About Johnston Wood
Johnston Wood Roach Accountants (JWR) are chartered accountants, business and tax advisors with a large and loyal client base. The business, established since 1992, employs 28 advisors with ambitious plans to double its team, and serves a varied 750-strong roster of clients from sole traders to corporates.
JWR’s directors pride themselves on a modern, friendly and approachable service, their ability to build long-standing and trusted partnerships with their clients, and their expertise in developing solutions that work for each individual business.
These are the same attributes that JWR value in Onecom. Beginning with a fixed line system, Onecom has worked with JWR over the years to evolve its provision to meet the business’s changing needs.
We are always looking for what works best for us and for our clients, and Onecom always provide it. Our business has grown and continues to grow, because clients stick with us for a long time and we build strong relationships with them – and that’s exactly how we feel about Onecom.
The Solution
The JWR team were able to seamlessly continue operating during the pandemic thanks to the Vodafone OneNet system installed by Onecom. This meant advisors could have calls automatically forwarded to their mobiles, and they could plug in their desktop phones at home if they preferred.
During the lockdown the business’s systems developed, including a shift to a paperless environment. Onecom responded to the change by recommending a flexible solution that would support an anticipated growth in team numbers and the adoption of a hybrid working model.
Following demonstrations of a number of possible options, JWR chose 8x8, a feature-rich cloud-based platform which works as an app on users’ mobile devices. The app has a familiar interface similar to the device’s native phone calling app, along with features including voicemail, straightforward warm and cold transfers, and scheduling of office hours.
Crystelle Johnston, founder and one of three directors at the business, said the process of introducing 8x8 was typical of the way Onecom works closely and proactively with the business.
“I can’t sing their praises highly enough,” she said. “They are professional but friendly and approachable, and they bring us solutions. The way we work changed through Covid, and Onecom really understood that change and what we needed to do in the future. They talked us through all the options, and worked closely with our IT team, to come up with the ideal solution for us. 8x8 enables us communicate with customers in exactly the same way, wherever we are working – it’s exactly what we need.