Why Cbeyond

Customer Stories

Moving FORWARD with Cbeyond bundled telecom services

About FORWARD Telecommunications Services

Telecom services provider
Cbeyond channel partner and customer
Headquartered in Aurora, IL

Download the full case study

Business Challenges

Compete with competitive offerings
Keep staff trained on latest solutions
Streamline internal communications

Results with Cbeyond

Easily configured voice and data packages
Product training through Cbeyond SIPconnect® Forums.
Simplified account management through Cbeyond Online

FORWARD Telecommunication Services, Inc. founders Dave Osterkamp and Patti Ferguson run a tight ship. Seven employees deliver service to more than 350 small- to medium-sized businesses. FORWARD recognized the advantages of a Cbeyond solution for their customers as well as for their own company:

Competitive offering. FORWARD's customers expect best-of-breed telecom solutions and a strong portfolio of additional services.
Training. FORWARD's staff needed to be fully trained on the latest communications solutions to successfully sell to customers and deliver the best service.
Internal communications. FORWARD needed an efficient internal communications solution so it could focus on its customers' needs.

"When I first heard of Cbeyond, I thought, 'We need this. We want this. Our customers can use this.' It was the quality and the solutions that we needed, and it was an all in one package with one point of contact and one provider."

Patti Ferguson
Co-founder and co-owner, FORWARD Telecommunications Services, Inc.

The Cbeyond Solution

Cbeyond delivers a variety of voice and data services that are attractive to FORWARD's small business customers. Cbeyond's base offering, BeyondVoice® with SIPconnect, delivers easily configured packages of voice and data with numerous value-added features including email with SpamBlocker, Secure Backup, and Fax-to-Email. The Cbeyond portfolio includes several packages that are easily managed, upgraded and customized for businesses with between 5 and 250 employees:

Cbeyond's BeyondOffice® service connects entrepreneurs' homes to their offices with a direct T1 connection.
BeyondMobile® keeps a mobile workforce connected with mobile voice and data services.
Anyone with Cbeyond service can customize and manage their accounts through CbeyondOnline™.

Results and Benefits

As a Cbeyond reseller taking advantage of the services it is selling, FORWARD's potential customers are quick to see how they can be successful by consolidating communication providers and switching to Cbeyond. FORWARD reduced expenses for their local, long distance phone and mobile services, and saved time:

Using their mobile phones, FORWARD's technicians can stay connected to the office via BlackBerry® devices, while at job sites.
FORWARD is able to offer its customers account management services through CbeyondOnline. They can easily manage each customer's account securely and easily; creating phone numbers, upgrading services and managing its account packages.
FORWARD employees stay trained on Cbeyond's portfolio of services through Cbeyond SIPconnect® Forums. Cbeyond offers these forums on the latest SIP-compliant solutions to their channel partners.