T G Lynes

Sector: Trade Distribution

Key Feature: Multi-site Networking

When you're totally transforming your organisation and investing £3m+ in new state-of-the-art premises to completely revolutionise your customer service capability, sometimes all you want your customers to know is that it's ‘business as usual’. With over 100 years of heritage and an established customer base, all T G Lynes wanted as they expanded was to make sure that everything continued as normal. And for customers that meant picking up the phone and calling the same number they always had, to get the service they had come to expect. It was a simple requirement - but one that was far from simple to fulfil, taking the absolute latest in communications technology to provide the solution. SpliceCom recommended that TG Lynes invest in a data network which would also support Voice over IP capability. They were then able to use spare bandwidth on the network for the seamless transfer of all incoming calls across the data network. And all at no cost to T G Lynes or to their customers. A perfect solution which enabled customers to continue to call the same number and speak to the same people, even though those people were now situated over 12 miles away.

Four generations of customer service

Thomas George Lynes founded T G Lynes as a Builders Merchants and Ironmonger in 1885, just ten years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Today, the 4th generation of the Lynes family still run T G Lynes, serving trade contractors throughout the South East of England from three branches. During this time the business has developed and expanded, needing to do more each day to meet customers expectations. In the same time, telecommunications technology has also developed and expanded, becoming more sophisticated to meet the individual requirements of companies like T G Lynes.

Contactability and responsiveness

The company's success over the past 100+ years has been achieved thanks to the experience of their staff, the wide range of stock they carry and most importantly, the quality of their customer service. As one of the leading independent suppliers to the mechanical services, heating, plumbing and air movement industries in the UK today, T G Lynes needs to help its customers hit deadlines by supplying contractors with equipment on time, every time. To achieve this, contactability and responsiveness are two critical considerations - and as such, quality of telephone response is a pivotal part of their effective customer service capability.

Expansion to meet customer demand

T G Lynes needed to relocate if they were to maintain and develop their existing customer service levels, whilst also ensuring that they build a strong platform for future growth. One requirement was vital though. They simply had to retain their main sales number 0207 837 6455, which customers knew off by heart and had used over many years. Changing this number now would cause confusion and inconvenience for customers.

The challenge

But there was a problem. Their new purpose-built warehousing and distribution facility was in Enfield, and would require a different dialling code and a different telephone number. So as not to disrupt Service levels or cause confusion, TGLynes needed to allow customers to contact the new Distribution Centre by whichever phone number they wanted - the new one or the older more established one. The main options offered by suppliers involved Call Diversion or the use of an 0800 number. This option would cost the company money for every call made and the 0800 number would also provide a frustrating announcement to all callers calling from mobile phones. A time-consuming and irritating experience for T G Lynes’ customers, most of whom tend to use mobiles these days. If T G Lynes could not find a way to overcome this challenge, it looked as if their £3m+ investment, designed to improve customer service, could actually be about to make things worse!

Enter SpliceCom

T G Lynes called on Echo Communications to help them solve their dilemma. Echo looked at their requirements and quickly involved SpliceCom, UK manufacturer of the maximiser business telephone system. SpliceCom immediately recommended that TG Lynes invest in a data network which would also support Voice over IP capability. They were then able to use spare bandwidth on the network for the seamless transfer of all incoming calls across the data network, from Kings Cross through to the new facility in Enfield. And all at no cost to T G Lynes or to their customers.

Problem solved

In the end an 0845 number was chosen as the main company telephone number for ease of future marketing messages. However, the Kings Cross number was retained and simply routed to the Sales Team at Enfield - a perfect solution. And with the added benefit of there being no additional call costs involved, T G Lynes were extremely pleased with the result. Their profile in the industry was maintained, their customers’ did not have to remember any new numbers or receive annoying messages on their mobiles about freephone numbers - and yet they were still able to provide all the benefits and advantages that the new Enfield facility could offer.

Project Highlights

All incoming calls are transferred at no cost across the IP network, allowing centralised customer service management from the new Enfield distribution centre.

System Summary

Converged Voice over IP network
maximiser IP telephone system
Three 4100 maximiser call servers networked as a single system over three branches
20 PCS 400 interactive handsets for the customer- facing sales team at Enfield
Centralised voicemail and music on hold across all branches
60 analogue telephone extensions
Combined analogue, IP and soft-phones across all branches

Commercial Benefits

Maximised the effectiveness of their new investment
Avoided any additional call costs for T G Lynes
Ensured long-standing customers were given continuity of contact method
Maintained 'small, friendly, family business' profile

Customer Benefits

The key customer benefit has been no apparent change!