The Small Office Solution That Answers the Call

Before they installed the Sutus Business Central, Fusion was operating with a Nortel meridian phone system, a standard ADSL internet and email hosted via Dreamhost. The need for an upgrade was apparent, but was greeted with some trepidation. As Welyk explained “In the business of placement, it’s people first, technology second.” Calls are priority one in this business, and a lost call could mean a lost client. The new system would have to provide direct, easy-to-access links between clients and Fusion staff. It would have to ensure that all calls were answered, even when staff are in meetings, on the phone, or screening potential candidates. Further, the new system would have to be installed quickly and easily, with minimal service disruption.

“We rely so much on technology for our business to be effective” explained Welyk. “When there’s a break in the technology work flow, that’s a potential disaster. In our business, seventy five percent of our time is spent on the phone, or dealing with projects utilizing email. If our phone system goes down, our business is literally shut down. We have no way to access the outside world. We are 100% reliant on that working.”

Fusion made the IT leap two years ago with the Sutus Business Central. The small office-in-a-box IT package gave Fusion everything they needed to stay ahead of the
technology curve and remain connected to their clients. The new system would not only see that client calls were answered, but would eliminate the need for front-desk staff, without sacrificing service. For Welyk, this was an unforeseen return on investment: “With the combination of the auto attendant system and the way the voice mail system is set up, we were able to eliminate the front desk position all together. Our group has transferred over completely into an auto attendant system.” He estimated that the new feature saved the company between $45,000 and $65,000 in annual wage costs. “It’s almost like having a virtual office. As consultants, we are able to focus on our business and know that the calls are being managed by the system. We’ve never had any downtime.”He further credits the call flow features of the auto attendant system for contributing vital workflow efficiencies to their small office. It makes it easier for staff to respond to, and prioritize incoming client calls while in meetings or conducting interviews. “For me it’s a matter of workflow efficiency. It works from a workflow standpoint because we’re able to prioritize in that environment,” said Welyk.

More control over their IT Means More Time for Clients, Less Time and Money Spent On Technology

The Business Central not only gave the small business the IT boost it needed, it also gave them greater control over their technology. Fusion staff could now access the system from the office or from the road, making any necessary changes or add-ons to email and voice mail. “There’s tremendous benefit in this feature because we can make efficient changes ourselves,” said Welyk. “Outside of a handful of technical questions and the need for additional phones, our need for online or onsite tech assistance has been significantly reduced.” He also credits the voice mail to email conversions for making the system more responsive to staff and clients. “The system is efficient, easy to use, and we’ve encountered little to no dropped calls between our group.”