About Powells
Commercial interiors specialist Powells delivers tailor made fit outs for clients including hotels, shops, restaurants, bars and gyms.
Based in Andover, Hampshire, and working nationally, the business serves household names including Cartier, Harrods, Four Seasons Hotels, Louis Vuitton, H&M, Wagamama and Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Challenge
Powells has been a Onecom customer for a decade, at first for business mobile and then selecting Onecom in a tender process to supply combined desktop and landline connections through the Vodafone One Net service, a secure cloud-based phone system designed to connect landline and mobile communications.
During the pandemic, as staff worked from home, Powells was in need of a seamless and resilient solution so its teams could communicate with customers and each other more easily in lockdown.
I can’t fault the service. If there is ever a problem, it’s resolved easily and quickly. Everything we’ve done with Onecom has been seamless – it just works.
The Solution
Onecom partnered with 8x8 to provide the solution – a flexible, app-based VoIP service that enables voice and video chat.
Around 40 staff use the service, working interchangeably on iPhones and high-quality multiple-line IP desk phones supplied by Onecom. The system’s simple interface makes it easy for them to communicate with customers and with each other, with an identical customer experience whether the user is in the office or working remotely. The team also use video functionality through Microsoft Teams and FaceTime to demonstrate designs and products to customers, with the added benefit of time and cost savings to the reduced need for travel.
Mathew Bagot, IT and Facilities Manager for Powells Group, values the simplicity of the VoIP service and the straightforward per-user billing, avoiding the need for separate invoices for landline and mobile.
He is also impressed with the outstanding service he receives from Onecom. “I can’t fault the service. If there is ever a problem, it’s resolved easily and quickly. Everything we’ve done with Onecom has been seamless – it just works.”